By: Stephanie Fu
Recently, famous TikTok content creator Remi Bader was turned down and denied access to riding a horse at Deep Hollow Ranch for weighing over 240 pounds. This goes beyond the act of offensive behavior, as it’s also a common example of the mistreating and shaming of people who are overweight.
Obesity is defined as having a body mass index of 30 or higher, which also takes into account a person’s height and weight. It is becoming increasingly common in the United States, and according to statistics from 2017-2020 from the Centers for Disease Control in an article by Dr. Hasan Merali, the frequency of obesity grew more than 10 percentage points over the past 20 years. The article also stated that the Centers for Disease Control discovered that 41.9% of adult Americans are obese, with 1 out of 5 Americans aged 2 to 19 being classified as obese.
Recalling Bader’s bad experience, she stated that she was “laughed at” by an employee and that one worker posted a hurtful TikTok video about her weight. This act of weight discrimination towards Bader is, unfortunately, a common example of how overweight or obese people are treated around the world. Fat-shaming shouldn’t be used as a means to motivate people to lose weight. In fact, according to Dr. Hasan Merali in his article, fat-shaming actually causes low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders. According to Dr. Merali, after similar experiences to the one Bader faced at the ranch, the stigma associated with obesity can lead to a decrease in physical activity, and regular physical activity, as well as eating fewer calories, is the only way to maintain weight loss.
A study done by Swiss and German researchers who interviewed 30 obese adults found the three main reasons obese people exclude themselves from types of exercise. First, they may have had some negative experiences, often as a child. The second reason was self-stigma where they felt that they lacked physical abilities. And third, they had a fear that they would be a victim of discrimination once again. Avoiding the activities was their way to respond to the negative emotions that they felt. They instead limited themselves to running or cycling in abandoned areas, and forests, and avoiding public areas.
The last thing overweight people need is the insults and hurtful comments directed at them. It deters people from attempting physical activity in the future and affects their willingness to participate in sports. Instead, showing kindness and understanding will positively affect how overweight people are being treated.
Link to Article: https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1655655781268x446462367221439800/Tik-Tok%20influencer%20Remi%20Bader%20horse%20ranch%20incident%20over%20weight%20has%20an%20even%20darker%20side.pdf