Thursday, January 17, 2008

On the issue of Fat Activism

So, just before Christmas my husband and I were in a local electronics store and I was looking at headphone/microphone combos as was another customer. We were both questioning him and he eventually took the other customer to an area where they had cell phone headsets.

In the meantime my husband found me and I was repeating what the store clerk told me as I debated which set to buy. A moment later the other customer returned to where I was with her chosen headset and said she just wanted to talk to me for a moment. This lady went on to explain that she had stomach surgery a few years back and she was so happy now. She said the weight just melted off and she wanted to let me know if I'd been thinking of having the surgery she highly recommended it. This woman practically told me her whole life story.

I told this woman my sister had the surgery and I wasn't really interested. She continued to speak about how wonderful it was. I was so shocked all I could do was sort of laugh at her. Later it occurred to me to be offended.

How sick is our thin-obssessed society that a complete stranger felt comfortable telling me to have my stomach mutiliated. I wasn't talking about having the surgery; so she didn't overhear anything. I should've said, "Well my had plastic surgery and she looks so much younger; so if you're thinking of a face lift go for it!"

I'm mostly a live and let live person. When my sister had the surgery, I was supportive. That's what she needed to do for herself but that's not me.

Okay, well, I'm falling asleep at the computer so I guess its bed time.

1 comment:

vesta44 said...

I just found your blog today through one of my google alerts. I have to say that if that woman had said to me what she said to you, I would have had to have told her "sorry, been there done that, and it didn't work". That probably would have shut her up, but maybe not. People like that like to proselytize and sometimes don't take no for an answer no matter how forcefully you tell them.