8 Comments

  1. Christine

    No one should feel shame about his or her body. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the media has made much effort to sell us the idea that thin is beautiful. I am not plus size, I am slim. I have always hated the fact that being thin was so promoted in the media, because it leads to lots of insecurities, bulimia, anorexia, bullying, shaming. It just isn’t right. 

    I never realized that overweight people are being told the risks of being fat all the time … That must be extremely annoying, to be told something you have heard a million times before. I totally get that. It happens to me in other contexts (the color of my skin, e.g., and other things) Now that you wrote about it. I thought, omg, I never even realized that some things are being said over and over again. I do know how frustrating that is …

    “Well-meaning” friends often do more harm than help. I have learned that too, again, in different contexts. Fat-shaming is nasty. I would never give such “advice” like “you should eat a salad”. I think that is an outrageous thing to say and who the hell do people think they are to say such things? I am sorry that you had to go through all this, and I hope that with more positive body images people will learn to accept others as they are. 

    • RhondaLeigh

      Christine, I really appreciate your comments and the passion with which you express your thoughts.  Yes, it really is annoying to be told over and over about the health risks, as if we are too stupid to get it.  Yes, I am amazed at the “well meaning” people.  Some are people I know, but others are complete strangers to me!  And they all become experts on health and know just exactly what I should do.  People get pretty tiresome.  Anyway, thank you for showing your passion on the subject.  I hope everyone looks at my article the way you did.  Thanks again for reading and posting.  RhondaLeigh  

  2. Nuttanee

    You cannot explain it better about body positive movement. Unfortunately, we live in the society where our appearances is a part of your intelligence, how does that even make any sense. People usually tell me that if you are skinny and pretty and successful, you will be happy, guess what? It is not. I think in order to achieve happiness, you have to learn about yourself fist by loving yourself and accepting you you are as a person. I do not think that any of us will be happy by living another person values or becoming something that we do not like. I am happy that people are more accepting now than it was before about the positive body movement though. It is a start of something great 🙂

    • RhondaLeigh

      Hi Nuttanee, thank you for reading my post and commenting on it.  It’s really nice to meet people who “get it” and understand what society is doing to ALL of us.  It is important to know yourself and love yourself.  It’s hard to do, but once you let go of what everyone else thinks of you and concentrate on what YOU think of YOU, the process gets a lot easier.  I am really excited, too, about the body positive movement.  It really is the start of something great.  I think because of it, my daughters and future grand daughters will live in a more accepting world.  Thanks again for your thoughts.  RhondaLeigh

  3. Kell

    Wow! After going through your article, I was speechless for a while before typing. Just don’t know what to say. I personally don’t criticize or rather fat shame people. To see how a lot of people pass through this trauma is quite alarming.

    I feel people that fat shame others because of their size have problems with their own selves. I believe everyone is beautiful just the way they are. If you take a look at the fat shamers, they tend to do plastic surgeries to make feel better, do drugs, and a lot of health threatening things, and yet they fat shamed people? It’s pathetic.

    One thing I hate in life is trying to be like someone. Come to ask of it, why will anyone be like someone? What benefits will anyone get when they be like someone? Will it make anyone feel any better? Even, have they ever thought for a second about their own selves? Questions keeps coming.

    And come to think of it, there are just lots of conventional misconception going around of which you’ve listed, are all false. Any person being overweight don’t make anyone to be a failure, lazy, needs to be told about their health issues, and so. No one can change himself/herself to be like another person.

    If I don’t stop myself from writing, I will write another full different version of this post.

    The point is, people should be themselves, and do what makes them happy, and the world will be a better place.

    • RhondaLeigh

      Hello Kell, thanks for reading and commenting.  I agree with you.  A huge percentage of people are trying to look like someone else, or BE someone else, that they don’t look inside and see what a unique and amazing person they are unto themselves!  It’s so wrong!  And I agree with you also that a good share of the fat shamers are unhappy with themselves, and therefore do what they can to bring others down.  Misery loves company, and they want those of us who love ourselves to be as unhappy as they are.  The world WOULD be a better place if people would use the God-given introspect they have and love themselves.  Thank you again, Kell, for visiting my site and reading my posts.  I appreciate it!  RhondaLeigh  

  4. PurpleLioness

    Hiya RhondaLeigh

    That was a great article, thank you. You provide a real insight into what it’s like to be fat in the US. I looked at the photos you have at the bottom of the screen and just wow rhondaleigh, you look fab! All the clothes you were wearing I would totally wear, you look confident and stylish I wonder if your family still talk the same way? I’m sorry to hear that you went through so much just because you are what we in Scotland call “well covered”. People should be ashamed of themselves for behaving in this way. There are plenty of places where you would be revered for your size for instance in Jamaica all the men would be hollering at the ‘big batty gal’ – I think maybe you just live in the wrong country! 

    Thank you for sharing your story and raising awareness of fat shaming and the body positive movement, krs PurpleLioness 

    • RhondaLeigh

      Purple Lioness, you really made me smile this morning.  Thank you so much for your complements.  There was a time when I would not even let someone take a picture of me, and here I am posting pictures for millions to see.  I have come a long way, and thank you so much for acknowledging that.  

      My parents have passed away, and I am estranged from the family members that did the most damage to me.  But that’s OK.  I have plenty of people around me that love and care for me, mainly my wonderful husband and my kids who think I’m beautiful, and who support me in everything I do.  

      I would absolutely love to go to Jamaica and have people holler at me!  For a minute, anyway.  So thank you so much for giving my self-esteem another big boost.  Thanks for reading and commenting, and thanks for your sentiments!  RhondaLeigh 

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