Except for some brief periods of my life, I've always been overweight. As a child I was called "chubby" and bullied and mocked or teased mercilessly. I look back now at the photos and realize, I was not horribly fat. I was actually just chubby, not grossly obese.
Below, a photo of me with my mom and brother. I was 11.
No, I was bullied mercilessly. In 6th grade, there was a group of boys who constantly barked at me and called me a dog [ugly]. They were in a different class from mine, but just down the hall. For all my middle school years, I would be walking down a hallway and when one of them spotted me he would start yelling insults and barking.
It's bad enough being bullied for being fat, but also being bullied about being ugly, especially for a girl, was humiliating and depressing beyond measure. The teachers did almost nothing.
That group of boys didn't stop until I was 14 years old, and one of the boys started bullying me on the school bus. My brother told him to shut up. He didn't. My brother punched him in the face. That ended the bullying, thank God. [FYI, my parents didn't punish my brother for taking up for me.]
Nowadays, obese children are common, unfortunately, because our diets are so unhealthy. I hope they don't experience the depressing bullying and taunts that I went through.
I watched a late night show last night where there was a long series of jokes about fat people, and everyone laughed. This particular show has fat jokes in every episode. I don't think I will watch it any more. It's too painful.
Why is it okay to belittle people who are overweight? We wouldn't belittle people who are a different race, or religion. Fat shaming is considered okay, though, by many.
Before you say something rude and mean to a fat person or about a fat person, please consider this.
My battle with my weight has nothing to do with me being a pig, a slob, or someone who doesn't care about good health. I actually eat a pretty healthy diet. I don't drink anything but water. I eat 3-5 servings of vegetables a day, plus plenty of lean protein. I avoid sugar and processed foods. Unlike many people my age I do not have high blood pressure or diabetes. I walk every day.
The sad fact is, however, that I went through a lot of trauma in my childhood. I fight Depression daily. I fight anxiety daily. So do most of us. Food is an addiction and I fight it every day. Unlike most addictive substances [drugs, alcohol] I cannot cut it out of my life.
So next time you see an overweight person, please be compassionate. Please don't make jokes. The fat lady you are belittling might be in a bad marriage, or maybe she was molested as a kid, or perhaps she is clinically Depressed for another reason.
I guarantee you, she doesn't want to be fat.
Just be kind. It costs you nothing.
#stopfatshaming, #stopfatjokes
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