The "F" word.

There are lots of synonyms for fat. Big, heavy, chubby, plump - but none in our society today seem to compare to the original word in zing value. I'm talking insults.

I've always been fat. Back in childhood I was teased a lot, as nearly all fat kids are. Fat was an insult. Something undesirable. Something you couldn't be if you wanted to fit in, to be popular, to be liked, and to have friends.

I say we reclaim it.

Someone coined the phrase "fat is not a four letter word" and I believe there is even a book out with this title (perhaps I'll review it some day). This is a powerful statement.

Fat is a descriptive word, just like tall, short, pretty, blue, and freckled. Because most of our society and media today emphasize that being fat is bad and undesirable, the word has become an insult. That's certainly not new news, is it? Being fat as portrayed in the media has been stereotyped heavily, and many would argue that fat equals lazy, pig-like, and stupid. It would seem the only way to overcome this stereotype is to become the fat and funny friend, because if you make people laugh then it's okay. Interesting correlations going on, anyway.

Fat Comedian Gabriel Iglesias

Don't get me wrong here, I love fat comedians. I think humor and laughing really is good medicine and I'm glad we've got fat people in entertainment and seen positively. However I don't think it's right that the only way a fat person can be allowed to show him/herself publicly is if he/she's a comedian. Great strides have been taken (and I'll be talking about many of them in later entries) but we've still got a ways to go and I think education, even through little things like a blog, can make a difference.

So back to the "F" word. Fat is bad. Fat is undesirable. Fat means you're stupid and lazy. I think we can all agree that at least the last phrase isn't true, and I'll be arguing the other two as well through this blogging experience. If you haven't noticed, I use the "F" word a lot. I'm not ashamed to say I'm fat, because it's what I am. I'm not big, I'm not heavy, I'm not pleasantly plump - I'm FAT. And there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, today, it's the norm. Statistics say that over 60% of the US population is fat, and plenty of other countries are following. We are the average, and yet the minority still controls our thoughts on size and weight. This is getting ridiculous.

So to my readers, I present to you a challenge. Reclaim fat as a description, not an insult. If you're fat and someone calls you on it, throw back a retort, something like "you just noticed this now?" Even a simple "So?" will do nicely. It took me a long time to develop enough confidence to allow the insults to roll of my back, but believe me when I say that you gain so much freedom when you learn to exclude the insults and not allow them to dwell in your daily thoughts.

Fat isn't evil. Fat isn't a horrible, negative, bad thing to be in and of itself. Fat is just fat. Just fat.

~Aurora