We have to do better.
Is everyone’s fyp on Tiktok nothing but Remi Bader? I can’t seem to escape it, and since I can’t get away from it here are my two cents on the situation.
But first, the comments I have are not in regard to her body. No one has the right to comment on other’s bodies.
Ya pues, al punto. What feels gross and uncomfortable is the deception. Having your viewers believe you lost weight by working out and eating “healthy” knowing damn well it is unachievable has detrimental ramifications to their well-being. Their job title is INFLUENCER for crying outlaid, what do you think that means? You want that title, then you also get the responsibility. As if that wasn’t enough she shared all of this on a Kardashian podcast….like what? I understand that influencers are regular humans like the rest of us, but you have a platform that a lot of young people are part, what message are you conveying? And as a fat person, we are already hated on for existing so this was another reminder of unvalued we are in this society.
I don’t think I have the language to convey this properly, but another part that just does not sit well with me is that the platform was meant for the plus-size community, and now that she does not fit the criteria it feels like we are being take advantage of. Why not uplift a creator who is trying to build a platform for plus-size people and amplify their voice. I feel used and discarded. As people get popular, famous, and rich I am sure there is a more persistent push to lose weight, and if you so desire to do it by all means, but again the message that I get is that fat people can’t exist as a rich person, or a famous person. So where the fuck do we belong?
I don’t think there would be so much drama if she would have been honest from the beginning. And no one is asking her to share her medical history, but there’s a responsibility in being honest to her followers.
On a related note, it has been super triggering for me watching videos of fat women, or women in larger bodies losing weight and calling it a glow-up. I am not upset at people losing weight, by all means do what feels right for you, but calling it a glow-up has negative connotations to being fat. It is fatphobic language. Or saying, I am getting healthy. That one strikes a nerve. I do not disagree that working out creates a healthier lifestyle, what I disagree is the implication that all fat people must be unhealthy. People see me and assume I’m unhealthy, but every time I go to the doctor my blood pressure is great, my lab work comes out normal, and my doctor has no concerns. Lastly, when I hear, “if you love yourself” you will work out, like what? So, I can never love myself because I do not workout? Fatphobia is embedded in our lives that us fat people are often worse to ourselves than others.
I might come back to this and make edits, but for now these are my thoughts.
How do you show yourself love?
¡Hasta la próxima!
Cuídense <3
