Policing Fat People

Policing Fat People

by Connie H. Deutsch

A couple of decades ago, when message boards were in their heyday and people were saying atrocious things behind anonymous screen names, one man stood out. He was intelligent, but there were many other people who were intelligent. He had strong opinions, but many other people had strong opinions. No, the reason he stood out was because of his extreme narrow-mindedness and his arguments to defend his opinions.

He not only didn't like fat people, he didn't think they had the Constitutional right to walk around in public. His argument was that they had Constitutional rights but their Constitutional rights ended at the end of his nose.

He didn't want to see fat people walking around with big bellies sticking out of their jeans and T-shirts that weren't tucked securely into their jeans.

He couldn't stand the new trend of men wearing their jeans with the top part of their rear end showing or shirts that were partially open. He didn't like to see shirts that rode up and were a few inches higher than their belt. He didn't like to see any fat person wearing clothing that was tight and emphasized their obesity. In fact, he didn't like to see fat people at all.

His contention was that fat people belong at home where there is no chance of offending people who are slim and trim and he felt very offended when a fat person was within his sight.

We made fun of his intolerance and I called him the Fashion Police. Instead of taking offense at my remark, he thought I was complimenting him. I wasn't. I was trying to make him aware that people come in all sizes and shapes and they have the right to wear whatever they want in public. They don't need policing, nor do they need fashion consultants or diet pills. If they are happy at their weight and they don't feel the necessity to hide when thin people are around, it isn't anyone's business how they dress.

A few years later, 9/11 happened and our lives were changed forever. A couple of years later, I would see an obese person walking down the street with his belly hanging out of his pants and his shirt riding up from his pants and I would think of that man on our message board and wonder if the devastation that hit our country had changed his perspective.

I wondered if he had realized that there were so many more important issues that we faced than whether a fat person has the Constitutional right to go out in public wearing clothing that is too tight and not appealing to his eye. But, maybe I was hoping for the kind of changes that a more tolerant person would have made. He may have learned to keep his thoughts to himself but I doubt if he changed his opinions.

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