On Being
Fat
When I
was a child, I was skinny. As I grew, that
didn’t really change. I was rail-thin
until around my 40s. Then I started
gaining a little bit of weight, not much, but almost enough to bring me within
10 pounds of my ideal weight. That took
until my mid-50s.
At that
point, the doc put me on some meds. All
of a sudden, I started gaining weight. A
lot of it! And now I am officially fat.
I’m not
sure it matters that much to me. I don’t
mind, except that I don’t like looking in the mirror and all my former clothes
are useless. Other than that, it doesn’t
really make any difference to me (I should point out I am single, so I just
have myself to consider).
Now, I
have never cared about fat. I never even
noticed it when I chose my friends, so consequently my friends come in all
colors, shapes and sizes. But after a while,
I admit, sometimes I looked at my larger friends with a certain amount of envy. So I think it is time for me to come out of
the closet and say a few things that I never said to anyone’s face.
My
personal top 10 Reasons to like being Fat (Assuming the person likes themselves. Nobody looks good if they don’t like themselves.):
1.
Small children and animals prefer fat people. We are more cuddly, softer, and comforting. When we hold someone on our laps, they are
enveloped in softness, reassuring them that all is well and that they are OK. You don’t
get that same reassurance from a bony person.
2.
Same is true for hugs, fat people are soft and
comforting. Bony people are not as nice
an armful. They have sharp edges and
elbows. Fat people are warm and
welcoming. Our hugs are wonderful!
3.
Small children tend to obey us quicker.
4.
Fat women have more variety in clothes. As a
larger person, I tend to wear looser, more comfortable clothing. I don’t much care what the going fashion is,
I wear what I like and I look great in the Mother Earth –type clothing!
5.
When a fat
woman puts on a dress or a tunic (my personal favorite), you can see the
fabric. All the pretty colors and
designs are right there. On a slender
person, the cloth hangs in folds or else the area of cloth is so small that you
cannot see the patterns or colors on a grand scale.
6.
Larger women have curves.
7.
A large woman can wear large jewelry. Personally, I am not a fan of small stones,
like diamonds, etc. I like the dramatic,
one-of-a-kind jewelry. And a thousand
diamonds are too fussy for me compared to a sleek, well-designed modern piece of
polymer clay or metal. I also like the ‘ethnic’
jewelry, and that always looks best on a larger pallet.
8.
A large person has PRESENCE. When we walk into a room, you know it. When we speak, people tend to listen. When we preach, with any luck at all, we will
be believed (OK, so as a minister, I notice those things).
9.
If a larger person has any sort of self-esteem at all,
we will be perceived as having authority or knowledge. If a larger woman wear heels, her feet will
hit the floor with a loud, authoritative “Clump”.
10.
As a larger
person, I tend to be a restful presence.
My laughter is highly contagious.
My words of reassurance are given weight. My shoulders are strong enough to cry on.
Now, I invite you to share your favorite reasons.
