Most people think fat people are lazy, non energetic and do nothing but eat too much, which is rarely the case. Photo/FILE
Some years ago, on my way home to the village, I remember witnessing a hilarious argument in the matatu between a rather sizable lady and the rail-thin conductor of the vehicle.
The bone of contention was the fact that the conductor sought to charge the Big Mama twice the normal fare, arguing she had actually occupied two seats in the vehicle because of her ample derrière, and thus was obliged to pay for the extra space.
That day, the gender balance tipped the scale, and, sensing the wrath of all the other women in the matatu, the rather puny male conductor had to back down, and all the passengers had a good laugh about it for the rest of the journey.
A few years ago, however, I didn’t think it was funny at all when a slew of international airlines began to actively implement a policy that effectively discriminates against overweight individuals.
Several airlines, especially in the United States, instituted a derogatorily dubbed ‘Fat Tax’ policy that compelled passengers to buy an extra seat if they could not put down the arm rest on their seat, or fit comfortably in one.
In their defence, the airlines argued that they were merely responding to increasing complaints from thin passengers, who complained about having to occupy only half of a seat, despite paying for a full one, when sitting next to overweight individuals.
The issue is a touchy one, and it brings to a head one of the last remaining socially accepted prejudices — the discrimination against overweight individuals.
In my line of work, a great many of my clients are obese, and I have witnessed, first-hand, the level of discrimination they endure, even among other gym members who often make snide and insensitive remarks about body size in the presence of these people.
Most people think fat people are lazy, non energetic and do nothing but eat too much, which is rarely the case.
This sort of careless talk really damages other peoples’ self esteem, and many overweight people, as a result, struggle with depression and other social acceptance-related issues.
It is also this kind of discrimination that drives a great majority of individuals, women especially, into unsafe patterns of behaviour such as extreme diets, diet pills and eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia.
It is also instructive to note that, because these methods have a very low level of success, they only reinforce an overweight individual’s sense of failure.
I see it as my duty to encourage individuals to love, respect and enjoy their bodies regardless of their size.
I also believe that individuals like myself, who are thinner and are given more privilege in the world when it comes to clothes shopping or even acceptance in society, should make a point not to discriminate against heavier members of the society.
We must pay attention to the specific ways in which this bias manifests, especially in the popular media.
In Italy and France, for instance, banning super-thin models on the fashion runways has recently been considered, because it was felt they encourage young girls to under-eat or develop eating disorders.
It is impossible to have a society where everyone is thin and we need to learn to treat overweight individuals much better that we do now.
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