After reading “It’s a Big Fat Deal” by Katy Alexander, I kept thinking about how clearly the article shows that fatphobia is something students and adults can experience every single day in schools. It is not just an occasional rude comment. It can show up in teasing, judgment, harassment, and even in the way school spaces are set up. The examples that were discussed in the article really stayed with me, especially the idea of not fitting comfortably into desks, uniforms, or meeting spaces, and the embarrassment that can come with PE. What stood out most was the reminder that fat students do not need to be changed. The real issue is the bias and mistreatment they face.
This article also hit home for me in a very personal way. Growing up, I have always struggled with my weight. I compared myself to friends, coworkers, and really anyone around me. I feel like I have tried every diet plan out there, and honestly, it is exhausting. There have been times in my life when I was lighter or smaller, and during those times, I sometimes felt like people were friendlier or treated me with more respect. Maybe some of that was because I felt more confident and carried myself differently, but I also think there is truth to the idea that society treats people differently based on body size.
The article also made me think about the stereotypes fat people deal with all the time. There is this assumption that if someone is fat, they must be lazy, not trying hard enough, or even not smart. That kind of thinking is so unfair. I know from my own life how much effort can go into trying not to be fat, and how draining it is to feel like you are constantly working against your own body. This article felt important because it names the stigma that so many people live with but do not always openly discuss.
I appreciated that the article did not just point out the problem. It also offered practical ways for schools to improve. Something as simple as having furniture that fits different body sizes, offering uniforms in inclusive sizes, or being more thoughtful about how PE is taught could make a huge difference. Teachers also have a responsibility to step in when they hear fat jokes or body-shaming comments. Those moments matter. Students deserve to feel safe, comfortable, and respected in school, and that cannot happen if harmful comments are ignored.
At the same time, I do feel hopeful when I look at the current generation. It seems like there is more acceptance of different body types and more body positivity than there used to be. I love seeing women with curves wear a two-piece bathing suit and feel proud of themselves. There is something powerful about that kind of confidence and visibility. It pushes back against the narrow messages so many of us grew up with about what bodies are supposed to look like.
Overall, this article reminded me that inclusion means all students. It has to include students whose bodies do not fit society’s narrow expectations. Fat students do not need adults trying to fix them. They need adults who are willing to challenge harmful attitudes, create more accessible environments, and make schools places where they truly belong. That was my biggest takeaway from the article: schools should spend less time focusing on changing students’ bodies and more time changing the culture that makes those students feel unwelcome.
Hi Ashley, I enjoyed reading your comments and what we can do as teachers and in society, to promote inclusion with all students, and to be welcoming to all students. Also, to work to change the culture to not make any students feel unwelcome. The slide that you shared is enlightening. It reminds me of being things being discussed such as the width of airline seats, which would be part of the institutional fatphobia, and what some are airlines are trying to do by having larger people purchase two seats. It also reminds me of the size of the seats in the classroom. Some of our seats are small and are plastic and not that comfortable. In my classroom we have a few larger seats, and one more comfortable wider chair that students try to sit in for the period if available.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your post. I never thought about how classroom desks may affect someone-especially if they cannot fit comfortably. This can lead to bullying and mistreatment. I can agree with you that growing up you always had to have a sense of what was "normal". The fact that now a days we promote all sizes is great. Everyone should feel equal. You mentioned how PE is taught and that is very enlightening. There may be some PE activities certain people physically cannot do due to weight. This can cause these students to feel left out.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley, I thought your article and reflection was extremely interesting. I think that fatphobia has changed the world even more of recent. With the creation of GLP drugs, fatphobia has created a monopoly for pharmaceutical companies. Talk about turning a profit over peoples weight. Since society has created constructs that people need to look athletic or thin to be healthy that is what everyone desires to do. Now, GLP products are the answer, but what are the true causes?
ReplyDeleteYou noted that people are more body confident and I think that is very true among younger individuals. I do think that people are still rude and criticize the people being more body confident. I agree that people are feeling better about their bodies but I still think society is hurtful towards people.
The concept of having appropriate seating accommodations resonated with me. We have the old ceramic desks in my school that have the bar on one side. An individual who is heavier would be extremely uncomfortable in the desks, potentially even trapped. I think that having alternate seating options would be extremely beneficial. My question is how do you do that without singling out the student? In what ways can it be conveyed that it is where the student sits without drawing attention to their weight?
Hi Noah,
DeleteIt might not work for everyone, but I think that having a variety of seating options in general and/or flexible seating could be a good solution for providing more appropriate seating. For example, my classroom has tiny plastic chairs, but they're at different heights for students who are shorter or taller. My students could also choose to use a wobble seat or a stool instead. This makes it possible for my students to find a seating solution that works for them.
If you have more limited resources, providing more creative options, like a clipboard and a seat pillow to use on the floor, or a folding chair as options for a variety of students to use could be a way to be more inclusive for both size and comfort.
Hi Corinne and Noah! Noah, that is a great question. My first thought was that maybe all of the connected desk/chairs need to be removed and go back to the chair being separate from the desk. Corinne, I love all of your ideas about different seating options for students. This way, no one is singled out as needing a different kind of desk due to their size.
DeleteHi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI relate really hard to both the article you chose and your reaction to it. As someone who is a bit heavier than average, I've had some of the negative experiences that you mention. I think part of the problem is that people feel comfortable making comments based on weight if they think it is a compliment. A comment like, "You look so good, have you lost weight?" often means well, but just reinforces the idea that a certain size is "good".
I really appreciate the concrete ways to improve that you provided from the article!
Ashley, this was a pleasure to read, thank you for sharing it. I just can't say how much I agree about how uncomfortable we make school for so many students. The rigidity of chairs and desks, especially in the cafeteria, discriminates against so many students.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley, This is a great article you chose. Body shaming occurs on different levels, affecting those who are overweight as well as underweight. My youngest daughter recently shared how a classmate made a hurtful comment to another girl while they were changing She loudly said "Ewwwww. You're so skinny. I can see your ribs". The girl was visibly upset. I could relate as a young teen who had to wear "kid's" clothes because "grown up" clothes didn't fit. I had a classmate in high school who was made fun of because of her weight- and how she dressed. As difficult as it was to find a size 00, plus-size clothing options were even more limited, so her wardrobe consisted of styles for much older women-- polyester elastic waisted pants. I remember the comments and the smirks. Kids can be so cruel. Valerie had few friends and occasionally my friend and I would sit with her during lunch, not because we were friends or had anything in common, but because it just seemed like the right thing to do. Looking back, I realize that wasn't enough. Years later, I read an article in the newspaper about her starting a career as a plus-sized model and was happy to learn that she "finally liked herself". The article made reference to how badly she was treated in school and I hoped that other classmates saw it and felt some remorse for their awful behavior.
ReplyDeleteI have a small group of "mom friends". Three of us have become close and our families have spent a great deal of time together. One of these friends is plus-sized ...the other is not and frequently makes insensitive comments about weight. It takes me back to the discomfort of those high school days. I think about students who may have these same negative experiences and the impact it will have on their body image and self esteem. I think about all the unhealthy fad diets, medications with unsafe side effects (often used off label) and the harmful eating disorders. There have been some positive changes over the years- Barbie dolls with slightly more realistic body shapes, Victoria Secret models with different body proportions, and fashionable clothing options for various body types. It appears that society is promoting body positivity and making a statement that all bodies are welcome, but are they really? We often hear comments about celebrities- "They look awful...They got old...They got fat" We are still so critical of others. Despite these small steps promoting inclusivity, the big changes have yet to happen. I appreciated this article, your reflection and student comments forcing me to think about things I hadn't thought about. Although I am aware of the challenges posed by airplane seating, restaurant booths being too tight, and stepping on the dreaded scale at water parks, I never considered the challenges within our classrooms- the attached desks, seat size and the difficulty of getting into them. I think about those awful seats in our Craig Lee classroom- I was so embarrassed that first night of class. I came in late and struggled getting settled into the seat simply because I lack grace and coordination- I think of how I might have felt if it was because I couldn't fit into a too small seat. I never really thought about school uniform requirements and potential issues with sizing. PE activities can be a challenge for some of my asthmatic students but I wonder if there is consideration for those who have trouble with activity tolerance in the absence of a medical diagnosis. School should be a place where students feel comfortable, safe and welcome. I always place blame on individual bad behavior as the problem, never thinking about the ways our schools discriminate and perpetuate the problem.
Hi Lisa,
DeleteThank you so much for your response to my blog post. I agree that while it is difficult for overweight students, it is also difficult for underweight students. My son is currently very thin and is also self-conscious when people say, "You are so skinny, I can see your ribs." He also loves playing basketball, but his weight puts him at a disadvantage because he is easily knocked over by players that are much bigger than him.
I really enjoyed reading your post. It is a shame that people are judged based on their appearance. I agree with you that the current generation is becoming more accepting of different body types. It’s encouraging to see young people feeling confident and comfortable with themselves and able to wear what makes them feel good rather than what society expects.
ReplyDeleteHey Ashley, I really appreciate your reflection on this topic because it isn't always easy to discuss. While I do agree that this generation seems to be more accepting of all body types in terms of things in media/society, like more plus size models and campaigns and clothing options, I still do think there are a lot of systemic issues around weight that seep into our schools. For example, the kids loveeeeee to use the word "bigback" which can be used in different contexts. I feel like this word has been used in a self deprecating way when it first gained popularity, as people say things like "l want fastfood I'm going to be a bigback today" kind of like reclaiming the act of eating a lot in a funny way....but this word is being thrown around my elementary school ALL. THE. TIME. At a really young age kids are finding humor in fatphobia despite more acceptance around plus size bodies and it is really difficult to tackle the Gen ALpha culture around that word specifically. Has anyone had experience with that word as well in their schools and what have you done to make your classroom more inclusive?
ReplyDeleteHi Michele,
DeleteThat is a new term for me! Thank you for explaining it. This way, if students do start to use it, I can intervene right away.
Hi Ashley! I really connected with what you shared, especially because I had a similar experience. I was bullied in middle school for being bigger, and no one ever addressed that to me or to my bullies. This is such a common experience for our students, which is why teachers have a responsibility to challenge this views and address even small comments students make to each other because those little moments really add up.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley! I appreciate you discussion about this article and your personal connection. I thought this was a great article as well. Classmates above mentioned young students showing fatphobic behavior and I always find this shocking. I agree that the current generation seems to be more accepting of their bodies, but with this weight loss injection movement, I fear things will head back the other direction. My mother and her mother were from a very weight/skinny focused generation. They often comment on our kids’ body shapes and sizes and there have been many difficulty conversations to hopefully help them realize that we don’t need to be discussing other people’s bodies.
ReplyDeleteHi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing something so personal alongside your reflection on the article. You are so right that fatphobia does not stop at school or in the classroom, it follows people into workplaces, social situations, and everyday life in ways that can quietly wear a person down. And honestly, social media makes it so much worse. Students today are constantly bombarded with messaging around GLP-1s, high protein diets, and "clean eating," and while some of that can come from a good place, a lot of it quietly pushes the idea that smaller is always better. That kind of constant pressure can be really damaging, especially for young people who are still figuring out their relationship with their bodies. It can fuel body dysmorphia and eating disorders in ways that do not always get talked about enough. The point you made about feeling treated differently when you were smaller really resonated with me, because it shows this is not just about confidence. There is a real social bias that affects how people are seen and valued. I loved how you ended with the idea that schools should focus on changing the culture rather than changing students' bodies. That shift in thinking feels so necessary, and it applies far beyond school too.