I have a confession to make. I am fat.
I am a fat vegan. Whew, feels good to get that off my very ample chest!
I'm not just saying I'm fat because all women think they're fat. I am fat by pretty much any definition as I weigh well over 200 pounds and I'm 5'6". I just wrote a novel called Fat Girl. Seriously.
What's more, my vegan fiance is also fat. We may be the only fat vegans in Sussex County, Delaware. We may be the only fat vegans in Delaware, for that matter. I've checked and can say with relative certainty that we aren't the only vegans, and we definitely aren't the only fat people. It's just that those two attributes together are ones we are not accustomed to seeing. "Fat Vegan" defies stereotypes.
I've struggled with weight and disordered eating for most of my life. My mother put me on diets, fat-shamed me, and even bribed me to lose weight when I was growing up. When I was 14, I discovered how to starve myself and exercise three to four hours a day. Whenever I get very depressed, I tend to fall back into that mode of starving myself and over-exercising.
Becoming vegan has not helped me lose weight. Not yet, anyway. That's because I eat way too much vegan junk food. And trust me, there is a LOT of vegan junk food out there. Some really GOOD vegan junk food at that.
Do I want to get to a point where I can eat more whole foods and lose some weight? Sure, that would be fantastic. But I am healthy and relatively happy so I'm doing it in my own time. And I know that I am probably going to be a voluptuous girl no matter what. That's just the way I'm built.
But here's the deal: I have found other vegans to be extremely rude, hateful, judgmental and ridiculing when it comes to obesity. They are among the most prolific fat shamers out there. I see them posting memes, videos, pictures, comments, and whatnot about fat people and how gross, disgusting, stupid, lazy and unattractive they are.
I have never understood why people think a strategy of shaming is an effective way to persuade anyone to their line of thinking. As vegans, we're supposed to be compassionate. We're supposed to be stewards of the planet. And I think we are supposed to set an example that others might want to follow.
I've seen a few groups on Facebook for fat vegans. Maybe we're forming alliances, some solidarity. Maybe the skinny vegans will learn to accept us and understand we are all part of the cause. Because if we are really going to make inroads toward ending animal cruelty and suffering and protecting our planet's precious resources, we are all going to have to stick together. And trust me, fat people can be pretty sticky!
Just some food for thought. Vegan food, that is! :)
