Weight loss is always a struggle. Venturing into this arduous endeavor requires tremendous willpower, discipline, strength, and a genuine dedication to your health. It’s frustrating and exhausting. But you try to commit to yourself every single day, come rain or shine. Because whether you like it or not, the unfortunate truth is that looks have an influence on your life, particularly how the rest of society, your friends, and your loved ones perceive and treat you.
But it seems that the challenge becomes even more magnified once you achieve your desired target. Something that Redditor euisalk knows from personal experience. As she detailed in her recent AITA confession, the world started treating her differently as soon as she slimmed down.
“People are nicer to me,” she wrote. “I’m the same person I’ve always been, but the way I move in the world has improved because my body is smaller.” While this change may seem heartening from the outside, it is also startling. While the woman felt disgusted by such behavior, she tried to keep her cool. Until she snapped. Read on to find out how her story escalated, and be sure to weigh in on the discussion in the comments!
After losing a significant amount of weight, this woman experienced how the world suddenly started treating her differently
Image credits: Huha Inc. (not the actual photo)
Feeling appalled by such behavior, she finally snapped at a family gathering and found herself in a heated drama
Image credits: Towfiqu barbhuiya (not the actual photo)
Image credits: cottonbro (not the actual photo)
Later on, the user added an update and shared her opinions on the matter
Image credits: euisalk
After reading the story, Redditors offered overwhelming support for the woman and shared some insightful thoughts on the whole situation. After all, body image and weight loss are huge issues for millions of people around the world, so the post resonated with many readers. As much as we believe that beauty comes from the inside out, the harsh reality is that the size and shape of your body matters for the majority of society.
In this age when unrealistic beauty standards and diet culture are still a thing, navigating the twists and turns of your own health can be overwhelming. But once you achieve your desired target after weeks, months, or even years of grueling effort and immense courage, all is well, right? Well, as this story proves, not entirely.
Losing a drastic amount of weight is an incredibly demanding process that can take a toll on your physical and psychological health. According to Rachel Goldman, a psychologist in New York City and a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine, navigating the social shifts that come with this change can be difficult.
Her patients often reveal getting more attention, being approached by strangers, and feeling seen in a way they had never before — all because they lost weight. “There is this weight bias and negative attitudes towards individuals in a larger body,” Goldman said. “And after people lose a significant amount of weight, they really do start experiencing this. People are kinder and nicer. And it’s like they’re no longer invisible.”
While the compliments may seem genuine at first, they can ignite a series of doubts and make people lose their self-esteem. “It really affects their mental health, their self-image, and self-confidence, trying to understand, ‘How did somebody see them so differently before?'” Goldman added.
“It’s very disappointing and very frustrating, you know, for me as well, being in the mental health field and hearing about these experiences. It’s very sad. And this is really why we want to educate the public as much as we can in terms of how harmful weight bias can be.”
Thankfully, the body positivity movement has been growing stronger. It has made tremendous strides in increasing acceptance of different body types that would otherwise fall outside unrealistic beauty standards. It has inspired people to make their bodies seen and their voices heard. But while we celebrate these accomplishments, it’s important to remember that fatphobia is still alive and well. Standing up to it takes strength and courage, something the author of the story demonstrated so well.
While there’s a long way to go in dismantling fatphobia, the woman’s story brings attention to the issue, and we hope that she will find a way to open her family members’ minds and help them unlearn harmful beauty expectations. We’d love to hear your thoughts about the matter in the comments below. What do you think about the story? Was the woman right to call out her relatives? Feel free to share your opinions, personal experiences, and any tips for people experiencing similar situations in the comments below.
Redditors jumped to the comments to express their support and chime in with their personal experiences
The post "Am I The Jerk For Telling People To Stop Congratulating Me For Losing Weight?" first appeared on Bored Panda.
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