Obesity is an epidemic. We see it all over the news: Overweight people with their heads cut off walking down the street. Fat kids with faces blurred just enough to maybe protect their identity, but not enough to tell if they are actively eating food.
You see, we need to see that. We need to be told that this is what fat looks like, and oh, isn't it gross. Because I swear to God, that is the only way any of us can possibly justify the way we treat and approach obese people.
I'm not here to talk about the effects of obesity on health, because I don't know the state of your health, and you sure as hell don't know mine. But, I do want to give my totally honest and personal opinion on how we need to treat weight in this country.
I've seen Dara-Lynn Weiss doing the media tour this week, promoting her new book that chronicles her experience with putting her 7-year-old daughter on a diet, a topic she wrote about in Vogue magazine. I watch her interviews, and I hear over and over again how she treated her daughter's medical issue with all the specialists, diets and calorie counting she could throw at it.
But she never once talked about how any of this made her daughter feel. Was she eating because she was bored? Being bullied at school? Ignored at home? Depressed?
Because that's the thing; we have feelings. Not just hunger cravings or exhaustion, but real-life feelings.
Reminding me I'm fat, threatening me with being bullied because of my weight, providing me with no fashion options, shaming me at restaurants, mocking me on national television; that didn't scare me into thinness -- it locked me in a closet with my emotions and a secret stash of food.
Oh, you don't want to see me eat? Awesome, I'll do it alone. And I did. I hid what you made me afraid to do. You solved nothing.
I'm healthier and have lost more weight in two years (psst. still a size 16, hope we can still be friends) than I have in my life, because I finally felt like I respected myself enough to be worth it.
Because when we teach people that they have value, that their feelings matter and they have a beauty inside them worth respecting, they begin to believe it. True story.
I'm more active because I'm less afraid to leave my house. I eat less because I have sh*t to do, in cute clothes, no less. I make better food choices because I finally, finally, love and appreciate the body I walk around in. Every curve and dimple.
It took me way too long to figure that out by myself.
So, I'm here right now because I'm passionate about having someone who looks like me able to tell someone who looks like you that you are good enough, as is. Period.
Where you go from here, up or down, it doesn't matter; your happiness is not hinging on any of that. Right now, you deserve love and friends and clothes and happiness and to never feel like you should be ashamed or disgusted with your body. If people have a problem with it, it's on them. You're not the weirdo walking around staring at people's skin, they are.
You see, that's so much of the answer. Worth, compassion and respect. Show people how to respect themselves by respecting them. This is kindergarten level sh*t, y'all.
And the next time you want to videotape a fat person for a news story to illustrate how gross we are, use me, but don't you dare cut my head off in an attempt to make people forget I'm a real person. Not to mention, my hair's f*cking fabulous.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.