Last week or so ago, @FemmePolitique asked me on twitter,
Yes & yes RT @FemmePolitique:i know you talk a lot about fat shaming..but is there such a thing as “fit-shaming”? Have you experienced that?
— Erika Nicole Kendall (@bgg2wl) April 30, 2014
and I didn’t even have to think twice. Of course I have. In fact, it’s part of the reason why I write so much about fat-shaming.
When I was heavier, I believed that part of the shame I felt about my body would dissipate once I reached a certain size. That I wouldn’t feel that pressure to be something else anymore, that I’d finally be “okay” and “left alone.”
Boy, I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Every choice I made, every move I made, every ounce of food on my plate… for a while, someone was always asking me questions. Not in an inquisitive fashion, but in an accusatory way.
“Doesn’t that make you fat?”
“Don’t you worry about that going straight to your thighs?”
It took me a long time to realize that these people’s questions are less about me, and more about them. It’s so much more about them trying to challenge their own beliefs about how they can get healthier.
Or, maybe they’re just jerks. I can’t decide.
That’s why I want to hear from you – have you ever had someone challenge you on your efforts to get fit? What happened? What did they say to you? What did you say back? How did it make you feel? Sound off!