And people wonder why I'm a bit of hermit sometimes

[textualdeviance]

Going along as normal, enjoying my day, and something reminds me of that whole bit about how I'm a second-class citizen (if not further down the list) because I'm fat.

Do people even listen to themselves? People who wouldn't dream of such casual offensiveness toward other oppressed minorities just toss that shit out there without a second thought.

Clue: Even if it's directed at yourself, going off in a fat-negative way only reinforces the idea that every fat person is somehow bad. When you bitch about the size of your thighs or the fact that you've gained five pounds, or how you really shouldn't have had that cupcake because you might "blow up," you're adding to the overall cultural message that tells me that I ought to just go off myself so I stop offending other people with my body. You're not just getting down on yourself, you're furthering the idea that it's OK to treat me and others like me like absolute shit.

We get that abuse enough from pop culture and the zillion-dollar diet industry. We don't need it from people who should know better.

Stop. It.

Comments

[pottsfanatic.livejournal.com]

I really don't think people realise what those sorts of statements do to people who are overweight. I think they seriously see themselves in the manner in which they speak. Part of the problem is the way, as a whole, we have been enculturated. We see being overweight as bad and thin as the ideal. Yes, certain overweight people are unhealthy (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc.)however, there are those that have no health issues at all but nothing is ever said about those for fear it may taint the ideal. Throughout the world there are cultures where being overweight is considered a desired trait. For a woman to find a husband she needs to be more on the rotund side. As an Anthropologist I tend to look at things a little differently than most...more on large(forgive the pun)scale terms. Culturally, it makes for an interesting study. What would our culture be like if we weren't fed these stereotypes? Hmm...gives one food for thought.