“Ladies shouldn’t eat like that”
“It isn’t ladylike to eat so much”
“You are such a messy eater, it’s unattractive”
“No wonder you are the size you are if you are going to eat that rubbish”
“You sure you want to order that?”
Two women eating whatever they like in public. It’s controversial.
How many times have you had your eating policed? Maybe because of your size, how much you were eating, what you were eating, how often you were eating.
Fat women, in particular, get it all the time – the excessive fat on your body means that if you ever caught bringing food near your mouth, people feel the need to remind you of your size as if you’ve forgotten.
People see you eating a burger once and immediately assume you only exist on a diet of burgers, sodas and chips. I mean it makes sense: HAVE YOU SEEN HOW BIG YOU ARE?
It almost makes you so uncomfortable that you don’t order what you want OR when you order you are quick to reassure your dinner companions that you haven’t eaten lunch to justify your food consumption.
But this is not a size thing! How often do women alter how much they eat when they are on a date? It’s seen as more attractive, more womanly, the less we eat. It’s why there is a stereotype of the woman ordering a salad on a date.
A couple of months ago, I actually went on a date where he chose a burger place and my stomach filled with dread. “Would he think I was a messy eater? Maybe I’ll just order chips and say I’m not hungry? This is so unhealthy and I don’t even like burgers.” Did I think these things? Yes. Did I listen to those thoughts? No. Body confidence is built in actions, not thoughts.
I ordered my burger and damn well, ate it. Controversial.
This was @chachipowerproject and I digging in after my talk at her event on Sunday. Actually, the first thing I said when I got off stage was “I’m starving, I need food”. The adrenaline had suspended my appetite for the whole day and as soon as I got off the stage, it kicked in.
So this is what we went to get!
Two women bosses working hard, getting shit done, spreading the body positive message … who just happen to be eating.