Discrimination against weight is the same as race and gender discrimination; there is no ‘better’ weight/size. People are entitled to their opinions but at the end of the day, need to learn to keep it to themselves whether it is about a thin or large person. Angie has really hit the nail on the head with the double standards. Whilst no doubt there is prejudice to both thin and large women, it has become acceptable to say things like ‘do you even eat?’ or ‘you should eat more’ – imagine the backlash one would get for saying ‘eat less.’

I think at the end of the day, like most forms of discrimination, weight discrimination swings both ways depending on where the majority lies. In the fashion industry, where ‘thin’ is considered the ‘norm’, discrimination is aimed at weight gain whilst in a lot of communities (geographical, work etc) where most of the population are getting larger (in Western countries), thin women do receive a lot of the ‘do you even eat’ kind of comments.

In high school I had a group of close friends where one girl and myself where quite thin and three girls that were size 12-14. If I ever declined chocolate, cake or a big meal (namely because I get bloated very easily), I would have to brace myself for an onslaught of ‘sooo skinny’ sarcastic comments or ‘watch out, wouldn’t want to get fat would we?’. Whilst these comments where said half jokingly, it is quite infuriating putting it into perspective, if my thinner friend and I said ‘eating chocolate again are we?’ , we would be in for some serious hard time.

Thanks, Angie, for a brilliant post! Thanks also to the many supportive comments. We each come with many physical characteristics which add to our uniqueness – a uniqueness that needs to be celebrated and valued. NOT criticized!

Angie, thanks for your point of view on this topic. I think it is important to remember that all of us real. While some sizes may not be realistic to some, they are realistic to others.

Big hugs to you for bringing up a tough issue fraught with emotion!

love,
m!

I am 42 years old with children and I wear a size “0″ naturally. I have always been “tiny”. As a child I can remember being called “skeletor” or while at work it was a prioritiy to “fatten me up”. It is hard to find clothes that I like because Im either not tall enough or not “big” enough. For the longest of time I was very self concious and wouldnt wear shorts because of how “small” i was…. Now I embrace me! at 42 and counting Thank God! When I hear people comment on my size I now say thank you and “DONT HATE !” This article is uplifting … Thank you.