I've posted here complaining about my awful, terrible, no-good obeast receptionist before. Obviously I have other coworkers, they mostly range from average to fit to thin. (I'd describe myself as average BTW, not American average but actually average)
My work friend was seeing the doctor due to some symptoms of carpal tunnel. She is a tiny Pacific/Asian lady, probably 4-11" and around 99 lbs. She talks about her weight a lot, saying she wishes she could gain a few pounds, as being over 100 lbs would make her feel more "womanly." Haha, yes, turning the whole "REEEE-al Woman" thing around.
Totally unsolicited, her doctor started bugging her about her weight. She was repeatedly told she was MALNOURISHED. Based on nothing but her appearance. Friend said her BMI was calculated at 20. Twenty!!
She was almost in tears. I told her not to worry, 20 is totally good. It's on the lower side of normal, but it's not even in underweight category, is it? Besides, coworker eats plenty, I see her chow down at lunch on the daily and she's always talking about the endless dinners and banquets her friends and family put on. I asked her if the doctor was fat, and she said "she was American, it's hard to tell."
Burrrnnnnn. Would this be reverse-thin-privilege? Skinny shaming?
view the rest of the comments →
[–] mmmmdonuts 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Just my take, I guess, but I'm the same size and weight. I'm a social eater, so people tend to think I eat a lot all the time but really when I'm by myself I can't really be bothered to eat that much at all. Or, she just thinks she eats a lot compared to her family or culture and has no idea how much fat people really eat...