Sublime

The overweight in Japan are subjected to immense social pressure to change, including taunts of metabo—short for metabolic syndrome—and unwanted belly-patting from strangers.

Just as my friend Bethany is accused of ‘glorifying obesity’ just for having the gumption to exist without shame, Lindy describes being harangued with the same question – ‘isn’t this a slippery slope into poor health?’ – every time she asserts her humanity as a fat woman. As she puts it: ‘The question itself is an assault: it validates the idea tha