Fatphobia: Why you shouldn’t joke about getting fat in quarantine

During the period of quarantineyou’ve probably come across memes and jokes, on social networks or groups of Whatsapp, about “how we are going to get fat during isolation”, comparing a thin body with a fat body, as in the examples below. That’s because many people say they’re eating more during the time they’re at home.

But the question is: should a publication that compares bodies and put the fat body as a quarantine problem be considered a joke?

“This type of content puts the fat body in a place of ridicule”, opines the journalist and blogger Juliana Romano The CLAUDIA🇧🇷 She was one of our finalists in the CLAUDIA Award 2019 in the Social Influencer category. With fashion and beauty content, it makes its followers aware of having a healthy relationship with their bodies and promotes self-esteem and self-confidence among women.

“Making fun by ridiculing a specific body type is not healthy, especially for those with that body type. And if the person reproduces the fatphobic joke, he is not aware of the oppressive structure that makes someone afraid of getting fat. One person who shares a fatphobic joke is turning the wheels of this oppression on. It’s very sad, it’s very serious. It cannot be considered a joke given that it is a system that oppresses many women and leads to extreme cases.” Ju Romanas it is known.

The blogger says that she has received many reports from her followers on Instagram, @ju_romano. They receive, in family and work groups, jokes like the ones mentioned above. That is, in different environments where a fat person lives, they are being bombarded by this type of content, which can increase anguish in a moment of uncertainty and anxiety, such as the one we are currently experiencing.

And this is a problem that affects not only fat people, but also thin people who suffer from this fear of getting fat, due to all the aesthetic pressure that exists in our society. “Everyone has this pressure to always be thinner. The fat person and the thin person always have to be thinner”, says Ju.

“I am very well resolved with my body, but seeing this type of joke makes me uncomfortable because I think of the other girls who are there in a process of understanding their bodies and their relationship with food”, she vents. “And I don’t just think about the fat girls, but also the skinny girls who are desperate because they are going to put on a kilo or two in quarantine. I keep thinking ‘guys, what despair is this? What lipophobia is this?’ It’s a fear of fat as if it were the worst thing that could happen. This is very bad social thinking, it is sad and very oppressive, ”she concludes.

In addition to fatphobia, we are talking about mental health

In another report by CLAUDIAwe have already discussed how the current situation we are experiencing, of social isolation as prevention of new coronavirus, is something we had never experienced before, especially in Brazil. It is a moment that brings us many uncertainties, insecurities and anxieties regarding our future.

According to clinical psychologist Juliana Leite, specializing in eating behavior, it is normal at a time like this to change our eating routine, as a way, even if momentarily, to eliminate anguish. “So gaining weight in quarantine shouldn’t be a problem. We are living a social, economic and cultural reality that is much more tense than a simple concern about weight, ”she opines.

In addition, she explains that such jokes can lead to some type of eating disorder, that is, the person may stop eating for fear of gaining weight. “We are alone or socially restricted and we isolate ourselves from something that is one of life’s greatest pleasures, eating. The person starts restricting food because he hates his body. This gains even greater symbolic weight gain in quarantine with these jokes, ”she explains.

Leite also warns of something even more worrying: when health professionals, such as nutritionists and psychologists, and personal trainers share this type of content. “This disengages the patient more than it binds. If I have an issue with my weight, with my body and it causes me suffering, and the professional I consult and trust ends up being fat-phobic, I lock myself up even more in my suffering and I don’t look for him anymore. This is a great portrait and consequence of fatphobia itself.”

Therefore, it is important to always pay attention to what we are currently sharing on our social networks. Playing games with a person’s body, whatever it is, is not a joke. Making memes about binge eating, which is a disease and must be treated, is not funny. We need empathy right now so we don’t bring even more anguish to people who are already anxious about the situation we are currently experiencing, in addition to not contributing to a system that still oppresses many people, especially women.

In times of isolation, it is not so much effort to be productive: