Weight Loss Wednesday: The "F" Word
I feel like I can't do a Weight Loss Blog Series without addressing the F word... Fat. Now I'm not talking about fatty foods or body fat. I'm talking about calling people fat or calling yourself fat OR what to do if someone refers to themselves as fat in front of you... and maybe if someone calls you fat.
In front of my mom, who is the nicest person in the universe I called myself fat maybe twice, and she was horrified I said this and said "NOOOOO YOU'RE NOT FAT STOP CALLING YOURSELF FAT!" And here's the thing... opposing to me calling myself fat that strongly does not make me feel any better. I know I'm overweight, if I said I was overweight, thats a fact thats not an opinion... I think she would still be upset about it, but she couldn't say "NOOO YOU'RE NOT OVERWEIGHT." Because I am in fact overweight.
And it didn't necessarily make me feel any less fat that my mom seemed opposed to the idea of me calling myself fat... but that is a moms job. And if she hadn't said anything that would have upset me... which brings me to my next point.
DON'T CALL YOURSELF FAT IN FRONT OF OTHER PEOPLE! Its just kind of a douchey thing to do and it just seems like you're fishing for compliments and... you don't want to seem like the type of person fishing for compliments. And I honestly was not. I wasn't even being negative either time I was saying it, I was making a joke and saying it with absolute confidence. Sometimes its just a little bit of a relief saying it. Remember Cactus? The person thats a little too excited about my losing weight, I was talking to my mom about the fact that Cactus loves to remind me that I was fat then I was skinny and lost 13 pounds, then I got fat again and now I'm working on getting skinny. I said it with complete confidence and also that I know this is what Cactus is saying about me... I know how Cactus talks about others and I know he or she must be saying that about me also. So yeah I wasn't saying it consciously really and I was saying it confidently and it is probably a fact. And its just... ugh . Really nothing good comes of calling yourself fat.
And nothing good comes from calling others fat either. Or even not using the F word but definitely indicating that you are more than a little excited about their weight loss... its unnerving. Cactus. I personally like when people do notice and say "ohhh wow you lost 10 pounds! What a difference? You look really good!" Or just say "ohhh it looks like you lost a little weight." Note: A guy I was seeing said that to me a few years ago... this is dangerous territory for a guy to say in a romantic interest be very careful. I was actually flattered that he noticed something and like even just when you hug someone, you notice a difference. I like those types of things said to me as long as the guy isn't creepy... but I know a lot of girls might get offended by that... so its kind of a know-your-audience type of thing.
Also be careful with your wording. Someone I know that has always been small ran into someone that she used to know that confused her with another not-so-small person and said "you've lost A LOT of weight." Huge emphasis on A LOT. Uhhh never never emphasize any words and... don't say that to someone that you have not seen in a while. Say "Ohhh you look really good." And then if they want to mention something like "Ohhh yeah I've lost 20 pounds since High School" Then just go "Wow! That's amazing! Good Job!" That would be the polite thing to do. You look great is always a safe thing to say to someone you haven't seen in a while. (off topic but fun fact: I saw someone that had a really shiny and pretty nose ring in once at a loud bar and I pointed to my nose and said "ohhh I like your nose ring" and she looked at me really funny and then said "thanks." My friend later told me that she was pretty sure this girl had a nose job and thats why she looked at me funny cause she thought I was complimenting her nose job. But hey... the girl has a nice nose. Who cares if she was born with it or paid for it... she looked good. Thats a whole other thing. Plastic Surgery shouldn't be taboo, its your face and body do what you want with it!)
Whenever I look at myself in the mirror... it isn't like I think "Ohhh I'm fat." Or "Ohhh I'm skinny." I've never really been skinny and I don't really think I look fat. My friend was surprised when I told her that I was 210 pounds because... I guess I don't look it. I don't know if its how its distributed on me (I have big boobs, big butt and a fairly big stomach) or if its how I dress or if thats just what 210 pounds looks like and people expect it to be bigger or something. It isn't big I'm not fat and even people that are bigger than me I don't think of as fat.
And ultimately, no matter what your weight is... fat isn't a way we should describe people. Fat is something found in food. Melissa McCarthy just spoke out against the word Plus Sized... and I love that she's doing that... but I have no problem describing myself as Plus Sized. I don't know maybe thats a stupid thing to say, and Melissa is right... I think that she said 70 percent of women are at least a size 14... myself included for the most part, and if most people are size 14 it isn't really plus sized and shouldn't be labeled as such... but idk. I also think its only a word thats used to describe women's clothes... which is a HUGE issue that we get "plus sized" and men get "big and tall"... actually thats really stupid... maybe there will be a part 2 of this blog.
Words are words. Its not likely we're going to end calling people "fat" anytime soon... but if you're over the age of 5... you probably shouldn't use that word. Even if its describing yourself, don't use it.
Byeeee!
-Shannon
In front of my mom, who is the nicest person in the universe I called myself fat maybe twice, and she was horrified I said this and said "NOOOOO YOU'RE NOT FAT STOP CALLING YOURSELF FAT!" And here's the thing... opposing to me calling myself fat that strongly does not make me feel any better. I know I'm overweight, if I said I was overweight, thats a fact thats not an opinion... I think she would still be upset about it, but she couldn't say "NOOO YOU'RE NOT OVERWEIGHT." Because I am in fact overweight.
And it didn't necessarily make me feel any less fat that my mom seemed opposed to the idea of me calling myself fat... but that is a moms job. And if she hadn't said anything that would have upset me... which brings me to my next point.
DON'T CALL YOURSELF FAT IN FRONT OF OTHER PEOPLE! Its just kind of a douchey thing to do and it just seems like you're fishing for compliments and... you don't want to seem like the type of person fishing for compliments. And I honestly was not. I wasn't even being negative either time I was saying it, I was making a joke and saying it with absolute confidence. Sometimes its just a little bit of a relief saying it. Remember Cactus? The person thats a little too excited about my losing weight, I was talking to my mom about the fact that Cactus loves to remind me that I was fat then I was skinny and lost 13 pounds, then I got fat again and now I'm working on getting skinny. I said it with complete confidence and also that I know this is what Cactus is saying about me... I know how Cactus talks about others and I know he or she must be saying that about me also. So yeah I wasn't saying it consciously really and I was saying it confidently and it is probably a fact. And its just... ugh . Really nothing good comes of calling yourself fat.
And nothing good comes from calling others fat either. Or even not using the F word but definitely indicating that you are more than a little excited about their weight loss... its unnerving. Cactus. I personally like when people do notice and say "ohhh wow you lost 10 pounds! What a difference? You look really good!" Or just say "ohhh it looks like you lost a little weight." Note: A guy I was seeing said that to me a few years ago... this is dangerous territory for a guy to say in a romantic interest be very careful. I was actually flattered that he noticed something and like even just when you hug someone, you notice a difference. I like those types of things said to me as long as the guy isn't creepy... but I know a lot of girls might get offended by that... so its kind of a know-your-audience type of thing.
Also be careful with your wording. Someone I know that has always been small ran into someone that she used to know that confused her with another not-so-small person and said "you've lost A LOT of weight." Huge emphasis on A LOT. Uhhh never never emphasize any words and... don't say that to someone that you have not seen in a while. Say "Ohhh you look really good." And then if they want to mention something like "Ohhh yeah I've lost 20 pounds since High School" Then just go "Wow! That's amazing! Good Job!" That would be the polite thing to do. You look great is always a safe thing to say to someone you haven't seen in a while. (off topic but fun fact: I saw someone that had a really shiny and pretty nose ring in once at a loud bar and I pointed to my nose and said "ohhh I like your nose ring" and she looked at me really funny and then said "thanks." My friend later told me that she was pretty sure this girl had a nose job and thats why she looked at me funny cause she thought I was complimenting her nose job. But hey... the girl has a nice nose. Who cares if she was born with it or paid for it... she looked good. Thats a whole other thing. Plastic Surgery shouldn't be taboo, its your face and body do what you want with it!)
Whenever I look at myself in the mirror... it isn't like I think "Ohhh I'm fat." Or "Ohhh I'm skinny." I've never really been skinny and I don't really think I look fat. My friend was surprised when I told her that I was 210 pounds because... I guess I don't look it. I don't know if its how its distributed on me (I have big boobs, big butt and a fairly big stomach) or if its how I dress or if thats just what 210 pounds looks like and people expect it to be bigger or something. It isn't big I'm not fat and even people that are bigger than me I don't think of as fat.
And ultimately, no matter what your weight is... fat isn't a way we should describe people. Fat is something found in food. Melissa McCarthy just spoke out against the word Plus Sized... and I love that she's doing that... but I have no problem describing myself as Plus Sized. I don't know maybe thats a stupid thing to say, and Melissa is right... I think that she said 70 percent of women are at least a size 14... myself included for the most part, and if most people are size 14 it isn't really plus sized and shouldn't be labeled as such... but idk. I also think its only a word thats used to describe women's clothes... which is a HUGE issue that we get "plus sized" and men get "big and tall"... actually thats really stupid... maybe there will be a part 2 of this blog.
Words are words. Its not likely we're going to end calling people "fat" anytime soon... but if you're over the age of 5... you probably shouldn't use that word. Even if its describing yourself, don't use it.
Byeeee!
-Shannon
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