t-time

As I write you will see that I regularly use the word Fat. I recognize that it is considered insensitive to some and downright cruel and totally inappropriate to others but I’m going to use it anyway and here’s why:

1. It’s not pleasant. We (Black women) have devised so many ways to describe our weight problem (big boned, full figured, thick) that it makes it sound like there is no problem at all. Sometimes you have to call something what it is if you really want to get to the meat of things.

2. When I was putting on weight my mother said:

“You’re getting fat.”

She didn’t say,

“You’re getting overweight.”

She didn’t say,

“You’re getting thick.”

She said,

“You’re getting Fat”

Ouch.

That hurt. I didn’t like it. And I decided to do something about it. So yes, I recognize it can be offensive. And no I am not completely insensitive to that fact. And yes I will be using the terms overweight and obese because they are clinical terms and there are times when they are appropriate. But sometimes you gotta call it what it is. As my mama likes to say,

“Sometimes you just need to call a spade a spade.”