In another thread, it was suggested that this might be a good topic to discuss. The health issue frequently seems to be the proverbial "third rail" of feederism, so I think it would be great for the community if we had a discussion about it.
One thing that has long bothered me is that within size acceptance, there are often attitudes of anger or resentment when it comes to fat and health. Fat people get angry when they are presumed to be unhealthy. Fat people get angry when they are presumed to have various diseases, or if it's assumed that a health issue is weight related when it may not be. Many posts on the Main Board link to media reports of links between obesity and health or longevity.
Yet when it comes to feederism or erotic weight gain, it feels as if suddenly health is a major issue. Feeders are presumed to not care about health. Gainers are presumed to not care about their own health, to be slowly killing themselves, or to be unaware or unconcerned of health risks involved in gaining. So it feels like on one hand we get the message "It's against size acceptance to say fat is unhealthy" yet on the other hand we get the message that feederism is dangerous. These two seem to be at odds.
Then there is the issue of how gainers feel about their own health. Many of the ones who post here have said either that they monitor their health and would stop gaining if it were affected, and some take the attitude that health risks are worth it because being fat is so important to them. The notion of "health" is also pretty broad; there is no hardcore definition of what is healthy and not healthy. A fat person can have average blood pressure or cholesterol, yet have limited mobility or be at greater risk if s/he falls down. A gainer may know all the risks and take them anyway, or it's possible some gainers are making mistakes as far as health risks. What does the community or a partner owe them as far as intervention or ceasing to encourage it?
Lastly there is the issue of "Do feeders just want to rub one out and not care about the health of their partner?" To me this is a complex question and one where I think an honest discussion is warranted.
If you are speaking from a strictly sexual context, the answer may be no, because there may be no partner involved. If you are excited by porn involving women with huge breasts, you may not 'care' about the risks of implants, you just want to get off. If you subscribe to paysites to see a gaining woman, you may just be a customer buying a service. Are you a bad person, or should you feel guilty if you don't think about the woman as person when it's strictly a commercial relationship?
With a live partner, husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend the equation obviously changes. There would be a balance between fulfilling your needs and what your partner wants, and this goes for BOTH FEEDER AND GAINER. I think it's very important to note that there are situations where the gainer wants to gain beyond where the feeder is comfortable because s/he likes it so much. Obviously the gainer should get the final say because it's his/her body, but OTOH, if you're in a relationship, do you have a responsibility to ensure the feeder's emotional well being as well?
One thing that has long bothered me is that within size acceptance, there are often attitudes of anger or resentment when it comes to fat and health. Fat people get angry when they are presumed to be unhealthy. Fat people get angry when they are presumed to have various diseases, or if it's assumed that a health issue is weight related when it may not be. Many posts on the Main Board link to media reports of links between obesity and health or longevity.
Yet when it comes to feederism or erotic weight gain, it feels as if suddenly health is a major issue. Feeders are presumed to not care about health. Gainers are presumed to not care about their own health, to be slowly killing themselves, or to be unaware or unconcerned of health risks involved in gaining. So it feels like on one hand we get the message "It's against size acceptance to say fat is unhealthy" yet on the other hand we get the message that feederism is dangerous. These two seem to be at odds.
Then there is the issue of how gainers feel about their own health. Many of the ones who post here have said either that they monitor their health and would stop gaining if it were affected, and some take the attitude that health risks are worth it because being fat is so important to them. The notion of "health" is also pretty broad; there is no hardcore definition of what is healthy and not healthy. A fat person can have average blood pressure or cholesterol, yet have limited mobility or be at greater risk if s/he falls down. A gainer may know all the risks and take them anyway, or it's possible some gainers are making mistakes as far as health risks. What does the community or a partner owe them as far as intervention or ceasing to encourage it?
Lastly there is the issue of "Do feeders just want to rub one out and not care about the health of their partner?" To me this is a complex question and one where I think an honest discussion is warranted.
If you are speaking from a strictly sexual context, the answer may be no, because there may be no partner involved. If you are excited by porn involving women with huge breasts, you may not 'care' about the risks of implants, you just want to get off. If you subscribe to paysites to see a gaining woman, you may just be a customer buying a service. Are you a bad person, or should you feel guilty if you don't think about the woman as person when it's strictly a commercial relationship?
With a live partner, husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend the equation obviously changes. There would be a balance between fulfilling your needs and what your partner wants, and this goes for BOTH FEEDER AND GAINER. I think it's very important to note that there are situations where the gainer wants to gain beyond where the feeder is comfortable because s/he likes it so much. Obviously the gainer should get the final say because it's his/her body, but OTOH, if you're in a relationship, do you have a responsibility to ensure the feeder's emotional well being as well?
