Hello everyone!
Tonight’s blog post is going to be on a serious topic. This evening I watched
the news and saw a story about a Wisconsin news anchor, Jennifer Livingston, who
received an email from a viewer criticizing her for her weight. This viewer went
on to say that she was “not a suitable example for this community’s young
people, girls in particular” because she is overweight. I wanted to dedicate
tonight’s post to bullying in hopes that if anyone out there is feeling judged,
bullied or picked on about their appearance; they can realize they
are not alone.
For some strange
reason, some people feel the need to tell overweight people they are fat. News
flash, they already know! Every morning when they face the mirror, every time
they try clothes on at a store, every time they are out in public and get looks
from people on the street; they know. There were many times where I would get
dressed in the morning, do my hair and makeup, get ready to leave and every time
I looked in the mirror I would never look at myself; not because I didn’t like
myself, but because I didn’t like the reflection that looked back at me. Far too
many times, I made myself laugh off when someone would say something about my
weight. Fact is whether it’s a friend, relative or just a stranger on the street
it hurts. A smile or a quick catty remark in response can seem like strength and
mask the pain but it hurts none the less. When I was in high school, I weighed roughly 300lbs. I remember a specific time when I was in high school and I went with my mother to take my brother to the park. A girl and boy that was about my age were sitting on one of the jungle gyms and the girl walked over to me and said “That guy over there is saying your fat.” This was not her way of telling me someone was making fun of me. They were being cruel and wanted to make sure that I felt their harsh words and to make sure I knew they were talking about me. I turned completely red and just wanted to cry. My mother being protective said something in response to them, but it didn’t help; the damage had been done. That was about 15 years or so ago. I am now 31 years old, and even though I am over it, it doesn’t make it right. I truly hope that those teens didn’t grow up and teach their children to be ignorant as well. I hope that at some point they learned compassion and basic respect for other human beings and their feelings.
This blog post is dedicated to anyone who was ever forced to feel as if they are not good enough, too fat, too skinny, ugly, nerdy, too tall, too short, etc. No one is perfect. If we were all meant to be the same, this world would be a pretty boring place. It took me a long time to be able to say the words “I am not fat,” but once I did I felt amazing. We need to take derogatory words out of our vocabulary. We are all amazing and everyone has his or her own cross to bear. No one has the right to add to anyone else’s struggles in life. I hope that anyone who reads this knows that you are amazing; you are special and whatever life throws your way, you are strong enough to overcome it. As Eleanor Roosevelt said “No one can make you inferior without your consent.” Be strong and know that you are a special unique person the way you are. No one can or should take that away from you.
Please repost this blog and I have posted the link to the statement made by Jennifer Livingston below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIwBwJzl5eI&feature=youtu.be
