I was 10 years old when I knew I was fat, and I was 7 years old when I started ‘feeling’ fat. Do you know how does one feel fat? It’s all in the thighs. When your thighs rub together and chafes like nobody’s business, you know you’re in trouble.
Believe or not, I hardly ever complain about being fat. In fact, I wish everyone would do the same. Like every fat child, I grew up getting bullied and criticized for not being thin enough. No one, at any age, shape or size in fact, hates being told how they should look like. So, my waist line is a little over average, but what does that have to do with you? And really, does my large waistline make you look bad? I think if you’ve got a teensy waistline, you better be glad that my fat rolls make you look better.
One of the common criticisms that are masked in pseudo-empathy I’ve received would have to be, “You have such a pretty face. It’s a shame you’re fat”. Yes. It’s a shame that a pretty face is only worth a look if my body was as fit as Gisele Bündchen.
#word
The day I stumbled upon Dianne Sylvan‘s piece called ‘Ten Rules for Fat Girls‘, I thought two things:
“Finally, something we can ALL relate to”, and “this is going to change my life forever”. And it did. If you’re too lazy to go over her article, let me list down all the ten rules she’s listed down:-
1. You’re not obligated to be thin, healthy or pretty
2. Don’t talk sh*t about your body
3. Don’t talk sh*t about other people’s bodies
4. Wear clothes that fit
5. Demand better treatment from healthcare professionals
6. Find a way to move
7. Stand up for yourself
8. Deal with your fat
9. There are worse things in the world than being fat
10. Don’t expect to feel awesome about yourself every single day
The few points that really had a hold on me were No.3 and No.9:
“Don’t talk sh*t about other people’s bodies” and “There are worse things in the world than being fat”.
I think feeling confident in yourself is basically about being comfortable about yourself and everyone around you. Sure, I often walk out on the street, look at a slender woman and say “Woah, that’s too skinny. Her hip bones are tearing out of her flesh!”
A lot of us glorify models all thanks to those tinted photos of ridiculously gorgeous women on Tumblr and not forgetting, Victoria’s Secret models. But have you ever looked back in those episodes of America’s Next Top Model and listen to these girls get emotional about how they used to be too skinny and too tall? I have friends who have trouble gaining weight and although they can enjoy an endless supply of Double Choc Tim Tams and not gain a pound, they still go through a lot of.
Fat-shaming is pointless
I used to envy thin women, but I realized that there’s no point in envy at all. Everyone’s made differently. It’s all about how you nurture yourself. If you don’t like yourself fat, stop whining and do something about it. It’s your problem and no one else’s. No one’s really happy with themselves, and that’s THEIR problem. Not yours. Theirs!
In a nutshell, everyone, no matter how thin, or how fit, have problems of their own.
The favorite second rule is really a mantra I live by. There really more important things to worry about that your arm fat. I’m not really saying that everyone should be fat, but I think it’s important to be healthy. I won’t deny the fact that there are countless health problems that are caused from being overweight, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make the effort to prolong your years, right? If you want to get fit, stop whining and just get it done already.
To all the women who tell yourselves “I’d kill myself if I were fat”, I would really like for you to change that thought you have swimming in your head. A reality check is much needed, and I recommend reading a little piece of literature called Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. If you know what it’s about, good for you! There really are much worse things than not being a size 2, and that is rape, domestic abuse, animal cruelty, genocide, cancer, a fungal infection, poverty, and the list goes on.
So, to everyone out there who think it’s their business to remind me that I need to lose weight to lead a happy life, go fly a kite. If my body rolls disgust you, well I’m sure there’s a door nearby or you can simply avert your eyes. If my body rolls disgust me, that still has nothing to do with you, your job and your family. That’s for me to eek at.
My career is the most important thing to me right now, and I can’t really give a hoot about thinspo or fitspo. But I do walk with a pedometer, so eat that!
