Walmat Fat Shaming

I broke my rule today. I argued with people on Facebook. I shouldn't have. In fact, I've been pretty good about NOT doing it, but today, I just lost it and couldn't help myself. Someone, who is not that skinny of a person themselves, posted a picture of a fat person on the motorized wheelchair from Walmart. The caption was "This is for the frail, not for the whale."

And, predictably, people started talking about who true this is. I tried to keep myself from commenting, but in this case, I just couldn't. And really, I didn't do it for me. I'm not trying to sound noble here, because we all know that I'm not. However, there have been lots of times when people were saying stuff about fat people and the situation applied to me and I just felt awful and ashamed. There was no defense of people in my situation. No one looking at it from any other perspective.

The truth is, I have someone who is willing to shop for me. I am spared the hell of having to go into the store, and it would be a hell. I am spared from having to be on that motorized wheelchair and ride around, selecting things and knowing people were judging me from all sides. And yes, they would be. We may ignore a lot of things in this society, but not fat people doing fat people things.

So I commented that people can be fat and also frail. Some people don't choose to ride because they're just lazy. Some people choose this because they really have no other physical options. Someone protested back that they were fat and THEY walk through the store.

I told them this was awesome for them. Then I asked them if they have gout or constant hip pain or Pickwickian syndrome or legs so swollen they can hardly move them. Of course, they didn't.

To so many people, 'fat' is not being able to get into the size 8s that you wore in high school. They don't know what it means to really be trapped by it. They don't know what it means to have simple situations like going to the store be an event you have to dread. They don't understand how horribly scary and embarrassing facing situations like that can be. If they did, they certainly wouldn't post snide comments about it on Facebook.

Or hell, maybe they would.

I said my peace and blocked the post. I wasn't looking for any kind of apology or hoping someone would get a little sympathy. I mostly just wanted the people out there who are in the situation of being fat and at the mercy (and judgement) of riding in the cart to know not everyone saw them as a horrible person.