Calling someone “fat” can be a hurtful insult. But why is that?
This question came up when a mother named Allison shared her story about a recent swimming trip with her children. When her daughter called her fat, 30-year-old Allison had a clever response, and her message is now spreading quickly online.
Allison Kimmey began dieting when she was just 14 years old. She managed to stay at a size two to four through graduate school, but it was tough, and she wasn’t happy. Three years ago, at age 27, Allison reached a size eight and realized she would be much happier if she stopped fighting against her weight gain.
To motivate herself, Allison started an Instagram account, @allisonkimmey, where she shares pictures and inspirational messages. Her body positivity spreads joy and encourages her followers, but her important message doesn’t always reach everyone.
**Me:** “Actually, everyone, every single person in the world has fat. But each of us has different amounts.”
**Her brother:** “Oh right! I have some to protect my big muscles! But you have more than me.”
**Me:** “Yes, that’s true. Some people have a lot, and others don’t have much. But that doesn’t mean one person is better than the other. Do you both understand?”
**Both:** “Yes, mama.”
**Me:** “So can you repeat what I said?”
**Them:** “Yes! I shouldn’t say someone is fat because you can’t just be fat, but everyone HAS fat, and it’s okay to have different fat.”
**Me:** “Exactly right!”
Not only did Allison want to teach her children how to talk to others, but she also felt it was important to spread the message that everyone is equal, no matter their body shape. Now, her post on Instagram has gone viral.
“If I shame my children for saying it, then I’m proving that it’s an insulting word and continuing the stigma that being fat is unworthy, gross, comical, and undesirable,” writes Allison.
A 17-year-old boy, who works part-time at Pizza Hut, arrives and parks a stunning Porsche in front of the house.
Picture this: a 17-year-old boy who works part-time at Pizza Hut pulls up in front of his house one day in a stunning Porsche. His parents are stunned by the sight of the luxurious car and immediately demand an explanation.
“Where did you get that car?” they ask, completely bewildered.
“I bought it today,” calmly responds the teen.
His mom’s concern gets the better of her as she demands, “With what money, young man? We know how much a Porsche costs, and you cannot afford it!”
The boy explains, “Well, it’s used, and I got a good deal. This one only cost me 20 dollars.”
Shocked, his mom exclaims, “Who on earth would sell a car like that for 20 dollars?!”
“The woman up the street,” the boy replies. “I don’t know her name – she just moved in. She ordered a pizza, and when I delivered it to her, she asked me if I wanted to buy a Porsche for 20 dollars.”
Unable to contain their curiosity and anger, the boy’s dad and mom rush over to their new neighbor’s house, ready to demand an explanation. To their surprise, they find their new neighbor calmly planting flowers in her front yard.
Approaching her with determination, the dad speaks up, “I’m the father of the kid you just sold a sports car to for $20. I need an explanation from you!”
The woman, still focused on her gardening, looks up and calmly responds, “Well, this morning, I received a phone call from my husband. I thought he was on a business trip in Florida, but it turns out he has run off to Hawaii with his secretary and has no intention of coming back.”
Perplexed, the mom interjects, “What on earth does that have to do with selling our son a Porsche for $20?”
Smiling brightly, the new neighbor pauses for a moment before answering, “Well, my husband asked me to sell his new Porsche and send him the money. So, I did.”
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