Being Fat in America

Fat is a bad word. I hate it, yet my whole life this is how I have defined myself. The funny fat friend, the pleasantly plumper than I would prefer bride, and the wiggly mother of two.

This is not a sob story. I actually have an amazing family, a hot man who loves me, and two amazing children. I am not crying about my weight.

What I want to point out is that we fatties have feelings too. When the Maura Kelly of Marie Claire that the fat couple on Mike and Molly kissing was offensive, or whatever the heck she said, I was sad. I am married to a not fat man so is the fact that I kiss him, sometimes in public, disgusting to her?

Sure she retracted some of her statements, but it still hurts. I may not be blessed with a beautifully skinny body, I have rolls and rolls of fat around my voluptuous tummy wear I housed my two children. The thing is you will find me at the gym three or four days a week. I work out with wild abandon and happen to enjoy it. I never go to McDonald's or Burger King. I shun fast food because I know fatty or not anything that can be left out for six months and not grow mold is just not good to eat. I love vegetables and tofu and eat a mostly vegetarian diet. I also happen to enjoy one to many sugary coffee drinks and deserts. The doctor has never once told me I need to lose weight, I had no problems with my pregnancies and my only complaint in life about being fat is that size twenty clothes are just not stylish.

I want more than anything to lose weight, to be a size twelve with all of those luscious clothing options at my fingers. I have been on Weight Watchers, LA Weight Loss, I have done a ton of detoxes, seen nutritionists, and yes have even been on Adkins. Weight is a constant struggle and it is a hard one.

Every day I am faced with beautiful thin, overly thin people on television and in magazines. I hang out with my best friends who all three wore a size six bridesmaids dresses and I wonder if people think that they feel sorry for me because I am the fat one tagging along. They wear stylish clothes that I want. I want to shop at J.Crew and Anthropology, but my boobs and my butt don't fit.

Sure styles have progressed, heck Lane Bryant even has a certain hipness to it that can make a big girl feel good (not to mention their vanity sizing). I still want to wear what my friends are wearing, I want to live a life where I am not seen as someone to be pitied or looked down on, but a girl with impeccable style that my thin friends want to emulate.

Next time you see a fat women don't judge her by just her body. This might not be how she wants to look, but it is her body and it should be respected. Don't judge her or tell her that kissing or holding hands in public with a man is disgusting unless this is just how you feel about PDA in general. Then well that is your problem I guess.