Great Speech By Gabourey Sidibes
Read the whole thing. An excerpt:
The point is, I was a snob. I thought I was better than the kids in my class, and I let them know it. That's why they didn't like me. I think the reason I thought so highly of myself all the time was because no one else ever did. I figured out I was smart because my mother would yell at my older brother. She'd say, "Your little sister is going to pass you in school. You're going to get left behind and she's going to graduate before you." But she never said to me, "You are smart." What she did say was, "You are too fat." I got the message that I wasn't pretty, and I probably wasn't normal, but I was smart! Why wouldn't they just say that? "You're smart." It's actually not that hard. My dad would yell at my brother, "Gabourey does her homework by herself! Why can't you?" But he never said to me, "Good job." What he did say was, "You need to lose weight so I can be proud of you." I know. So I got made fun of at school, I got made fun of at home too, my older brother hated me, my dad just didn't understand me, and my mom, who had been a fat girl at my age herself, understood me perfectly ... but she berated me because she was so afraid of what she knew was to come for me. So I never felt safe when I was at home. And my response was always to eat more, because nothing says, "You hurt my feelings. Fuck you!" like eating a delicious cookie. Cookies never hurt me.
"Gabourey, how are you so confident?" It's not easy. It's hard to get dressed up for award shows and red carpets when I know I will be made fun of because of my weight. There's always a big chance if I wear purple, I will be compared to Barney. If I wear white, a frozen turkey. And if I wear red, that pitcher of Kool-Aid that says, "Oh, yeah!" Twitter will blow up with nasty comments about how the recent earthquake was caused by me running to a hot dog cart or something. And "Diet or Die?" [She gives the finger to that] This is what I deal with every time I put on a dress. This is what I deal with every time someone takes a picture of me. Sometimes when I'm being interviewed by a fashion reporter, I can see it in her eyes, "How is she getting away with this? Why is she so confident? How does she deal with that body? Oh my God, I'm going to catch fat!"
via KateC
I love Gabourey! I mean, she was amazing in Precious, obviously, but I really started loving her when some jerks started Tweeting fat jokes about her (about what she'd worn to some red carpet) -- and she responded: "To people making mean comments about my GG pics, I mos def cried about it on that private jet on my way to my dream job last night."
sofar at May 3, 2014 9:40 AM
She hit that nail right on the head.
Daghain at May 3, 2014 9:51 AM
I've read studies that when moms are a pricks to their young daughters about being fat it just makes their daughters......fatter.
It's usually fat moms who are assholes too.
I wasn't fat for most of my life so when my mom tried to bully me with that nonsense I looked her straight in the eyes firmly, with an unwavering gaze and made her feel like pure shit for even attempting that on me.
But when for most of your life you are fat I notice people like that tend to let themselves be bullied by their families for their fatness. Even as adults.
You don't deserve it because you're fat. Yes you're gross looking but damnit so is a raven haired brunette who dyes her hair blonde and let's her roots show.
Ppen at May 3, 2014 12:17 PM
Hey, after all that speech about how bullying is bad, do you need to tell people they're gross looking? That's pretty bullyish!!!
NicoleK at May 4, 2014 5:44 PM
What I hate is that fatness is generally accepted as a moral failing.
I have a family member who eats pure crap. Cookies, chips, french fries... you name it. And not "one" cookie - I'm talking half a bag of Oreos at a sitting. And they are *slim*. They are sugar-addicted, but it doesn't show up on them. And they don't exercise their butts off every-other-day at the gym. They are simply genetically lucky.
I wish we could get over the moral judgement of fatness. It's odd to me that our society is so tolerant of moral turpitude in so many ways, yet perceived sloth and gluttony are still un-apologetically, nearly-universally repulsive. Pick your most-hated perversion, and somebody will be out there celebrating it. But not fat. 'Cause, y'know, that's just... ick.
flbeachmom at May 5, 2014 8:42 AM
Amy Alkon
https://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2014/05/great-speech-by.html#comment-4586478">comment from flbeachmomIf my boyfriend so much as glances at a cracker, he'll put on weight.
Amy Alkon
at May 5, 2014 10:21 AM
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