Katie Hopkins has been a controversial figure since first coming to the public’s attention in the television series the Apprentice. Famed for forthright views which are often less than charitable, she divides opinion and has come to be a figure that many love to hate. Straight talking she may be and I often feel that she could adopt a slightly softer approach in trying to get her point across. However, I find that I generally agree with her. I believe she is disliked not because she is a nasty person but because she is prepared to call a spade a spade when others are busy trying to remain politically correct.

Obesity

I was particularly interested in her attitude to obesity. This is an issue which I find deeply concerning and I have felt a great deal of consternation at the population’s increasing tendency to gain weight. I have always believed that every individual should do everything they can to look after themselves rather than relying on others to do it for them. I think we should all try our hardest not to be a burden on the state and if you are overweight then you will likely be just that at some point. Being obese causes a raft of health issues and there is no good reason why anyone can’t be slim if they would just stop making excuses. All this political correctness like not calling people fat is just making the situation worse.

Personal Responsibility

Katie Hopkins basically voiced all of my own thoughts with venom and met with a barrage of criticism but for the life of me I don’t understand why. People who are overweight seem very fond of blaming anything they can think of when the simple truth is that they eat too much and exercise too little. There may well be underlying psychological issues and other problems which make their lives difficult, but that is no excuse. We all have our crosses to bear, tendencies to over indulge in something and pressures on our time but that shouldn’t mean that we turn into fat and idle people and if we do the rest of society should not have to pay for our sins.

My Fat Story

I am with Katie all the way and admire the fact that she put her body where her mouth had gone and launched on a project to gain weight and then demonstrate that she could lose it by eating less and exercising more.  My Fat Story was the resulting documentary and she achieved her goals whilst admittedly upsetting even more people in the process.

Another Fat Story

I found the programme riveting viewing and was especially interested to hear Katie say how much harder she found life when overweight. Her observations mirrored my own experience. I had endured a period of being overweight myself. I changed my diet started to do more exercise and lost the weight. As a result I felt much better, enjoyed improved health and found life altogether more enjoyable.

People who claim to be fat and happy really astonish me. It is harder to do almost anything when you are overweight, all the available evidence suggests that your health is damaged and it is harder to find clothes to suit. OK there are special collections for fuller figures and even specialist lingerie ranges but if you want the coolest fashions then you need to be slim because those brands simply don’t make clothes for the obese! Why would you want to be immobile, unhealthy and less stylish? These people have to be kidding themselves or the rest us. The lie is a coping mechanism and an act of denial.

Katie Hopkins may lack finesse in the expression of her views but certainly when it comes to obesity she is championing the sensible course of action and the greater good. Those who are fond of making excuses for themselves might not like what she has to say and people who lack self-control may not welcome the criticism but that doesn’t mean that she is either unpleasant or indeed wrong. She is merely prepared to speak the truth when we have been conditioned to expect soft soaping and lies.

Article by Sally Stacey