Skinny Shaming is a Thing
And You Probably do it.
Eat a burger.
Do you ever eat?
Do you force yourself to vomit after eating?
Do you have an eating disorder?
Oh honey, don’t let him convince you, that you are fat.
Why are you so thin?
Are you on drugs?
Do you know you need to gain weight?
I wish I had that problem (I F**KING hate this one. Never say THIS!!! No, actually you don’t want this problem. It is just as hard to gain weight, when your body does not want you to, as it is to lose weight.)
What do all these have in common? These were all said/asked by complete strangers in various stores. If I had a quarter for every time someone told me to eat a burger, I would be rich.
Most people will not go up to an overweight stranger in the grocery store and tell them they are fat. It’s rude and most people know that. Oh, they may laugh and snicker behind their back, but most won’t comment face to face.
However, when you are super thin, people have no issues at all walking up to you and telling you to eat. Or asking you why you are so thin. As if i somehow owe them an explanation.
It’s also not a compliment like many seem to think.
It’s just as annoying and hurtful, as hearing someone say that you are overweight.
I have always been small for my size. In eight grade, I still wore a size one shoe and 6X clothing. As an adult, I maxed out at 5’2 and about 115 pounds. I had a quick metabolism that allowed me to eat whatever I wanted and never gain weight, which had been a blessing for most of my life. Until I hit 32.
At 32 I had a lot of undiagnosed medical issues. I had stomach issues and bowel issues. I was nauseated all the time, and when I could eat, it literally RAN right through me. If I started vomiting, I couldn't stop. Not without a trip the the ER for IV nausea medicine.
So, my weight plummeted. I didn’t have the extra weight to lose to begin with, so it was very obvious that I had lost weight.
And the weight continued to drop until I reached my lowest weight of 84 pounds.
When my stomach wasn’t acting up, I would calorie load. I would hit every fast-food restaurant in town, gathering the most fat-filled foods that my stomach could handle. I would eat a full cheesecake in one sitting. I made protein shakes using ice cream instead of yogurt, just so that I could add some calories. Anything that I could do to add some meat on to my frame.
Because guess what? The fat that we have on our body is there for a reason. It is actually quite painful when you don’t have that fat. When I would sit down, it felt like my bones were going to rip through my skin, because there was ZERO padding on my butt. Anytime you bump yourself on something, you are hitting straight bone because you have no fat. IT HURTS.
What made all this worse was that every time I would go out in public, complete strangers would try to start a conversation about my weight. As if being thin made it an ok subject to talk about with a stranger.
It is not.
It’s not Ok to ask a stranger about their weight.
It is rude.
In fact, you shouldn’t ask anyone. Strangers, friends, or family about their weight. If there is something that is a concern, focus on that.
Instead of saying: eat a burger, ask them if they are feeling ok. Focus on their overall wellbeing, not on the loss or gain of weight.
People who have weight issues know that they have weight issues. It doesn’t need to be pointed out to them. This is something that stares back at them in the mirror every day. We do not need the constant reminders. Especially from complete strangers. So please just don’t.
