Sticks and Stones: Bullying and Body Size

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." Most of us absorb this cliche statement in our youth and store it somewhere in the back of our minds. But does this children's nursery rhyme paint a true picture? Do words, however hateful and discouraging, not have any affect on the way we view ourselves and others? The harsh reality is that words can sometimes be sharper than a knife, and often leave invisible wounds.

I'm almost positive everyone reading this post has come into contact with some form of bullying in their life [whether you've been on the receiving end of it, or whether you've been dishing it out.] A bully, for the specific purpose of this post, is roughly defined as an individual(s) who uses verbal force and/or verbal threats to manipulate a particular reaction or behavior out of the individual on the receiving end of the comments. While some forms of bullying are certainly more severe than others and often have greater consequences than other situations, bullying is still an issue that has been on the rise in the United States and around the world, within the past decade, regardless of the severity of each case.

WEIGHT JUST ONE MINUTE! What does body size have to do with bullying?


During high school and even during my freshman and sophomore, and junior years of college, I was on the receiving end of my fair share of unnecessary, demeaning comments, concerning both my body size and my weight. These verbal attacks were given directly and exchanged behind my back. The source of these comments were often individuals that, at the time, I considered to be friends or acquaintances. [Brings a new meaning to "behind enemy lines" doesn't it?...okay, my humor is the driest...I know].  The comments were directed toward me while I was at my heaviest, and even after dropping a significant amount of weight. I have heard everything from "Go hop on a treadmill" to "I bet he had weight loss surgery." Surprisingly [but not really] most of these insults came out of people's mouths during conversations, discussions, and debates that had nothing to do with body weight/size/health/wellness/exercise at all. In American society [generally speaking] it seems that the first place people go to throw insults is at body image...a characteristic that has always intrigued me.

Just to be clear....I am not blaming, nor will I ever blame anyone for my weight gain. That was 100% all me; however, this post is to address those verbal forms of bullying which attacked characteristics of my body at the time of each incident.

Handling the insults... was not always easy. I have rarely ever been one to show my true emotions in public, but I certainly found myself moping a lot and doing even more stress eating due to the periodic slandering. During this period, I had to re-learn and re-absorb a few lessons:

1. My exercise journey was for me, and me alone. 
2. The benefits of my journey far out-weighed any negativity thrown in my direction.
3. "You shouldn't worry when people are talking about you....it's when they're not talking, that you should worry."
4. "Anybody who has the power to change my atmosphere, has power over me."

The key to your overall success is not measured by the amount of strides that you take, or by the amount of crunches that you do, or by the amount of diets that you embark on...it is gauged by the amount of confidence you allow for yourself. If you are not confident in yourself and what you are doing to improve your healthy lifestyle, then you cannot expect others to have confidence in you. I'll leave you with this quotation:

"People are going to talk about you until the day you pass away, and there is nothing you can do about it; however, the true power lies within the dignity and strength of your response."

 As always...Peace, Love and Nutella!