Addressing The Stigma That Surrounds The Overweight

It was around the time of my sister's college graduation when I realized that I could no longer hide the fact that I had lost a significant amount of weight. Why, you ask, would anyone want to hide their weight loss? I'm not embarrassed about my gastric bypass surgery, and I will fully brief anyone who asks me about the procedure. But I don't like getting the questions because I don't like describing my struggle with weight, and I don't like the feeling of having to rejustify my existence--or my new existence--to everyone I've already met.

I've grown a little resentful of some acquaintances now because they're much more careless with their evaluations of me pre-weight loss. "Back when you were fat," they'll say. Or, "I remember: you never used to walk this far without resting." I don't need to be reminded of how tough it was, and I especially don't like the knowledge that they were indeed judging me, just as I had suspected, even though they had always protested that they weren't.

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