A
When it comes to judgment of their bodies, women can’t win. People often make “fat jokes”, but fat-shaming is no laughing matter; neither is fit-shaming. I spoke to two women who were shamed for being fat, and then, after losing weight, shamed for being fit.
Sarah Moore is a 29-year-old mother of three from Indiana, US. She became a personal trainer after losing more than 45 kg. She remembers the fat-shaming she bore before her weight loss. When waiting to get on a roller coaster once, people behind her were complaining about the wait, and the attendant (服务人员) told them, “Don’t worry. She’s not going to fit on here, and you’ll be next.” But after losing weight, Moore said people commented on her body even more. “Now I get comments like, ‘Are you sure you can eat that?’ because they’re worried I’ll regain the weight,” she said. How does it make her feel? “Fat-shaming made me feel sad and helpless, and fit-shaming makes me angry,” she said.
Changes in body weight can also influence relationships. It can upset the balance because others can get jealous. People who lose weight can experience personality changes, such as an increase in confidence, which also influences relationships.
Fit-shaming has been harder to handle for Andrea Sereda, a 38-year-old social worker in Canada. She said judgment of her body is something she’s faced for years. Sereda said that when she was 9, her grandfather told her at a birthday party, “I don’t think you should eat cake,” and made comments about how many calories each bite contained as she ate it. She also experienced similar things in college. The judgment of Sereda’s body increased after she lost 57 kg. “It’s worse with people who knew me from before,” Sereda said. “People constantly say, ‘You’re so skinny now you’re going to disappear.’” It was mostly friends making such comments. Closer friends seemed to compare their own bodies negatively to Sereda’s new physique (体型). “I was afraid of going out and having to field all these comments,” Sereda said. “I had to learn how to handle it.”
Let us try to understand that just because someone has lost weight, it doesn’t make them fair game for commentary on their new shape. Everyone deserves to live free of being body shamed, regardless of how they look.
21. Sarah Moore is shamed for being fit after losing weight mainly because ________.
A. people still judge her new body shape
B. she lost too much weight after her diet
C. her personality changed for the better
D. people are all jealous of her new look
22. The example of Andrea Sereda is used to ________.
A. explain what pushes women to lose weight
B. show the negative effects of fit shaming
C. suggest what can be done to handle fat shaming
D. show the difficulties overweight women face
23. What would be a proper way to treat those who have lost weight?
A. To appreciate their new body shape.
B. To stop commenting on their physique.
C. To encourage them to maintain their shape.
D. To remind them to be careful with their diet.
