Discrimination is everywhere. I am acutely aware that, with my white privilege, the type of discrimination I have faced in my life pales into insignificance compared to what people of colour live with every day. Add to that the fact that I am male, and it is fair to say that in many ways, I have had life easier than most.
But that does not mean I have never faced discrimination. For much of my life, it has been about weight. Fat people face a kind of prejudice that is so normalised in society that many do not even recognise it as discrimination.
It starts in childhood. The fat kid at school is the punchline, the clown, the one who hides behind humour to survive. In adulthood, the same stigma follows into the workplace. Fat people are judged as lazy, lacking discipline, or less capable. Promotions are harder to come by. Respect is harder to earn. And in personal life, there is judgement too. Dating, friendships, even family dynamics can be poisoned by the assumption that being overweight is a moral failing rather than the result of complex psychological, social, and biological factors.
For me, living with binge eating disorder, these experiences have been exhausting. I am not asking for pity. I am asking people to see that weight discrimination is real. It shapes lives, careers, and self-worth.
And now, as I move through my fifties, I am encountering another layer: age discrimination. I still think of myself as “only” in my fifties, full of ideas, energy, and experience. Yet increasingly I am perceived as being past my prime.
In professional life, this plays out when older candidates struggle to find new roles. Employers sometimes see us as too expensive, or too set in our ways, even when our experience is an asset. In personal life, ageism shows itself in subtle ways. You are excluded from conversations about “the future.” You are assumed to be out of touch. You are treated as though your best days are behind you, rather than right here in front of you.
At least, when it comes to age, there are statutes designed to protect against discrimination. The reality, however, is that these are rarely enforced. Fat discrimination, meanwhile, is not even properly recognised in law. That silence speaks volumes.
Discrimination wears many faces. Some are brutal and life-threatening, others quieter but still deeply wounding. I cannot claim to have suffered as much as others in this world. But I know the sting of being dismissed, underestimated, and excluded. And I know this: until we start treating every human being with dignity, whether because of their race, gender, size, or age, society will continue to fail those who need compassion the most.
Bye Bye Fatman
Discrimination: The Kinds We Do Not Talk About
Discrimination is everywhere. I am acutely aware that, with my white privilege, the type of discrimination I have faced in my life pales into insignificance compared to what people of colour live with every day. Add to that the fact that I am male, and it is fair to say that in many ways, I have had life easier than most.
But that does not mean I have never faced discrimination. For much of my life, it has been about weight. Fat people face a kind of prejudice that is so normalised in society that many do not even recognise it as discrimination.
It starts in childhood. The fat kid at school is the punchline, the clown, the one who hides behind humour to survive. In adulthood, the same stigma follows into the workplace. Fat people are judged as lazy, lacking discipline, or less capable. Promotions are harder to come by. Respect is harder to earn. And in personal life, there is judgement too. Dating, friendships, even family dynamics can be poisoned by the assumption that being overweight is a moral failing rather than the result of complex psychological, social, and biological factors.
For me, living with binge eating disorder, these experiences have been exhausting. I am not asking for pity. I am asking people to see that weight discrimination is real. It shapes lives, careers, and self-worth.
And now, as I move through my fifties, I am encountering another layer: age discrimination. I still think of myself as “only” in my fifties, full of ideas, energy, and experience. Yet increasingly I am perceived as being past my prime.
In professional life, this plays out when older candidates struggle to find new roles. Employers sometimes see us as too expensive, or too set in our ways, even when our experience is an asset. In personal life, ageism shows itself in subtle ways. You are excluded from conversations about “the future.” You are assumed to be out of touch. You are treated as though your best days are behind you, rather than right here in front of you.
At least, when it comes to age, there are statutes designed to protect against discrimination. The reality, however, is that these are rarely enforced. Fat discrimination, meanwhile, is not even properly recognised in law. That silence speaks volumes.
Discrimination wears many faces. Some are brutal and life-threatening, others quieter but still deeply wounding. I cannot claim to have suffered as much as others in this world. But I know the sting of being dismissed, underestimated, and excluded. And I know this: until we start treating every human being with dignity, whether because of their race, gender, size, or age, society will continue to fail those who need compassion the most.
#ByeByeFatman #EndWeightStigma #AgeDiscrimination #StopTheStigma #MensMentalHealth #BingeEatingRecovery #EqualityForAll #RealTalk
4 days ago | [YT] | 25