Untitled #2

I wasn’t sure if posting this would be a good idea because some people might take it the wrong way, but I was talking to a friend about this whole thing and I just wanna say what I think.

In the last month, I have gotten so many comments about my weight. A lot of people have greeted me with “You’ve gained weight” or “You’re getting bigger.”

My closest college friends used to joke about the fact that, despite being a foodie, I never gained weight. Well, I guess that isn’t applicable anymore. Because yes, I’ve gained weight but, every single morning, I look at the mirror and I don’t see a fat girl nor a chubby one. So no, I’m not gonna starve myself to please people.

The truth is I’m simply not as thin as I used to be. And I’m okay with that. And if I ever feel like I need to lose weight, I’ll do that. For me.

But I was never actually skinny; I’ve always been curvy. I’ve had a lot of insecurities throughout the years, but none about my weight. And thank God for that. Because if I were insecure about that, people’s comments would probably haunt me and eat me alive. (I have a few friends who talked to me because they were saddened by weight comments.)

I’m not saying I never said anything about other people’s weight, but now I don’t anymore because I know that not all people are like me. Some people might actually really get affected and I don’t want to be the reason for their added insecurities. (But if ever I do unknowingly say something hurtful, please call me on it.)

I now believe that it is quite insensitive to look at someone and say “Ang taba mo na” or “Ang payat payat mo kaya.” Neither of those is appropriate, unless you genuinely mean it as a compliment and make sure it comes across as that and, if you really have to, say something along the lines of, “You’ve gained a bit of weight and it really suits you.”

But that’s just me, you know. People won’t ever stop saying comments about others’ weight because this society has conditioned so many of us into thinking that it’s okay and perfectly acceptable to do just that. And that’s sad. (Or is it sadder that I think there’s no way people are going to change?)
I hope that, next time, you think twice before saying something that might hurt someone. We don’t know what goes through one’s mind; what if you were the reason to push someone into doing something unthinkable?

But I’m still gonna smile and laugh when others comment about my weight; I’d rather it be me to receive such comments than any other person, who isn’t as happy with how much or little they weigh.