Fat-shaming

A friend of mine, who is usually so caring and open-minded, but hates Donald Trump, posted a picture of a very fat woman wearing a “Trump 2020” bikini in a comment on my Facebook page.

I was hurt, angry, and frustrated. We are in the middle of BLM and Gay Pride Month, but fat-shaming is still an acceptable thing to make fun of…

Being heavy or fat is not a character flaw. Not like being racist, sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic… those are character flaws.

People will argue that being fat is a choice just like being racist is, but they are wrong. Being fat is a part of who we are, just those who are tall or short, disabled, or have dark skin or blue eyes.

Being fat is not due to laziness and sloth.. just like Hispanics are not rapists and black people are not thugs, and Native Americans are not drunks. But this is how a lot of people who identify with these cultures are perceived to be.

Making fun of others doesn’t make you better. It just shows your weakness and flaws. Making fun of fat people and fat-shaming them doesn’t make you thinner either.

Yes, I make fun of people who follow Donald Trump or who are conservative Christians because those are choices they make and whose policies hurt me and others. But I never make fun of their bodies, size, weight, or what they wear. Only on their attitude and behavior.

My being fat doesn’t hurt anyone else. Anyone else being fat doesn’t hurt anyone else. My being fat doesn’t enact policies that hurt others.

Just like in BLM, Gay Rights, and non-Christian religions, fat people just want the same rights as everyone has. And that includes the right to live without being made fun of or discriminated against because of how we look.