Body shaming is a dreadful reality that everybody has to deal with on a daily basis. Being skinny or overweight makes no difference. One must respect one another and not offend them. Here’s a tale about a woman who was constantly body shamed as a result of her mother-in-law’s behavior. Read the entire story and what would you have done?
Source: Reddit
Let me start off by stating this: MIL is a medical professional specializing in eating disorder treatment.
When I first met MIL, I was a tiny size 2 teenager. A decade later, thanks to no longer having the metabolism of a 19-year-old, a global pandemic + carbs as comfort food, and a medication change, I’m now a size 8. Whatever, I don’t care about the number on the scale, my husband still thinks I’m hot, my health is great, and my doctor is happier with my weight now.
MIL disagrees. For years she’s made comments here and there – mostly insisting that I share entrees with her when we go out to eat “because women always eat small potions” and or stating that it looks like I’ve been eating a “mostly meat and potatoes” diet. I brushed them off, because I didn’t feel like opening that can of worms.
This past weekend, they stayed with us. We had my family over for dinner one night and ate outdoors because it was 70 degrees, and I wore a t-shirt, because 70 degrees. Weirdly, MIL insisted on both the patio heater being turned on, and wore a down coat, claiming to be cold. She kept pointing out how odd it was that I was the only woman in a t-shirt (the others had super lightweight cardigans/toppers on, mostly for mosquitoes), and I responded that it was a warm evening for our area. She said that no, it’s because the others are far thinner than I was. I asked her what she meant by that, and she said that I had “much more insulation” to keep me warm.
A few minutes later, MIL started to clear the plates, despite others still finishing their dinners, and me finally getting to my second burger. I pointed out that people were still eating, and she insisted that everyone was basically done. I literally pointed to the single bite I had taken out of my burger and said clearly no, I’d like to finish first. She then REACHED FOR MY PLATE and said “no, you’re done” and I ended up picking up my plate and moving to another seat to avoid confrontation.
The next day, the four of us went out to eat, picked out dishes to share (two small entrees and two appetizers total) and MIL insisted on being the one to go up and order. I accidentally followed her up to the counter in search of water, and I overheard her saying to the waitress “this is too much food, right? Tell me we shouldn’t order this much food” and the waitress assured her that it was definitely on the small side of an order for four people. Finally MIL agreed, but only after the waitress promised they had to-go boxes for leftovers.
I’ve been stewing on this since they left. I’m happy with my body, my doctor says I’m healthy, but this sh%t is so demoralizing. Especially since given her career, SHE SHOULD KNOW BETTER. It seems like she has her own issues with food, but I don’t have the energy to dive into that.
My husband will be calling her to have a conversation about not bringing this sh%t up in the future and laying out some very clear boundaries.
This is infuriating…
What would you do in her situation? Any advice. Here are a few comments on the story where it was originally posted:
