Woman Calls Out Problematic Things She’s Been Told Because She’s ‘Fat’

A content creator from Los Angeles recently sparked significant conversation on TikTok with her candid video discussing the limitations imposed on her because she is fat.

Michelle Platti, who wears a size 3x, bravely addresses the subtle and overt forms of discrimination that plus-sized individuals face daily. At the time of writing, the video has garnered over 743,000 views and more than 120,000 likes.

The 26-year-old told Newsweek: “Fat people are constantly ostracized; and most skinny people don’t even realize that they’re doing it.”

Her video captioned: “Things I’m not allowed to do because I’m fat,” highlights the patronizing reassurances she receives when she calls herself fat, with people often conflating fatness with unattractiveness. She also touches on the disbelief that arises when she talks about romantic interests, as society often views her as merely the “fat friend.”

One anecdote she shared involved a high school friend’s boyfriend who would “actively flirt” with her. Her friend dismissed this behavior, believing he couldn’t be genuinely interested in Platti due to her weight.

Additionally, Platti feels she can’t be the first to mention being hungry or suggest getting food as these actions are often unfairly scrutinized. She also rejects the stereotype linking fatness with laziness, stating, “I’m not fat because I’m lazy, or lazy because I am fat.”

Platti’s motivation for the video stemmed from her own experiences and the stark contrast in treatment between her and her thinner friends.

“I feel extremely passionate about these points, especially after the response I got on the video,” she told Newsweek. “It made me feel so seen and validated because so many other plus-sized people had the same experience. This also made me incredibly sad, because the treatment of fat people is so universal and it is kind of just one of the consequences we have to put up with for existing in a bigger body.”

During the clip, Platti mentions that she enjoys sitting down and watching TikTok videos, an activity often labeled as “self-care” for skinny girls. However, she feels shamed for doing the same because people assume she should be spending her time at the gym instead. This double standard highlights the societal pressures and judgments placed on plus-sized individuals, suggesting they must always be striving to lose weight rather than enjoying simple pleasures.

She told Newsweek: “Most of the time, people don’t realize how their subconscious beliefs about fat people come out in passive-aggressive ways.

“It’s definitely a type of treatment that all plus-sized people have experienced and it’s often hard to point out because it is so subconscious skinny people tend to get defensive when their fatphobic behaviors or comments are called out.”

So far, the video shared in April has received almost 2,500 comments and one has 13,400 likes.

It said: “What about the anxiety of carrying fast food into the house?! The neighbors might judge.”

“The flirting thing I feel so deeply. I had a guy friend that I thought wanted to be more than, but then I thought, “There’s no way he would be into me,” so I never made a move or anything,” said another user.

A third commenter said: “Don’t forget about when your friends are all talking about how much weight they’ve gained and how awful they feel about it and you just say ‘same’ and everyone stops talking.”

“I always feel like I can’t finish a whole plate of food or a meal when I’m eating with people,” said a fourth user.

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