What right do we have to criticize the way another woman looks?
Women judge the way other women look; it’s like we’ve been taught that one body type is better than another. There is a shared ideology that women shouldn’t be “fat.” You are thought to be less of a person if you are-not as pretty, not as sexy, not as likely to find a husband who will make all your dreams come true.
This belief has been passed down from woman to woman and has now created a blatant fear in us. Women are afraid to be perceived as “fat.” Am I right? How many times have you heard a woman ask if an outfit makes her look big…? How many times have you heard a woman complain about her body…? How many times have you seen a woman do anything in her power to lose as much weight as she can…? And when a woman does lose weight they are praised for it…by men, by women, by everyone!
Who came up with the rule that women shouldn’t be overweight? And how have people followed this rule so blindly? It has become this unwritten law that has made people actually criticize those who are overweight. Society is prejudiced against “fat people.” Jess Baker wrote in the Huff Post that “fat discrimination is the 4th most prevalent form of discrimination.”
Have you noticed the way your friends talk about overweight people? What about the thoughts you have when looking at an overweight person? I think it’s important to explore why we create opinions of people based off what they look like. Their gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and now their body type… when will it stop?
I went around and asked women what their initial thoughts are when looking at an overweight woman. Now, the women I asked are those who would probably not be perceived as “fat” by our society. They answered…
“Greedy with the way they eat…”
“Don’t have enough money to eat healthy…”
“Too lazy to go work out…”
“Maybe they have a thyroid problem…”
“They are sad or depressed and they eat to compensate for something…”
“Must be insecure about the way they look…”
What I found most interesting was that these women believed that being overweight and being unhappy go hand in hand. Why does that have to be the case? No one mentioned that these women may be perfectly fine in their bodies. Who are we to assume that because someone is overweight they are sad or depressed or insecure…? Insecurity follows all women and it isn’t always about their body type.
Women need to not be so insecure with themselves that they think negatively of someone who chooses to live another lifestyle. Being overweight isn’t something that should be criticized and I think it’s a shame that we live in a society that looks down on overweight people. A society that makes women feel like they need to work out and eat almost nothing in order to feel welcomed.
