Chicago Gym Offers Overweight Only Membership

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Posted March 24, 2013 3:19 pm by

Chicago Gym Offers Overweight Only Membership

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In a culture that values thin, the fat debate is on fire.

From plus-size models strutting the catwalks, to curvaceous superstars like Adele belting it out at the Oscars (and winning one for “Skyfall”) and Lena Dunham proudly bearing it all in her hit HBO show, “Girls,” plus-size is going mainstream.

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Two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese, and several clothing stores, like Fashion to Figure, are marketing cute clothes for bigger girls.

“I think in today’s world, when there’s so many positive role models out there, Octavia Spencer, Adele, Melissa McCarthy from ‘Bridesmaids’ and lots of people like that, I think, are changing the way things are viewed,” said Fashion to Figure CEO Michael Kaplan. “And those biases hopefully will become removed over time.”

Vogue, a magazine famous for featuring super-skinny figures, will soon feature Kate Upton, a swimsuit model known for her curves, on their cover.

So is there still real shame in being overweight? For the gym-goers at Downsize Fitness in Chicago, the answer is, “Yes.”

At Downsize Fitness, membership is reserved for the overweight only — those who are at least 50 pounds overweight — because they feel “fat shamed.”

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