Fat: The hardest word

Oh, that’s a dangerous question. Mine starts with a “v” and I had to learn to say it, eventually, because I had a daughter and didn’t want her to grow up with bizarre, linguistic “issues.” I also have a son, and didn’t want him to think it was a dirty word. Better to use that than one that starts with a “c,” eh?

My mom had strange words that not only could she not SAY – just hearing them could literally make her throw up. “Mucus,” for instance. “Vomit.” (Different “v” word, that.) “Barf” didn’t do it – it wasn’t just the meaning or the visuals, but something about the sound or feel of the word. I don’t know how to explain it.

I don’t have as many problem words as I used to. I can say “fat,” but I don’t like being it. Need to work on that one. 😉
Holly Jahangiri recently posted… A Book Warming Party

Interesting post and food for thought. Words are interesting, aren’t they? They’re just letters, and people can interpret them any way at all. They can hurt, they can heal. I don’t like the word ‘fat’ either. I would feel terrible if I ever called someone ‘fat.’ It’s like you said, if they’re fat, they already know it. If I had to say anything, I would ‘heavy’. My boyfriend is heavy. Personally, I’m normal weight, 5’5″, 125 pounds. My sister, however, in her younger years, was very thin, and her hated word was “skinny”. She would come home crying whenever someone called her “skinny.” It’s like I said, words can be interpreted in different way. Someone else may take “skinny” as a welcome comment. But “fat” … that’s a tricky one. Thanks for your post! All the best.

my first reaction to your teaser, my first answer was: No. That is the hardest word for me to say. Sometimes I avoid people who might ask me to do things I don’t want to do just to not say “no”.

now about the fat thing. at 58 (I have no clue how old you are) i’ve come to terms with my weight. no matter what i eat, don’t eat, i weigh the same. and it’s too much. but when i look in the mirror i just see Karen, and i’m trying so hard to love her, to love that face, to find all the good in her and spread it around and i just don’t see fat anymore.

and certainly the ef word doesn’t come to mind thinking of you lovely Laurel, you are so beautiful and i hate that you are uncomfortable in your skin. xo hugs. thanks for being honest and raw and you.

For me, the worst word to hear, and one I just hate to ever say is “gay”. I have many gay friends and as a whole the word can be used respectfully. I just see it used so often in a negative way: “That’s SO gay”, “How gay is that?”, “that’s just a bunch of gays”. It not only separates a group of people into a subcategory of human being whether it’s being used respectfully or not, but it is never used to build someone up. No one ever says “That’s so gay” and means it as a compliment. It means it’s something that other person should be ashamed of doing. The word gay is of course used in everyday life, I mean, a Homosexual Pride Parade doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue, so, it must be said at times. A full out description doesn’t work either. I can’t very well say “My friends who fall in love with people of the same sex as themselves”, no they are, if they must be categorized, my gay friends. Really though, I’d just like to say “These are my friends”. “Dude, that dance you did embarrassed your unborn children” and “I can’t stand that group of guys over there, they laughed at me for being fat”. I’d like to just let people be who they are without having to use that word.
Theresa Ledford recently posted… How to Lose a Life

Oh. My. goodness. It’s so true. All of those other words, I can say with relative ease. Fat is the biggie! I’m shocked!
Diane recently posted… Gold Medal Mother

My problem isn’t with the word fat, but how we use it. We all have fat. None of us are Fat — no matter our weight. Fat is a thing, not a person. It is a discriptor, it is not an identity. 🙂