Walker's Word: Solidarity in size
There are enough people in this world who want us to feel inferior, simply because of our larger size. So, let's not turn on one another. Instead, I ask you, my fellow fat friends, to embrace your size in all its glory and join me in something I refer to as “Fat Solidarity”.
It hit me hard, one day, while I was watching one of my favourite television programs, Hell's Kitchen. In season five, there were two overweight contestants who did not get along. Off-camera, they would insult each other's fat asses, rather than focus on their subpar cooking performances. This struck a nerve with me because it showed a complete lack of understanding of the hardships an overweight person has to deal with on a daily basis.
We get derogatory names thrown at us by passing vehicles, ads in billboards and magazines telling us about how we need to change our bodies to fit society's standards, and every time we go to visit the doctor, regardless of the reason, it is insisted upon us that we should be losing weight.
There are many different kinds of discrimination: be it based on someone's race, gender, or religious affiliation, but something that seems to cross all the borders is prejudicial treatment towards the bigger-boned. It doesn't matter if you're male or female (yet I must mention that discrimination is much harsher for women), black or white, Muslim or Atheist, big or small, we all share a commonality: we are all human beings and emotional abuse, irrespective of the motive hurts us all equally. Just because some of us are bigger doesn't mean that we too can't be beautiful and let's be honest anyway, being skinny is overrated.
I'd like to point out (and this may be hard for some of you to hear) that just because a person is fat doesn't necessarily mean they are unhealthy. It obviously cannot be debated that there is a higher risk for certain diseases, if someone is obese (like me whose BMI is 37.9), but there are also benefits to being overweight. For example, you are 40 per cent less likely to die from diseases like emphysema, pneumonia, injuries and various infections that affect normal weight individuals.
According to the official stats, in 2004, it was determined that 8.6 million Canadians were overweight and 5.5 million, obese. Combined, that equals HALF of the Canadian population! Yet, even though we are the majority, we still suffer the slings and arrows from the “normal” weight individuals (and I use that term loosely).
To anyone who has ever felt bad about the way they look, or had a friend or family member make fun of their so-called imperfections, I'm hoping to offer you some sense of solidarity; you are not alone.
We, as humans, must stop making fun of others in order to make ourselves feel better about our own insecurities. Even though we may be beaten and bruised, we must take a stand and show people that self worth is NOT determined by your waistline, NOR should it ever be.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
It hit me hard, one day, while I was watching one of my favourite television programs, Hell's Kitchen. In season five, there were two overweight contestants who did not get along. Off-camera, they would insult each other's fat asses, rather than focus on their subpar cooking performances. This struck a nerve with me because it showed a complete lack of understanding of the hardships an overweight person has to deal with on a daily basis.
We get derogatory names thrown at us by passing vehicles, ads in billboards and magazines telling us about how we need to change our bodies to fit society's standards, and every time we go to visit the doctor, regardless of the reason, it is insisted upon us that we should be losing weight.
There are many different kinds of discrimination: be it based on someone's race, gender, or religious affiliation, but something that seems to cross all the borders is prejudicial treatment towards the bigger-boned. It doesn't matter if you're male or female (yet I must mention that discrimination is much harsher for women), black or white, Muslim or Atheist, big or small, we all share a commonality: we are all human beings and emotional abuse, irrespective of the motive hurts us all equally. Just because some of us are bigger doesn't mean that we too can't be beautiful and let's be honest anyway, being skinny is overrated.
I'd like to point out (and this may be hard for some of you to hear) that just because a person is fat doesn't necessarily mean they are unhealthy. It obviously cannot be debated that there is a higher risk for certain diseases, if someone is obese (like me whose BMI is 37.9), but there are also benefits to being overweight. For example, you are 40 per cent less likely to die from diseases like emphysema, pneumonia, injuries and various infections that affect normal weight individuals.
According to the official stats, in 2004, it was determined that 8.6 million Canadians were overweight and 5.5 million, obese. Combined, that equals HALF of the Canadian population! Yet, even though we are the majority, we still suffer the slings and arrows from the “normal” weight individuals (and I use that term loosely).
To anyone who has ever felt bad about the way they look, or had a friend or family member make fun of their so-called imperfections, I'm hoping to offer you some sense of solidarity; you are not alone.
We, as humans, must stop making fun of others in order to make ourselves feel better about our own insecurities. Even though we may be beaten and bruised, we must take a stand and show people that self worth is NOT determined by your waistline, NOR should it ever be.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
