By: Michael Chuang
What does it feel to be excluded from an activity one enjoys? TikTok star Remi Bader was recently denied admittance to ride a horse from Deep Hollow Ranch in New York merely because of her weight.
Not only was Bader unable to ride a horse, but she also notes that she was “laughed at” by someone working on the ranch. An employee even posted a TikTok video stating, “[if] you are not a fat b—-, you can ride [a horse] at Deep Hollow Ranch.”
Fat-shaming is not uncommon; according to The Washington Post, over 40 percent of American adults face weight-based teasing. The assumption is erroneous for individuals who believe fat-shaming is a means of motivation for weight loss. Instead, such comments harm the individual as fat-shaming results in weight-based discrimination, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.
The effect of body-shaming could result in behavior changes linked to weight gain. Binge-eating disorder is a severe medical condition where the individual consumes large quantities of food without being able to stop. Bader struggled with the binge-eating disorder when stressed at her job before being a TikTok influencer.
To be considered obese, one must exceed a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher; BMI takes into account the individual’s height and weight. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) conducted several experiments regarding obesity to find that 41.9 percent of adult Americans are obese.
Bader weighs 240 pounds and has a BMI of 37.6, meaning she is obese. Though the guidelines at the ranch did indicate that horses can only comfortably carry less than or equal to 20 percent of their weight, Bader says she shared what happened because of “the way [she] was spoken [to] and laughed at…. and the way [she] was treated overall.”
Not only for Bader, but experiences can also discourage obese individuals further from performing any form of physical exercise to maintain a healthy body. In response to the video posted by a ranch employee on TikTok, Bader states,”[they] made it very clear that they did not want me there because of my weight and that’s very disappointing.”