Sigh, I wish I didn’t even have to write this blog post today, friends!! I just wrote about fat-shaming last week with Adele, but it seems not everyone got the memo or understands the term itself.
The hashtags and online chatter started yesterday when Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi criticized Trump for his use of hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19…
“As far as the president is concerned, he’s our president and I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group, morbidly obese, they say. So, I think it’s not a good idea,” she said in an interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN.
By early this morning, hashtags like #FatShaming appeared on Twitter, with people appalled that Pelosi would resort to throwing around cheap shots and insults like that.
Honestly, I saw all those hashtags trending and it was all I could do to just sit there for a minute. Truth be told, I was pretty taken aback and just downright confused. So y’all are really clutching your pearls over Nancy Pelosi using a medical term one time to describe Trump while he’s spent a lifetime shaming, insulting and degrading women. That’s rich. Your hypocrisy is showing and the dichotomy of the whole thing is incredibly striking. My gosh, we’ve watched Trump literally call women vile names such as “horseface”, “dog” and “face of a pig,” to name a few, and he does this with abandon; he doesn’t care who he hurts and he’s done this for years.
“Morbidly obese,” on the other hand, is a medical term. To try and spin it as fat-shaming is an insult to people like me who have literally been called names like whale, parade balloon and a potato with a face. Those are the words that hurt. Those are the words that stick and do irreparable damage. I know what it’s like to be fat-shamed. And this isn’t it today.
Maybe the irony in all of this is that those same people who called me those awful names are the same people who are now so concerned with our fat-shaming culture. I just can’t with this double standard — it’s all kinds of staggering and helps no one. In fact, it hurts the very people who have actually experienced real and true bullying for their appearance.
Perhaps even more important, though, Trump is not the victim here! Please, let’s not forget that crucial fact while 90K people have died from the coronavirus. It’s incredibly troubling to see people offer even an ounce of sympathy to a man who doesn’t deserve it. Think about that, friends… xoxo
Interviews With Women Writers: On Making an Impact With Words
The Oscars, Greta Gerwig and Why Little Women Is Still More Relevant Than Ever
11 famous women on feminism
Women’s History Month: Rosa Parks on fear
Kristina says
Powerful! I’m so glad that I found your blog through Instagram. You are a great writer and I’m enjoying hearing your voice through the posts.
Hannah says
This post is spot on! Nancy Pelosi simply stated a fact– that Trump is overweight. Trump, on the other hand, has said and done so many cringe worthy things over the years to deliberately try to hurt people. There’s a big difference!
I was so sorry to hear the mean things that people have said to you personally over the years. For the record, you are beautiful– inside and out– and I’ve been really enjoying following your blog and reading the articles you write.
Bo says
💖
Chelsea says
I completely understand where you are coming from, having battled my weight my entire life. However, two wrongs just don’t make a right. This is what I mean by this. Let’s take Trump and Pelosi out of this. Let’s replace them with Jane and Tom. I know for a fact that people who rightfully fight for body positivity would be incensed if thin Jane said something like this publicly about morbidly obese Tom. Here is my issue with all of this: if you stand for something, and have a certain moral belief, you should always stand for it. No matter what. If you pick and choose who you apply this belief to (people you think are good but not people you personally find bad) then you must not have a true moral conviction. There is nothing wrong with disliking every single thing about Trump, but if you would be upset about that comment for one person but not another, I cannot take you seriously. You can hate Trump and still think that Pelosi shouldn’t have commented on his weight. Trump could have done all sorts of bad things, but it still doesn’t make Pelosi’s comments okay…just like Trump’s weren’t. Basically, if you are saying so, then this is also a double standard. This is coming from someone who has also been called every name in the book due to weight. Just food for thought. I always try to be consistent no matter what, and it’s hard. It’s especially hard when I don’t like someone because they are just so awful. But wrong is wrong. It can’t be wrong for some and not for others if you are going to stand behind it. Thank you for reading.
Jen says
Spot on!