The King Henry
Large belly and rolls of fat
It may come as a surprise, but for most of human history, being overweight has very likely been the most desirable shape – at least statistically. Despite being vilified in popular culture, fat – and our amazing capacity to store excess reserves of it – is believed to have played a crucial role in our survival as a species.
“Without the capacity to store energy in the form of fat, we would have been unlikely to survive through millions of years of evolution,” says Dylan Thompson, Professor of Human Physiology at the University of Bath. “We needed this capacity for making energy reserves to survive periods of famine, and fat is a very sensible way to do so. Fat also plays a vital role in storing strength to fight off illness and infection.”
PLUS-SIZE POWER
In the 100,000 years or so our species has been on Earth, hunger and scarcity has been the norm – not over-abundance as it is today. Therefore, it’s more than likely that for most of that time people with at least some degree of fat have been the most highly regarded, as it was a sign of access to resource and prosperity. The oldest human statues ever found also back up this theory, depicting overweight characters – although they are mostly female.
Since the beginning of written history, we have more definitive proof of fatness in men being celebrated and admired. The medieval period in Europe was a particular heyday for fat worship, as war, famine and plague tormented the lives of ordinary people. Powerful figures were admired for their size, and the Carolingian dynasty of French rulers saw prodigious eating and a laden table as signs of sovereignty. At the very end of the Middle Ages, Henry VIII became the pin-up boy for fat monarchs and Hans Holbein’s famous portrait of the King makes the most of Henry’s 400-pound weight by presenting his girth as power.
Fast-forward to more recent times and fat-positive attitudes endured.
In 19th century America, some fat clubs – in which you needed to be a certain size to gain entry – counted as many as 10,000 members. In China, Buddha has long been depicted as fat and happy, and up until the 1990s several societies, including American Samoa, Puerto Rico and Tanzania, demonstrated a preference for plump bodies. Finally, in today’s modern Japan, overweight Sumo wrestlers continue to be revered for their athletic ability, and are even considered sex symbols.