YES, you are allowed to EXIST and be Fat, Happy, Sassy and never apologize for it. And, trust me, it really pisses the fat shamers off when they see an unapologetic, sassy, smart, successful fat woman or man. It seems to really throw them for a loop!
I wrote this for the Huffington Post but wanted to re-publish it here so you all did not have to be exposed to the hateful fat shaming comments over there. Here is the original link to my article on the Huff Po… but truly… do not go there… the comments are awful and full of hate. I do not recommend you go into those deep dark waters. They are not worth your good well- being. TRUST ME.
Here is the original link but I am copying and pasting it below so you do NOT have to go to this link. I just want to be sure to give the Huff Po the proper attribution:
It’s Ok To Be Fat. Go Ahead. You’re Allowed. (<< Linked to Huffington Post)
“I know the fat shamers on the anti-fat Reddit threads and the “concern trolls” all over the world will disagree heartily, but I am allowed to take up as much space as I want to take up. And, you know what else? I do not OWE IT TO ANYONE to be fat and healthy, either.
Contrary to popular opinion, I can be fat and healthy if I want to be. I can also be fat and unhealthy. Fat people have existed as long as humans have existed, so get used to us. We’re not going to go and hide just because a bunch of people who have a lot of time to waste on a computer are creating hate sights dedicated to making fun of our fat body. I’ve been fat for over 30 years. My fat skin is extra thick and used to your vile and mean comments. They roll right off my back. (And right over my fat ass, too.) And, the mean threads that are started by the fat haters actually fuel my fire and serve as a reminder as to how much there is still to do in the Body Acceptance movement.
To me, it’s plain and simple: You get to exist any way you want to exist. As Pink so eloquently put it recently when being attacked about her body: “I’m not worried about me. And I’m not worried about you, either. I am perfectly fine, perfectly happy, and my healthy, voluptuous and crazy strong body is having some much deserved time off.”
Pink is saying what a lot of us “fatties” in the Body Acceptance movement repeat over and over. “My body, my business. Your body, your business.” I have had my run-ins with people (total strangers) trying to police my body and the customers of my lingerie boutique. I even was on CNN talking about the right to be fat and wear lingerie. My boutique and I got embroiled in a fierce media debate about whether or not my plus size lingerie boutique glorifies obesity.
I think it’s happiness that really infuriates and confuses some fat haters. People are often baffled when they see happy fat people. And when you add in the idea that we are not addicted to dieting or working out or obsessed with the notion that we should become some thin version of ourselves, well, that really throws the shamers and haters for a loop. I literally had to defend, on national TV, our right to exist as fat women who want to wear sexy and very revealing lingerie. All bodies are good bodies. All bodies deserve to be celebrated. No one body is better than another body.
So, yes, you can EXIST and take up more space than your neighbor. You do not have to qualify that existence with a “but, I am fat and healthy.” You don’t have to justify anything to anyone about your body and what it looks like on the outside or the inside. The people who want to police your body are just sad, unhappy people with way too much time on their hands. They have nothing better to do. Me, on the other hand, I have shit to do. And, the first item on my TO-DO list is to help fat, thick, curvy women to find some sexy lingerie and help them celebrate their fat, luscious bodies.”
And here is the actual link on the Huff Po page if you want to copy and paste it and wonder over there, but trust me, the comments are u.g.l.y. (Well, there are some very sane and thoughtful comments, too, but if you trigger easily from internet hate, I would not wade over there.)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/chrystal-bougon/its-ok-to-be-fat-go-ahead-youre-allowed_b_7103846.html
Anyway, as I was saying… I have SHIT TO DO. Pardon me while I go help my smart, sexy, beautiful women with their sexy lingerie.
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