Don’t talk ‘Fat’

A recent American study reveals that 54 per cent of women would rather be hit by a truck than be fat. Simply put, they would rather be in a coma than piling on the extra kilos! Closer home, women may not wish to be hit by any large vehicles, but many still indulge in unhealthy and self-criticising ‘fat talk’. And by many, we mean 93 per cent, as per statistics.

“Oh my gosh! I’ve eaten so much that I have a food baby.” “I could never wear that T-shirt, I have a muffin top.” “I can never wear skirts, I have cankles.” These are just some of the deriding and negative things that women say about their bodies.

‘Fat talk’ is self-depreciating things uttered by people who don’t like their bodies. Harmless as it may seem, this kind of negative and criticism should be avoided, especially in front of children and young adults.

Incidentally, a food company has launched a campaign aiming to put an end to ‘fat talk’ and encourage positive thinking. A video called Fight Fat Talk has already received over 11,000 hits.

We spoke to people around the city to get an idea of people’s opinions over ‘my body’s not pretty’ kind of talks. And the reactions were mixed.

Homemaker Iffat Khan, who bonds over food with like-minded friends, says there’s no room for fat talk in her group. “Everyone, whether healthy or obese, has body image issues. But it’s the ones who go overboard that need to worry,” Iffat points out, adding, “There have been times when I have people over for party and they just don’t eat. They just nibble at a starter or dessert. It does annoy me because I put in so much effort to cook. I am a foodie and have nothing in common with the Victoria Beckham kinds, who take drastic measures to stay extre­mely skinny.”  On the other hand, celebrity wife and entrepreneur Upa­sana Kami­neni thinks that there’s nothing wrong with fat talk and that it can actually be motivating. “Every person, no matter what size, wants to lose weight. It just depends on what your goal is. In India, we openly comment on people’s weighty issues, whereas Westerners keep their opinions to themselves.” 

“Some people don’t eat at night parties because of their lifestyle choices — no eating after sundown. My husband and I are also particular about our regimens and life works better because of that,” says the wife of actor Ram Charan.

“It’s only when you are conscious about your body that you’ll be motivated to lose weight,” Upasana adds.

Weighing in with the expert’s opinion is clinical psychologist Pulkit Sharma, who points out, “Fat talk is not just done by the obese, but also by those who are fit. People openly criticise their bodies because they are insecure and fear that others may criticise them too. So, they would rather do it first.”

“But it’s not good when done in front of children as they could develop image issues while growing up and think that they need to look perfect to be accepted,” he says.