[quote]By Sushmitha Suresh
Online Writer
Photo courtesy of Nicole Arbour[/quote]
Youtuber Nicole Arbour has managed to offend millions around the world with her so-called “comedy”. On Aug. 6, Arbour posted a video titled “Dear Fat People” and initiated a large amount of backlash from other Youtubers who advocate body positivity.
Arbour claims that fat people simply need to stop being fat. Their overweightness annoys her. “Fat shaming is not a thing. Fat people made that up,” Arbour said. There’s no such thing as a fat card, and even claims that fat people should “stop eating”.
As a result of the video, the issue of fat shaming has received a good amount of hate. Fat shaming is known to be the unkind public criticism of being overweight. Basically, it’s bullying someone until they change their lifestyle and start losing weight, something that should be their choice and is sometimes out of their control. The validity of this issue has been recently questioned.
Some say that fat shaming is a real issue. “There’s always a different side to every story. There’s fat shaming but there’s also thin shaming. I don’t think people understand the severity of their words when they say certain things,” senior Mediha Sayeduddin said.
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According to an informal survey, 19 out of 110 students claim that fat shaming is not an issue. 54 percent of these students admitted to making fun of someone for being overweight, and 41 percent said it to their victims’ face. Overall, only 13 percent of these students were aware of medical conditions or the lack of financial stability that would give those who were made fun of the resources to eat healthy. Sadly, these eight people don’t realize the harm they have caused to those they have insulted.
That’s the real problem here. Some don’t realize that some people can’t help but be overweight due to certain medical conditions and the lack of financial stability. Simply insulting someone until they decide to turn their life around is rare. Sure, you’ve heard the success stories, but they’re not common. It’s not the way to care for someone, because if you really care about someone’s weight you must be thinking of the health risks involved, right?
Wrong. You’re insulting these people for all the wrong reasons. “If we offend you so much that you lose weight, I’m okay with that,” Arbour said. You’re okay with making someone feel so low of themselves that they turn to unhealthy eating habits? You’re okay with being a bully to over five million people?
So many people that fat shame turn to eating disorders as a solution. In fact, “as many as 65% of people with eating disorders say bullying contributed to their condition” Chelsea Kronengold, Body Project Program Coordinator of the National Eating Disorders Association said. Does Arbour realize how many people she may have turned to an eating disorder? Does she realize how many people she may have put on a path closer to death?
Arbour claims that her video was satire and comedy. What she doesn’t realize is hate isn’t comedy, it is just pure hate. Out of the millions of people that watched the video, I guarantee there was at least one person that was broken down after the video. Arbour caused harm to someone when she uploaded that video. No one should get away with that.
Fat shaming is an issue, because no one just chooses to put their life at risk just like no one chooses to be of a different race or to be of a different orientation. There’s always something stopping them, and if you’re trying to help them, Nicole, there’s a better way.
Anonymous • Sep 28, 2015 at 8:04 pm
Nicole Arbour isn’t right, she just isn’t wrong either. Unless you have a disability, in which case this whole conversation isn’t really relevant to you, you have control over one of the few things on your body that you can control. This includes intelligence, personality and weight. It doesn’t matter what others think of you, it just matters that you are happy with yourself. It is a matter of self-control, self-discipline, and a drive to make yourself happy.
Anonymous • Sep 28, 2015 at 7:55 pm
Over the years, I have gained weight and lost it. While Nicole’s comments are mean, the are not different from Donald Trump’s, nobody wants to hear it, but it can sometimes be not very far from the truth. I know I put on weight from eating unhealthy junk in between meals and eating it with no regard for how much. I also know that being overweight may not be by choice sometimes and this is not regarding those people. This is about people who know that they can make themselves better. It is about self-control, self-discipline, and personal drive to make you happy with yourself. It doesn’t matter what others think about you. It is about what you think of yourself
shreya • Sep 23, 2015 at 1:39 pm
I think that everyone should be healthy, try to eat healthy food, and excersize.
But that would be a good idea whether you’re fat or skinny or tall or short. It’s not a specifically fat person thing.
Genetics plays a factor in weight, and its not something that should be a standard of healthiness. You can be skinny and unhealthy. People who say other wise have obviously been gifted with society accepted bodies, kudos to you.
But whether these people smoke or are unhealthily fat, being a [expletive] is not a great way to encourage people to change. It only shows how much you need to change, and get some character. To the people who think that’s okay to bully someone fat or otherwise, please look at yourself before you judge others, because you’re obviously lacking in the personality department.
Mackenzie Winkler • Sep 22, 2015 at 12:28 pm
Hello. My name is Mackenzie Winkler. I’m a junior and, I weigh over 200 pounds. Being fat was never something I chose to be. Contrary to your belief, being fat is not something I have 100% control over, and honestly if I did I can guarantee you I wouldn’t be this way. Telling me I chose to be fat is like telling someone who plays sports and becomes severely injured that it was their choice to be injured. They didn’t want to be injured, but because they played a sport, injury was a consequence. When I over eat I don’t chose to gain weight, it is a consequence that comes along with it. I have tried dieting countless times. I had at one point lost over 40 pounds, but ended up gaining it back. I would love to one day just decide to lose weight, and actually have the will to do it, but the reality is, it isn’t that easy. No matter how much I hate my body when I look at myself in the mirror, there is something that always stops me from actually being able to lose the weight, so don’t you dare tell me I chose to be like this. Comments like this are the reason some people resort to self-harm, eating disorders, etc… I can’t speak for everyone but I can speak for some when I say this: Telling me I am “disgusting” or any other insult geared towards my weight doesn’t make me think “Wow, I guess this person is right, I’ll start to lose weight now”, but “Wow, what they are saying is true. I am disgusting.”, and instead of taking the words as motivation someone might feel so worthless that they turn to self injury because it will give them TEMPORARY RELIEF TO A LONG TERM PROBLEM. It’s a vicious and tragic cycle. So don’t act like you are doing me or anyone else a favor when you tell us to lose weight. You aren’t telling us something we haven’t heard before. Thank you.
And to all my fellow overweight people, you are worth so much more than you think. You aren’t disgusting nor whatever society tries to tell you. Please take it from someone who spent years hating them self, from someone who can no longer play competitive sports because of severe anxiety due to a abusive coach who regularly verbally attacked their weight, from someone who has tried to lose weight countless times and failed, and from someone who can now say that they have found self confidence in themselves while still being fat. Everyone deserves to love them self regardless of their weight, race, gender identity, and sexuality.
Alex Murray • Sep 23, 2015 at 7:47 am
amen
SHOBHIT • Sep 22, 2015 at 9:42 am
Didnt get to finish sorry. No one cares about this stuff. Nicole Arbour is making fun of people let her. Dont make that change who you are.
A Sophomore Girl • Sep 21, 2015 at 10:27 pm
but srsly tho…. letting fat people cut lines & being considered “disabled” bc of their weight is unfair. that’s like encouraging ppl to bcome fat so they can get things others can’t.
cool kid 23 • Sep 21, 2015 at 2:22 pm
i think this is pretty cool. Fat is an issue, people should chose a choice and make it evident in order to save the human race. Fat can be stopped with work but don’t mean mean so all in all yes.
Rahul Tamta • Sep 21, 2015 at 1:42 pm
I honestly believe that Nicole Arbour uploaded the video for publicity, knowing fully well that it would receive a massive amount of backlash.
caleb akano • Sep 21, 2015 at 1:03 pm
this is stupid
Jon • Sep 21, 2015 at 10:16 am
Being fat IS a choice, like smoking cigarettes and driving above the speed limit. Want to know the key to not being overweight? Eat less, exercise more. Its not rocket science, people have known the key to not being overweight since the construction of humanity itself. Fat people are overly sensitive to being called fat because they think nobody notices. Being overweight is disgusting, everyone knows that. Lets not coddle people who CHOOSE to put their lives at risk. Nicole is my hero for finally saying what most people already think anyway.
Anon • Sep 21, 2015 at 10:23 pm
I somewhat agree with you Jon… So there are some people who have legitimate diseases which affects their weight, but most obese people are like that because of their eating and exercise habits. They are choosing to shorten their life span and cause harm to their body, which is a main concern of a lot of people. Someone needed to say “being so obese that your fat is impairing you to do normal, everyday functions is bad” and that person was Nicole. I do believe that Nicole wanted to shame overweight people into starting to make better choices in how they live their life, but came off to some as “harsh” and “obnoxious”. I wouldn’t call her a hero, but I wouldn’t say she’s a villain either.
Nick Heger • Sep 21, 2015 at 9:32 am
I do not think that being poor, or “the lack of financial stability”, is an excuse for being overweight. I definitely understand why people with less money would gravitate toward cheap, high-calorie food, but here’s the thing: If you are getting fat because of eating fast food, then eat LESS fast food per meal/sitting.
Here’s a link to an article about a man who lost weight while eating solely fast food for 3 months: http://abc7.com/health/teacher-loses-60-pounds-while-eating-nothing-but-mcdonalds/705916/
He still limited his caloric intake and tracked his nutrients, something anyone can do regardless of finances.