The San Francisco Department of Public Health has hired a consultant on ‘weight stigma and weight neutrality’ despite the city in the midst of a battle against rampant homelessness, open-air drug use, and violent crime.
Virgie Tovar, a self-described ‘anti-weight-based discrimination’ expert describes herself as a prominent advocate for ‘fat positivity’ and body acceptance. Announcing her appointment on her Instagram, she called it ‘an absolute dream come true.’
‘I’m unbelievably proud to serve the city I’ve called home for almost 20 years in this way!’ Tovar wrote.
‘This consultancy is an absolute dream come true, and it’s my biggest hope and belief that weight neutrality will be the future of public health.’
Critics argue San Francisco has far bigger problems to deal with than how people feel about their weight.
With the city struggling to deal with homelessness, drug addiction, and concerns over public safety concerns, prioritizing a weight stigma consultant feels tone-deaf, they argue.
‘This is real?’ tweeted Elon Musk upon hearing the news, believing it might be satire.
‘So the goal is not to fix any problems. Just to make people feel better about having them,’ surmised one user.
‘San Francisco is just making their problems worse,’ added another.