To Be Fat Like Me

To be fat like me. That was the title to a movie where a normal size high school girl wore a plus-sized suit for a project. She wanted to prove to her overweight family members that the world doesn't treat you badly just because your weight is above normal. But she discovered that she was wrong. Obesity discrimination is more widespread and accepted than many people care to believe.

I'm Andrea Edwards, and I wanted to shed some light on what it's like to be fat, as a way of life. This is not meant to draw pity, or to make fun of anybody. But there may be some thin people who were curious, or some caring people who want to understand better. Everything I will describe does not fit every overweight or obese person, but at least one thing will, in most cases.

To Be Fat and Shop for Plus Size Clothes

Shopping for plus-sized clothing can be an adventure all by itself. There are much fewer plus size stores in comparison to general clothing stores. That leaves most of the overweight population shopping at the same stores, like Lane Bryant and Casual Male XL. If you are a woman, you know how much you hate wearing the same outfit that someone else is wearing. I can't tell you how many times me and a co-worker or church member have worn the same outfit on the same day. Special occassion clothing choices are fewer, and more expensive as well.

Overweight people also have potential issues with wearing their clothes as well. For example, pants and shorts tend to ride up (gather up) between your inner thighs, causing an uncomfortable feeling, as well as a sloppy look. This usually occurs after walking up stairs or some other activity.

Sometimes the inseam of your pants can also wear away. This is due to the friction you create between your thighs and the fabric with each step made. My mother used to patch up our pants when they developed a hole. The biggest problem with the patches were that they were visible when seated, depending on your position and the seating arrangement.

Overweight Passengers

To Be Fat and Travel - When your body is considerably larger than normal, and you carry around extra weight, travelling can be a traumatic experience. When flying you may need to ask the flight attendant for an extension in order to fasten your seatbelt. This can be very embarassing, depending on how well you accept your size and your individual personality. Some airlines now require some overweight passengers to pay for two seats/two tickets if you can't fit into your seat without "spilling over", or you cannot lower your armrest. If this has happened to you, or somebody you know, please feel free to share your story.

When you are an overweight passenger, your travel woes do not limit themselves to just the airplane. Obese people have similar seating problems when traveling by bus, train, and even automobile. Some seating partners become upset when an overweight person sits next to them, and are not quiet about it. These plus-sized passengers have caused physical pain to their neighbors in some cases, unintentionally of course. These complaints could no longer be ignored, from a business standpoint. This is what led to many airlines creating and adopting the "Customer of Size" policies.

These are just some of struggles that overweight, obese, and morbidly obese can run into as they live their daily lives. But to be fat does not have to be all bad. Their are many people of size who lead fulfilling lives, and are in better health than some of their smaller counterparts. Even if you happen to be fat, it is important to strive to be healthy.

Leave To Be Fat Go to Weight Loss Surgery Home