"Is that my internalised fatphobia showing?" - Overheard at The Curve Cult

"Is that my internalised fatphobia showing?" - Overheard at The Curve Cult

Overheard at The Curve Cult :

*Customer looks through clothing racks and picks the items that they are interested in*

Rani : I'll help you with the sizing. Do you know your UK size?

Customer : Hmm. I should be a uk16/18.

Rani : Ok that should be a M for most of our pieces.

Customer : Oh wow! Im so flattered. I have never worn anything smaller than an XL outside.

Rani : Oh no, I didn't mean to flatter you. There is no value attached to the size.

Customer : haha what do you mean?

Rani : I don't want you feeling good just because you're wearing an M. I want you to feel good no matter what size you choose to wear - L, XL, 3XL.

Customer : That is so interesting.Why have I never thought like that? 

We live in a world that constantly values smaller, leaner and thinner bodies; A world that has conditioned us to develop an anti-fat bias. If you're wondering, how can fat people themselves have an anti-fat bias? You're right on point.

As plus size people, we have internalised our fatphobia and this is evident in the ways we think and talk about fat bodies including ours. For example, we tend to celebrate a smaller fat body sized uk14/16 way more than we even care to acknowledge a bigger fat body sized uk24/26.

The next time you think or talk about your body, be extra careful about the words you use. Ask yourself "Is that my internalised fatphobia showing?"

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.