The Kabuki experience definitely deserves an entry, and it will have one. But this girl said I was too fat.
Now, I know that in the range of fat I’m closer to Bridget Jones than, say, the mother from What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? 
I also know, I mean intellectually know, that in this day and age when there are people literally starving in Niger and other parts of the world, governments are being toppled, and the Iraqis are being subjected to their own version of Baghdad Idol, it is supremely ridiculous worry about such things.But, this girl said I was too fat!
Growing up fat in America is a tough thing. That’s all I’ll say about that. Except that I hope that Matthew Wallace, who used to tease me in the schoolyard at recess by singing the Hungry, Hungry Hippos jingle, and was a big fat fattie himself, is living a life of constant constipation.When I first got to Japan, a friend from America asked me if I was “suffering from a weird sense of body dysmorphia.” In fact, it’s hard not to. The average clothing size here is "00." That's double zero. Half of nothing. Or is it twice nothing? I usually feel like Santa with the elves.
It’s hard not to obsess over a comment like “you’re too fat.” It doesn’t matter what the context was, it doesn’t matter if it’s a “cultural thing” or if she’s just an insensitive bitch. What matters is that it happened three days ago and I’m still trying to think of things that I should have said to her instead of doing what I did which was hide in the bathroom.
3 comments:
You mean you passed on the opportunity to point out that she's a pigeon-toed, knock-kneed, skinny-but-flabby see you next Tuesday?
Damn, Gina, I wish I had thought of that one!
I've seen your pictures Colleen, you are hardly what a sane person would call fat. Hey, maybe thats why the japanese women in your office are freezing in 95 degree temperature... they are all skin and bone.
mqxcvlqx, akcdbad
Well, here two cents from a TRUE fat man.
There truly are cultural differences with regard to body shape. I had a friend my freshman year of college who was from India. One day he got a box of goddies from home. Pulling out some candies, he said to me "Do you like sweets?" and before I was able to respond, he answered himself: "Well, of course you do. Why else would you be so fat?!"
Needless to say, I was flabbergasted. I know he meant no ill will, but it was also so odd. I studied the situation and discovered that in countried like India, where poverty is rampant and most people subsist in a state of skin and bones, being fat is actually an honor. I's a sight that you have achieved great success in your life and can therefore afford to eat to your heart's content. Fat people are therefore worthy of reverence.
But that doesn't mean that my reaction was any different from yours. I declined the freshly-shipped Indian sweets and went back to my own dorm room to cry. And, while I don't remember this specifically, it is also likely that a little while later I went down to Campus Convenience in my slippers to buy Nutter Butters and Chunky Monkey---and promptly ate them both.
This one if fun: vsvszvmw
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