Fat talk: The other "F" word

Americans like to label things from items to animals to people, plain and simple. That has resulted in many emotionally charged words that we're still afraid to use or stigmatized for using, including fat. Summer is a terrible time for people who loathe this word. There is increased emphasis on showing skin and looking your best in that stellar bathing suit. Insecure women and men are forced into fitting rooms so they can look at their scantily clad bodies in a room full of mirrors. One columnist recently found out the "F" word carries more of a sting than many people realize.

Liz Black, Refinery29 used the word when writing about a swimsuit line. She called one of the suits a "fatkini" and the comments and criticisms started pouring in. Black describes herself as fat and in an article on Yahoo! Shine she talks about her relationship with the word and how she went from viewing it very negatively to putting no more weight on it than any other descriptor, like tall or short. She goes on to explain and detail the body-acceptance movement and how others in the fashion industry deal with and even embrace the word.

I think this is an interesting subject for everyone to visit. Fat has become an extremely negative word. We're taught in grade school that fat is bad and ugly. This is not true, but so many people are left with a sense that they are not as important or valuable because they can be or are described as fat. We all need reprogramming. A young friend of mine once called herself fat in a very self-depreciating manner. I told her I don't like that word and she shouldn't use it. I then asked her to describe herself without using negative words. She told me she is pretty, talented, artistic, and funny. See what happens when we remove negative labels? People are allowed to value themselves for who they really are, for the positive attributes their loved ones cherish and not the negative characteristics their enemies ridicule. After all, don't the thoughts and feelings of loved ones matter more than those of antagonists?