By: Alicia Chen

When Remi Bader went to Deep Hollow Ranch, she was kicked out and mocked because of her weight. Obesity is described as having a BMI of more than 30. A BMI has to do with a person’s height and weight. Obesity is becoming a severe problem in the US, as around 40% of adults are overweight, and one in five people aged 2-15 have weight problems.

People who are obese know it, and do not like hearing other people reminding them of it. The only person that should talk to them about it is their physician, as fat-shaming is not going to help motivate people for weight loss.

Sometimes, fat-shaming turns into discrimination, which in turn leads to serious medical problems including anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, and eating problems. So, the more people are shamed, the more weight they often gain.

Discrimination causes stress and some people turn to stress eating. This is a serious medical problem that makes the victim eat substantial amounts of food, without being able to stop. Low self-esteem can also lead to obesity, as some people do not exercise in public anymore after being shamed. Although some people have managed to lose weight simply by eating less, weight loss is only manageable by regular exercise.

The regulations at the ranch were reasonable, as horses cannot easily bear more than 20% of their own weight. But not being able to ride was not the reason she shared her experience on the internet. She shared her experience because of the way she was treated, including in the video that the ranch employee posted, and in the video, the employee made it clear that they did not want Remi on the ranch.

We can help these people by being kind and supportive, and by not making fun of them. This way, we can help this worldwide problem.