Fact: Fat people work out. We're worried about our fitness just like skinny people. Or we're not — just like skinny people. And both of those things are OK.
But, somehow, fat people are the only ones told over and over and over that we "really should start working out, sweetie." People we don't even know assume that we haven't set foot inside a gym since they stopped making it mandatory in high school — just because our bodies are larger than yours.
So when Nike, a major workout clothing line, finally realized that, yes, fat people really do go to the gym, and released an awesome plus size workout line, you'd think all of the people who've been telling their plus size coworkers/family/friends/random people they met on the street to hit the gym would be happy. Finally, we have some actually good clothing options to do just that.
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But the world of fat-shaming is complicated. And the same concern trolls that worry so much about our fitness as fat people are now worried that Nike is promoting obesity, which is obviously the worst thing that Nike could possibly do.
People: "Fat people should workout, it's good for their health"
— Etana (@Rosy_Reloaded) March 6, 2017
Sports brand makes sports gear for plus size people to workout in
People: pic.twitter.com/gbEdcLU2v5
As pointed out by @Rosy_Reloaded on Twitter, the logic of some of the backlash about Nike's plus size line is particularly head-scratching.
Her tweet links to several examples of commenters saying that the new line is "supporting severe obesity" and "promoting an unhealthy life style."
These commenters seem to miss the point that even if fat people wanted to get slimmer (which not all of us do), they'd likely have to go to the gym and would therefore need workout clothes that, you know, actually fit.
As of writing, the tweet has more than 3,000 retweets. And commenters on her tweet have laid down their own brutal truths about working out while fat.
Like the fact that attitudes from people like this are exactly why so many of us avoid the gym at all.
It's comments like this that literally give me anxiety and panic attacks about going to the gym or working out in public https://t.co/uRk5s0mk8w
— Sinead (@Sinead_Murray) March 6, 2017
And that these people aren't really concerned about our health.
I wish all these "it's bad for ur health!" types would just come out & admit they don't care,they just wanna be a jerk to people https://t.co/wHPcUEnL1Z
— VAN GOGH'S EAR (@iamramsayrose) March 6, 2017
And that, honestly, we're all 0% shocked about how this all played out.
"WHAT A TOTAL AND UNFORESEEABLE SURPRISE," said none of us fat people ever. https://t.co/0Jc4Sj9tYW
— Ryan G. (@RTGoodman) March 6, 2017
Nike's new line is a step in the right direction for a more body positive future, but these concern trolls still exist, and they still take up space in the same gyms as the women who will rock these new clothes. So until people of all sizes feel safe working out in public, we're not done.