That was a question told to me in the 6th grade. The children often snickered about my obese teacher. One day in class the children were making “fat jokes” about the teacher and I still remember a girl in my class telling me that fat people make themselves fat, so we shouldn’t feel bad for them. I immediately thought how wrong this girl was for saying that, but was she right?
No, I don’t think she was right. It’s never okay to ridicule someone because of his or her weight. Even as a young child I knew this and was often disturbed when other people didn’t. It’s interesting to see that fat shaming starts at a very young age. That girl probably got her fat shaming way of thinking from her parents or the media or both.
People could argue that fat people make themselves fat so they have to suck it up, but people don’t know the whole story behind someone’s weight. One example, my boyfriend is extremely overweight. Throughout his life his friends and families made “harmless” jokes about his weight to the point where he just accepted he was the “fat guy.” The reason he gained weight was because he was put on medication that caused weight gain. Because of that it’s hard for him to lose weight, but people automatically assume he made himself gain weight.
Sometimes being overweight feels like having a disability. You might not be able to get away the same way “everyone else can.” In my college, we have extremely small desks, that everyday I’m paranoid I won’t fit into. Majority of the people hang out off the desk, but I’m self-conscious the whole time in each of my classes. I often think can this person behind me see in front of me? Am I completely out of the seat? I can’t always fit between narrow entrances. I’m not obese, but I am overweight and it’s something that I’m constantly reminded of on a daily basis. The reason I gained weight was because of a medication I was put on as well. People don’t realize that people who consider themselves fat often shame themselves enough that they don’t need any more body shaming from other people.
Point being, that before anyone ridicules someone else they need to be aware that looks are not always what they seem. You don’t know the whole story people someone’s weight, so it’s not fair to judge. A person’s body type should not make up their worth to the world. Fat shaming needs to stop.
Unruly Bodies 
Fat shaming in general is such a weird concept. it comes with the idea that “you do not find into our society so everyone else that fits is allowed to rule you”. Fat shaming does need to stop
Fat shaming is so superficial. This is one of my favorite quotes. Yes I am fat but I am so much more than that!
I can’t help but agree with so many aspects of this. I’ve always been the “fat friend” of my group. But no one knew the real pain that I felt whenever they would refer to me as ‘the fat friend’. While it did take me a while to tell them I did not like being called that, my friends were very understanding and stopped immediately. I know that not everyone has people in their lives like that, though.
I think the important part of you post, or at least the part that stuck out to me was when you said that we don’t know the reasons why someone is fat. It isn’t necessarily because they are “lazy”. I know that one of my friends have diseases that cause them to gain weight, but everyone thinks that she is just a couch potato.
Great post!
I wholeheartedly agree with you in this post. People’s bodies type should not be ridicule. It is never okay to ridicule someone because of their body or who they chose to be. It’s not just in being over weight, but also everyone who are not at their “recommended” weight (underweight or overweight). Body shaming in itself is a huge problem in society and can be seen in both men and women.
And that is true we don’t know the reason being someone’s body type and we don’t know the circumstances. But even if we did, that still doesn’t excuse ridiculing and being mean to people.