There is a lot of stigma around being overweight in today’s world as it is becoming a far bigger problem than it has ever been. However, just because someone is overweight, people think they have an excuse to belittle them or verbally attack them. Another fact is that “fatphobic” people do not just go after people who are actually obese, but anyone who does not have what they consider a “healthy” and “acceptable” body.

A lot of people tend to make the automatic judgment that anyone who is overweight is simply just lazy, but there is usually a lot more to it than that. Some people have illnesses or disabilities that make it difficult for them to lose weight, or they have eating disorders that they are trying to overcome. The largest problem that stems from these judgments is with a lot of doctors. There are stories that I see come through my feeds on different social media sites of people who go to their doctor with serious medical conditions or symptoms just to be told that they “need to lose weight” only to find out they had a serious medical condition that had absolutely nothing to do with their weight.

Another problem is that “fatphobia” does not just affect teens and adults, but also young children and babies. There have been multiple reports of parents starving their babies because they are “getting too fat.” Babies need their fat to grow up healthy, but many parents are too worried about having a “pretty” child over a healthy one.