Diet & Weight Magazine

Absolutely Nothing Justifies Fat-Shaming

By Danceswithfat @danceswithfat

Absolutely Nothing Justifies Fat-ShamingIt happened (again) in a progressive Facebook group that I am in. Someone posted a picture of a fat woman wearing a pro-donald shirt with William Barr's face photoshopped over hers. The ensuing thread was a pile of fat-shaming hot garbage.

When I pointed it out, I was met with a couple attempted justifications. The first being that it was just a photoshop gag. Pro-tip, if a "photoshop gag" involves a fat person being fat-shamed, then it's not just a photoshop gag, it's also a fat joke. See also: fat suits.

The other attempt at an excuse was the one that I hear most often, that people are "angry and frustrated" and "need to vent" blah blah blah.

This is bullshit. You are either against fat-shaming, or you support it. If you claim to be against it but then you participate in it, then guess what - you support it. You don't get to say that it's ok if you do it because you are angry, or frustrated, or because the person you are fat-shaming is objectively terrible, or for any reason.

The idea that something fatphobic (or racist, or transphobic etc.) that is said in anger somehow doesn't count as fatphobic (or racist, or transphobic etc.) is complete, total, utter nonsense. If you fat-shame when you're angry, you're fatphobic and you need to fix it. (Similarly, if you hurl racial epithets when you're angry, you need to fix your racism, and if you deadname trans people you don't like, you need to fix your transphobia, etc.)

Fat-shaming is wrong. There is never any excuse or justification that makes it ok. Nope, not even that one. Or that. There's none. Seriously.

It's really not complicated - if you say that you don't believe in fat-shaming, then you have to take a pass on fat-shaming. If you're not willing to do that, then congratulations, you've just identified an area for some self-work around your own fatphobia. Please get on that as soon as possible for all of our sakes. Thanks in advance.

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Absolutely Nothing Justifies Fat-Shaming

Hi, I'm Ragen Chastain. Speaker, Writer, Dancer, Choreographer, Marathoner, Soon to be Iron-distance triathlete, Activist, Fat Person. View all posts by Ragen Chastain


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