It’s happened to all of us. We’ve all been called fat at least once in our lives. That moment hurts, and is ingrained in your mind for the rest of your life.
If you ask my best friend, she can tell you about the first time she was ever called fat. We were in the third grade, and Luke,* a boy in our class, called her fat. That day, she went home and cried. As we moved through middle school and high school, her meals got progressively smaller, to the point where they were almost non-existent. When asked why, she would bring up that day in third grade. The worst part is: I bet Luke has no recollection of that day.
I had better luck than my best friend. It wasn’t until my first semester of college that I heard someone call me fat (I’m sure it happened before that and I just didn’t hear them say it). Ironically enough, my boyfriend was the one who called me fat. He told me to “lay off the pizza” because I looked like I was getting fat. To this day, two and a half years later, I have yet to have a slice.
However, if you ask either of us about the first time someone said the “F word” to us, neither of us will be able to tell you. I don’t remember the first time, or even the last time that it happened. Hearing it was such an insignificant point in my life.
I’ve brought up this point with other friends to see if my best friend and I were just being oversensitive. But every single person I asked agreed with us. They could tell me a time and place where they were called fat, but couldn’t remember when someone said the “F word” to them.
The point is: the word fat should be treated as though it is the real “F word.” We learn in childhood that the “F word” is offensive and unspeakable; yet, when you think about it, using the word fat is much more offensive. Not only does it hurt people in that moment, but it also follows them through the rest of their lives. People need to start thinking about the word fat in a new way: Fat should be a word you learn as a kid to never say. Fat should be a word you feel guilty about if it slips out, like how you feel when you accidentally curse in front of your parents. While being fat or overweight isn’t a bad thing, calling someone fat as an insult or to put them down is never okay. We should be promoting body positivity, not bringing someone down by throwing the “F word” at them. Hopefully, if more people understand the implications of using the word “fat,” fewer people will go through their lives believing that they are.
*Names were changed