The Cheeseburger Blog
I'm tired of being told that I need to eat a cheeseburger. It's people's way of telling me that I'm 'too thin'. Certainly this is by their standards. Which are set when they look in the mirror. Trust me, no one thinner than me has ever told me I needed a cheeseburger or to back off the Diet Coke. These words come exclusively from individuals few sizes larger than me.
I'm amazed at what people think they can say to me just because I'm fit and thin. Last week I felt bullied by a 'friend' about my appearance. What I was wearing was wrong and too revealing, I was too thin, I looked like a lesbian. Oh, and my flip flops were too old and worn out. Let me reassure everyone out there, none of the above were true that day. I was wearing baggy-ish jeans, a dark brown spaghetti strap tank top, my aviator sunglasses, and my favorite old flip flops. For whatever the reason my 'friend' felt like she could take aim at me.
I've since learned that it was her insecurities talking, but in my mind that doesn't excuse anything. Hatred often comes from insecurities. Which then leads to bullying. My question is why did she think that this was ok? What if I'd teed it up and gone after her appearance or what she was wearing? What if I'd told her she was too fat, that her clothes were inappropriate for her size, that her shoes were too brightly colored? What if I'd expressed that kind of disrespect?
First of all I would never say anything like that to anyone, whether it was correct or not. It's just not right. No one deserves to be demeaned and made to feel lesser. However, my 'friend', who is actually a very nice person, thought it was ok to say such things to me. Luckily, I know who I am and what I bring. I was easily able (after checking off with a couple friends when I got home) to disregard her comments as bullshit. But what if I wasn't as strong as I am? What if I believed what she said about me and internalized it? It might be a news flash to some, but thin doesn't equal strong or impervious. Thin people are as likely to believe negative comments as anyone. They fight their share of demons, worry about how the world perceives them, and have their own insecurities, just like everyone else.
And yet I'm repeatedly told to skip a workout or eat a cheeseburger and people invariably laugh. What if I told the guy who's a bit overweight to skip the cheeseburger or to join a gym? I'd be called an unfeeling asshole. I'd be a bully.
I guess maybe I'm crying and complaining about something most of the world couldn't care less about. So what if a few fit, skinny, pretty people get made fun of? They lead a charmed, perfect life and deserve to feel the sting of ridicule every now and again like everyone else, right? Wrong. No one deserves that sting. No one. Not the skinniest person, fattest person, fittest person, unfittest person, prettiest person, or ugliest person.
It all boils down to one simple statment - If no one should be told to stop eating a cheeseburger then no one should be told to eat one. Period.
I'm amazed at what people think they can say to me just because I'm fit and thin. Last week I felt bullied by a 'friend' about my appearance. What I was wearing was wrong and too revealing, I was too thin, I looked like a lesbian. Oh, and my flip flops were too old and worn out. Let me reassure everyone out there, none of the above were true that day. I was wearing baggy-ish jeans, a dark brown spaghetti strap tank top, my aviator sunglasses, and my favorite old flip flops. For whatever the reason my 'friend' felt like she could take aim at me.
I've since learned that it was her insecurities talking, but in my mind that doesn't excuse anything. Hatred often comes from insecurities. Which then leads to bullying. My question is why did she think that this was ok? What if I'd teed it up and gone after her appearance or what she was wearing? What if I'd told her she was too fat, that her clothes were inappropriate for her size, that her shoes were too brightly colored? What if I'd expressed that kind of disrespect?
First of all I would never say anything like that to anyone, whether it was correct or not. It's just not right. No one deserves to be demeaned and made to feel lesser. However, my 'friend', who is actually a very nice person, thought it was ok to say such things to me. Luckily, I know who I am and what I bring. I was easily able (after checking off with a couple friends when I got home) to disregard her comments as bullshit. But what if I wasn't as strong as I am? What if I believed what she said about me and internalized it? It might be a news flash to some, but thin doesn't equal strong or impervious. Thin people are as likely to believe negative comments as anyone. They fight their share of demons, worry about how the world perceives them, and have their own insecurities, just like everyone else.
And yet I'm repeatedly told to skip a workout or eat a cheeseburger and people invariably laugh. What if I told the guy who's a bit overweight to skip the cheeseburger or to join a gym? I'd be called an unfeeling asshole. I'd be a bully.
I guess maybe I'm crying and complaining about something most of the world couldn't care less about. So what if a few fit, skinny, pretty people get made fun of? They lead a charmed, perfect life and deserve to feel the sting of ridicule every now and again like everyone else, right? Wrong. No one deserves that sting. No one. Not the skinniest person, fattest person, fittest person, unfittest person, prettiest person, or ugliest person.
It all boils down to one simple statment - If no one should be told to stop eating a cheeseburger then no one should be told to eat one. Period.
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