Fat People Are Not Your Gym Inspiration

Attention all non-fat gym-goers: I am not your inspiration! Got it? Good. Now let’s all go on with our lives. Wait, you want to know why I say that? All right, let’s break it down.

Totally hilarious!
Totally hilarious!

The other day, one of my Facebook friends posted a link to an article about the ten most annoying types of people at the gym. Now, don’t worry, fat people weren’t on that list. But they were on the bonus list at the end of the article, which was about the five most awesome types of people in the gym. Well now, this could be good! But no, it’s not.

They’ve overcome their embarrassment of being in a gym with fitter people. They’ve decided to make a change. For that, they deserve all the support we can give them.

First, I want to acknowledge that yeah, I totally bet a lot of fat people are embarrassed to set foot in a gym. After all, we are taught that we should be embarrassed by our bodies at all times, in all places – especially places where bodies are the focus! But I bet there’s also fat people who are reluctant to join a gym because of guys like the one who wrote this, because of people who make assumptions about our health and fitness based solely on the size of our bodies. That’s not embarrassment – that’s frustration, anger, disappointment.

Totally makes me want to join!
Totally makes me want to join!

So now let’s break down what’s really wrong with this dude’s assessment: Fat people are embarrassed to be in a gym with “with fitter people.” How do you know, thin gym-goer, that you’re fitter than me? Did you bring your most recent blood work from your doctor’s office so we can compare? How about if we measure our resting heart rates and blood pressure? Oh, you meant “fitter” as in “thinner”? You should have just said that.

And of course we’re all at the gym because we’ve “decided to make a change,” by which I’m sure he means “lose weight.” There’s absolutely zero chance that some of us fatties have been active and participating in fitness for years, right? Because if that were the case, we’d already be thin fit like you! Thank goodness you are here to give me all of your support as I embarrassingly set foot into a gym for the first time ever so I can make my body smaller, which is the most important marker of fitness for fat people.

Fat people are fat because we eat too much!
Fat people are fat because we eat too much!

Woah, that took a massive turn for the sarcastic. My apologies.

Anyway, I’m not going to link to the article where I found this, because there’s so much else wrong with it – like finding inspiration in women in their 30s working out, and in “injured and disabled” gym-goers. Obviously this article was written by a man with a ton of thin and able-bodied privilege. But the truth is, people who are outside the gym “norm” are often considered inspiration for those who do fit society’s idea of fitness (that is, thin and – especially for men – muscular). Think of the last time you saw a picture of a former fatty working out, accompanied by the words “What’s your excuse?”

Glad you think my body is a problem, Jean-Luc!
Glad you think my body is a problem, Jean-Luc!

When you use bodies that are not like yours – that you consider “less” or “worse” – as inspiration, you are making assumptions about those bodies. You assume the fat person is unfit, you assume the fat person does not regularly participate in fitness. Well, I’m sure you remember what your mom told you happens when you assume things!

The next time you see me or any other fat person working out, consider why you’re amazed. Is it because of the judgmental, assumptive reasons this gym dude listed? Or because you’re just as impressed with our abilities, our strength, and our determination as you are of that thin person working out next to us?

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