Why does Equestria have fat unicorns?

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

People in real life wish they could just magically melt all their fat away. The unicorns in MLP have that ability, yet some like the puppeteer from Season 4, and the fat pony from Canterlot Boutique are still carrying all that excess weight for no reason. What's their excuse? Are they really just that lazy, or are they so depressed that they stopped caring about clogging their arteries?

[ShadOBabe 18,997]

Since when do they have the ability to melt away fat?

[Malinter 3,064]

MLP Pony fat doesn't work that way. Look at Pinkie Pie, with the amount of cake she eats she would not only be obese by now, she'd also have died from severe organ failure by now. XD

 

Also some ponies are kinda chubby but still look ok, such as Mrs Cake. XD

Edited October 16, 2015 by Malinter

[CheeryFox 23,821]

I don't think magic will negate things like that...unless it's illusionary magic... 

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

I'm afraid it's more complicated. First, we have no actual evidence of any "cosmetical" spells (for example, Rarity could just magically grow her eylashes rather than use fake ones), so it would be safer to assume weight reduction works the same way it does on Earth. I guess plastic surgery would heavily rely on magic, so there is a possibility for magically assisted liposuction and stomach shrinking. Secondly, here on Earth obesity is a major public health scare (witch, as a public health specialist, I partially approve) AND there's lots of plain wrong "fat shaming". Education about risk of obesity is ok, firing people from jobs and shaming them like it's 15th century and there's a plague in town just after they moved there - isn't.

We already know that pony society is founded upon the base of accepting each other's differences, since there are 3 races of ponies, but also donkeys, mules, griffons, you name it. And even though there has to be some common canon of beauty among ponies, their tolerant nature prevents them from picking up torches and pitchforks just because somepony is obese. And since there is no evidence of any organised healthcare going on (the whole sector may be running on commercial rules), the risk of excessive care costs and possible premature death is their own alone. I think the average pony thinks "not my stomach, not my purse, not my problem".

[Redacted321 105]

Equestria probably has fat people the same reason earth does, Lazy people, crappy genetics and shoddy medicinal side effects.

 

I don't think magic will negate things like that...unless it's illusionary magic... 

Imagine if someone cast a dispel... spell on rarity and it turned out she was a few pounds larger then every thought. XD I'd lose it at that point.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Dxnill

[Malinter 3,064]

 

 

I'm afraid it's more complicated. First, we have no actual evidence of any "cosmetical" spells

 

Well there is Luna's shapeshifting ability and the changling's ability to imitate a creature of equal size. But they are kind of exceptions to the norm.  

[1111 1,284]

Is it possible for there to be a spell to get rid of fat I think doesn't matter. I think hasbro is ok and supporting all shapes and sizes is why there is fat unicorns.

[Malinter 3,064]

Plus with magical ponies they can just make the clothes bigger via magic (because what does mass/volume know about fashion! XD) 

[arftbmrf 40]

it's more like a joke than anything else. It's possible to get rid of fat instantly -- ask Discord. I think you could ask Celestia or Luna as well, but since they are rulers, they don't have time for that.

[sweetolebob18 728]

People get fat because they eat too much & exercise too little.  Yes, for metabolic reasons some folks find this easier to do than others.  Yes some people have health problems that make them gain weight (pituitary gland problems, for instance).  They often die from them, too.  Over all, though, the only medical problem most overweight people have is an over active jaw (I'm 60 lbs. overweight & I know this)

 

Yes, in EQ I suppose some Unicorns can cast magic well enough to change their shape.  Most Unicorns have only a few basic spells relating to their Cutie Marks & just aren't good enough to change their looks.  Unicorns can use their TK to write & thus tend to have clerk jobs & lead a more sedentary life.

 

Changelings don't seem to be fat unless they are disguised & Alicorns are a special case.  Pinkie obviously has the metabolic rate of a blast furnace & leads an incredibly active life (see Too Many Pinkies, for instance).  She is still a bit on the plump side.

[Lucia 100]

The real question is: since when not being *100% ideal BMI* equate to being fat, obese, chubby, or pudgy, and thus unhealthy & bad?

 

'Fat' ponies are as valid and normal as 'average weight ' or 'skinny' ponies. Skinny or underweight ponies are just as 'unhealthy' as fat ones, but they don't equate to 'they should not be!'

[Moonlight 7,286]

Fat does not equal unhealthy nor does it equal being "lazy" or "clogging your arteries."

 

Being underweight is just as bad as being overweight but of course you wouldn't say that because thin people are "so nice to look at." There's no reason to not be accepting of other sizes, especially when it's not your size in the first place.

 

Equestria seems like an accepting society so I doubt they would care about something that's not their business. And I doubt you can magically make yourself thin since other variables come in such as health problems you're born with or an extremely slow metabolism (something that I have "fun" with). Magic can't "fix" (which implies bigger ponies need fixing which they don't) everything. 

[Silver Stream. 708]

*slowly raises hand* Don't mind me,just going to see how this goes so I can obtain the secret magical spells to melt fat away. Celestial knows I freaking need it since I'm always losing motivation to work out since graduating.

 

(No seriously, not trying to mock anyone here. Im seriously lazy and fat)

Edited October 16, 2015 by Princess Sunset

[SilverDusk 43]

Fat does not equal unhealthy

 

No, but obesity does. I'm all for body acceptance, and being content with who you are, but there is a difference between someone who is just big because its how they are built, and someone who is obese because they make poor choices.

 

And personally, I don't see how equestria is "accepting" in regards to fat ponies. There usually at the butt end of jokes.

[UnknownFry 169]

Because the show actually tries to include some variety now instead of using the same copy and paste model for characters like it used to do.

 

Also it depends on the lifestyle choices that some of these characters makes, and some ponies are comfortable in their own skin as is.

[GenderIsAnIllusion 2,177]

I'm just going to give the most smart assed answer of all time.

 

 

BECAUSE IT MAKES A DECENT VISUAL GAG, AND YOU WILL PROPABLY NEVER SEE MRS PUDGY EVER AGAIN

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

I'm afraid it's more complicated. First, we have no actual evidence of any "cosmetical" spells (for example, Rarity could just magically grow her eylashes rather than use fake ones), so it would be safer to assume weight reduction works the same way it does on Earth. 

We've seen more complicated spells than that. Twilight's turned animals into oranges. I'm sure that spells for gaining or losing weight isn't unreasonable. It would just take some studying and practice to use it efficiently.

 

Come to think of it, Zecora gave Applebloom a potion to fix a chipped tooth. If there was a potion that could control weight, then that's something all ponies could benefit from. 

 

Fat does not equal unhealthy nor does it equal being "lazy" or "clogging your arteries."

 

Being underweight is just as bad as being overweight but of course you wouldn't say that because thin people are "so nice to look at." There's no reason to not be accepting of other sizes, especially when it's not your size in the first place.

 

Equestria seems like an accepting society so I doubt they would care about something that's not their business. And I doubt you can magically make yourself thin since other variables come in such as health problems you're born with or an extremely slow metabolism (something that I have "fun" with). Magic can't "fix" (which implies bigger ponies need fixing which they don't) everything. 

 

You know, poisoning the well does nothing. I'll have you know I used to be 80 pounds overweight. You can't tell me I'm not accepting of other people being bigger.   

 

What I DON'T accept is self-destructive behavior. I didn't start losing weight until kidney stones kicked in and forced me to change my diet. Looking back at that trip to the hospital still makes me feel like an idiot because since then, I found that keeping track of calories, monitoring my salt and water intake and ditching the sodas took next to no effort at all. It just seemed so goddamned easy, and now I'm getting obese people at work asking me how I did it. And they continue to disappoint me because all they can do is make excuses for themselves, even after they end up seeing a doctor. 

 

Understandably, not everyone can lose weight due to some inherent health problem. That's one thing. But if losing weight IS within your ability, but you instead choose to let yourself go and then bitch about having a bad heart or diabetes, that speaks volumes about your character. How can anyone in their right mind say that THAT's something we should accept? That's like saying we should accept alcoholism or drug addiction.

 

But who am I kidding? Some people must be predisposed towards dumping toxins into their bodies, so I guess that makes me a bigot for saying anything about them.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Lord-Pomegranate

[Christmasy Britty 2,553]

Why not have a fat pony? Fat ponies need love too, just like overweight people 

[Raven Rawne 1,381]

Lord Pomergranate, I see Your point towards body altering spells being within reach of unicorn magic. Sadly, Twilight Sparkle is a bad example to support it - she's basically a magical nuclear reactor when other unicorns are potato batteries. She's got so much raw power to start with, plus her special talent is magic itself, when other unicorns generally specialise in one field related to their vocation or never get past basic levitation. Sure, there are unicorns with both more and less raw magical power than the average, but TS is a nuclear option.

 

Also, I've mentioned commercial use of magic, performed by a specialised magic user who guarantees their results and makes a living from it. It is possible, but we just lack evidence to support it. Magically assisted plastic surgery just seems easier to nail down, since it would require a unicorn doctor (perfectly doable) with a bit tweaked spell set. There are possibly dozens of clinics providing cosmetic surgeries in Canterlot alone. But it's just a theory, and since it's not supported with evidence from the show or comics, I have no idea whenever it would hold any water or not.

 

Also, since I myself can't gain weight even if my life depends on it I do not feel qualified to talk about why people with obesity related health problems sometimes don't change anything in their lifestyles, even if it causes them serious harm. On the other hoof, I can offer insight about the issue from public health perspective, since it corresponds with my academic eduaction, so feel free to ask about general trends.

 

Halloweeny Britty, I think the topic is not about lack of "fat acceptance", but rather why do ponies have unhealthy habits even though they potentially lead to serious health problems. Atleast that's how I understand it, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

[cider float 2,538]

There was never a spell that reduces one's body fat and I find it very rare to find an obese pony because the ponies have primitive technology and do a lot of hard labor.

[KillerKingBakudan 702]

Lord Pomergranate, I see Your point towards body altering spells being within reach of unicorn magic. Sadly, Twilight Sparkle is a bad example to support it - she's basically a magical nuclear reactor when other unicorns are potato batteries. She's got so much raw power to start with, plus her special talent is magic itself, when other unicorns generally specialise in one field related to their vocation or never get past basic levitation. Sure, there are unicorns with both more and less raw magical power than the average, but TS is a nuclear option.

I was under the impression that learning spells was like learning different academic subjects. Some people are better at math and science than others, and some are more knowledgeable about history. Twilight just happens to be one of those rare individuals who learn very quickly and happen to be good at everything. I don't think that other ponies are necessarily incapable of learning the same spells that she can; only that it takes some extensive training to perform them, and most unicorns are only invested in learning a few of them. 

Edited October 16, 2015 by Lord-Pomegranate

[Snake 516]

Honestly I thought the fat pony in Rarity's new boutique at the end was a litttttle offensive. It was funny, but pretty mean and i'm actually shocked that made the cut. 
*ahem*
Pony society is similar to ours. Look at Fleur de lis! She's a supermodel. And just like supermodels here on Earth.. She's tall and skinny. Based on that, I'd imagine that being overweight is a negative thing in Equestria as well.
So if ponies could just poof their fat away, i'm sure they would have by now. Nopony likes being made fun of for their appearance. I can assure you, fat-shaming probably happens in Equestria too.

[Guest]

Is it a problem that there are chubby or fat ponies in Equestria?

[PROJECT: Simon 3,954]

Since when do they have the ability to melt away fat?

xDDDDDDDDD

 

I mean.. no, they exercise or... there aren't a lot of fat unicorns.. or something xDD