In our society today, the term “fat” is thrown around almost as often as we say our own names. Whether we’re referring to someone else as fat or referring to ourselves as fat — this word is too frequently used to portray someone else or ourselves.
With this word comes self-hate, ridicule, guilt, and insecurities.
We repeatedly use this word, yet do any of us know the literal meaning of the term?
According to the Oxford Dictionary, when used as an adjective, fat is described as “having large amounts of excess flesh.” Excess flesh. Not cellulite, not stretch marks- flesh. Everyone has excess flesh somewhere, so does that mean we’re all fat? Not at all.
Despite the documented connotation of this term, each person carries their own definition of “fat.” The variations of meaning for the word are way too broad to form a uniform definition, however — more often than not — this word is being used incorrectly.
As our standards of beauty have intensified and perceptions of body image have transformed, “fat” has become part of our everyday vocabulary.
I’m guilty of participating in this trend as well. I’ll see an unflattering picture of myself and automatically think, “I look so fat” or try on a pair of jeans and say, “I need to go up a size, these make me look so fat,” and so on.
Did I really look fat in that picture though? Or did those jeans really make me look fat?
No. Maybe I was bloated, maybe it was a bad angle, maybe the jeans just fit differently.
Upon analyzing this self-ridicule I can’t help but realize how petty and demoralizing throwing around this word can truly be. If calling myself fat makes me feel this way, why would you ever want to use that word to describe someone else?
While reading Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey, I came across a passage that reads:
“Fat
\’fat\
Adjective
1: a descriptive word.
it has no deeper meaning.
it should not determine
the worth
(or lack thereof)
of a human being
-what I know now that i wish i knew then.”
How empowering is that?!
The more we say the word “fat”, the more power we give the word. This word has the power to starve, to shatter one’s confidence, and stereotype. No word should be given this much power, especially one with such negative effects.
We need to stop casually throwing this term around, whether in reference to others or ourselves.
A word cannot determine your worth.
