Celebrity Fat Shaming is the New Black

(originally posted at Skinny Therese )

I recently found this article online. I was researching people who had lost 100 pounds or more and had kept it off. I want to get a sense of what that is like even before I get to the maintenance phase of my journey. I want to talk a little bit about fat shaming.

I want to lose weight because it will substantially improve my quality of life. I will not tire out as easily throughout the day. I nearly collapsed from heat exhaustion this weekend while sight seeing in DC. It was so humiliating! I had not realized how out of shape I was until that moment. When I drop this weight, I will not be at risk for obesity-related diseases as I get older. It will increase my life expectancy. It will be easier for me to get affordable health and life insurance. I will be able to wear skirts and shorts again, which are much cooler in the summertime, because I will not suffer from the very painful  “chub rub” – which is what a co-worker of mine at the ACLU used to call the rubbing together of one’s thighs underneath one’s skirt. I will save money on clothing. Plus-size clothing costs more money. Clothing is available in so-called “standard” sizes (12 and below) at thrift shops and other stores for a fraction of the cost. I will be looking for a new job in the coming months and will need to find a new interview suit soon – it is very difficult to find a well-fitting suit when you are a size 16/18 and again, alternations cost $$$$.

When I describe myself as “fat” I do not mean that in a shameful way. I mean it in a merely descriptive context. I do not associate any shame with the word. Fat is simply what I am at this point in my life. I also find that when you remove the shame, the weight loss “work” itself – the  changing of eating habits and the exercise – seems like less of a chore.

I was horrified at how Kirstie Alley described herself after she put her weight back on! She could have just said: “Hey I stopped exercising and let my portions get out of control, so I gained the weight back. I need to step back and look at where I went wrong and be more vigilant about my eating and exercise habits.” That would have been sane . Instead she said: “I was so much more disgusting than I thought!” ” [I] loathed [myself]!” Huh?

What is there to loathe ? You are a wealthy, successful actress and business woman! You got fat, you didn’t name names before a Senate committee. Like it or not, Kirstie, Melissa Joan Hart and Valerie Bertinelli inspire a lot of people. In America, we don’t have royalty. Celebrities are our “Royalty.” Even B-List ones. The way these women described their fat selves does not send a very good message to those who struggle with weight issues. Instead it tells us that we ought to be ashamed of our fat lazy selves and that we don’t deserve to live! And no feeling makes a gal want to swan dive into a pint of Ben & Jerry’s faster that that one!

I am not ashamed of my fat. I accept myself as I am, which gives me the courage and strength to do better by giving my body what it needs to be healthy. Take a lesson Kirstie.