By: Michelle Yao
There was recently a disturbing incident where TikTok star Remi Bader was fat-shamed. She was denied the chance to ride a horse at a ranch because she weighs 240 pounds. According to Bader, she was laughed at by a ranch employee. The employee even posted a TikTok saying, “When you’re not a fat b—-, you can ride at Deep Hollow Ranch.”
Sadly, this was not a one-time thing. This is a typical example of the mistreatment that many obese Americans suffer. Currently, over 40 percent of American adults have reported experiencing weight-based teasing, which worsens their mental health.
Obesity, the medical term that indicates when a person has a body mass index of 30 or higher, is very common in America. According to the CDC, 41.9 percent of American adults are obese.
When people are obese, they are aware of that fact and they do not want and do not need to be reminded of it. The only people who should address it are their healthcare provider or close family members. People who are being “helpful” are just making things a lot worse. Fat-shaming is harmful to the victim’s mental health, making them prone to depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, and eating disorders.
Often, the more weight-based discrimination obese people get, the more weight they gain, which can also cause stress. This stress can lead to binge-eating disorder. This medical condition is very serious and makes people eat large amounts of food without being able to stop. It is also something from which Bader has suffered.
People who have suffered weight-based discrimination are generally less active physically. Although weight loss can be a result of eating less, regularly exercising or doing physical activities makes you able to maintain weight loss.
At the same time, the ranch’s guidelines appear to be reasonable. According to the Ohio State University’s Agricultural Technical Institute, horses cannot comfortably bear more than 20 percent of their weight on their back. Although Bader has ridden horses in the past, she says would never want to hurt them. The fact that she was denied the chance to ride was not the reason she wanted to share her experience.
She explained that she shared what happened because of the way she was spoken to, how she was laughed at, and how she was treated. The video made by the ranch employee made it very clear that they didn’t want her there because of her weight. Deep Hollow Ranch later issued an apology and said that the employee’s video had been deleted.
Unfortunately, if someone has an experience similar to Bader, it could deter them from even attempting to do physical activities.
In a study that was published last year, researchers conducted interviews with 30 obese adults and found the three main reasons why they refrained from practicing certain types of exercise. The first reason was because of past negative experiences. Second was a feeling that they lacked physical ability; this is called self-stigma. Third is a fear that they would be discriminated against again. Most people would respond to negative comments like these by avoiding the activities. They don’t necessarily exercise less, but they limit the activities they can do.
There’s also another problem: environmental stigma. Everyday items, such as public seats, are generally designed for non-obese people, making it unable for obese people to use. A study from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, interviewed 141 obese individuals and found that some of could not use gym equipment, and that gyms could not accommodate their weight. There is also a lack of “plus-size” workout clothing and team sports uniforms.
With these challenges, the last thing obese people need when they’re trying to be active are negative comments. This just contributes to many health problems and discourages them from exercising or doing the activities they might love. These “helpful comments” must stop. There needs to be a better approach to fixing this problem. This includes treating people with more kindness and better understanding.