GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA: "Fat" isn't something that anyone wants to be called. However, the Whitney Way Thore was always associated with that word. The reality star recalls her experience as she shared a video on Instagram talking about her childhood. Being open about the body issues that one went through is not an easy task to do.
But 'My Big Fat Fabulous Life' star Whitney opens up about being shamed because of her body size. The reality star also recalled how she was nicknamed something that used to hurt her in the past. But as she recalls it now, Whitney feels neutral. She walked down the past experience, recalling how body-shaming pushed her towards an eating disorder.
Whitney Way Thore recalls first time being made fun of her body
It's not easy to talk about the traumatic past. But, Whitney took it to Instagram to share her experience as she did a partnership with Dove. The reality star is seen embracing herself in the video as she looked in the mirror. Whitney says, "Today, when I think of the word "fat," it feels as neutral as any other word I'd use to describe myself." She then recalls, "But, it wasn't always this way." Whitney then shared some of her photos from her childhood where she is not seen as being any close to fat. She claims, "And even though I haven't always been fat, it's always been something that I was told I was, and it's always been something that I was afraid to be."
Whitney then stated the facts in her post, claiming that 88% of girls aged between 10 to 17 are shamed because of their body size at least once in their life. Whitney then showed a picture of her posing in a short dress while holding her hat. The star recounts the experience of being body shamed for the first time when she was 10 years old. Holding the picture, Whitney says, "In this picture when I got the nickname "Thunder Thighs." She says in the caption of the post, "The first time I remember being made fun of for my body size was when I was 10 (and weighed about 90 pounds). I was given the nickname “Thunder Thighs."
How Whitney Way Thore developed an eating disorder
Whitney got the nickname "Thunder Thighs" when she was just 10. It was something that haunted her for most of the life. The reality star says, "The stinging shame of it followed me through middle and high school." Because of the same, Whitney developed "eating disorders in a bid to never be called “fat” again." Well, she actually became fat after growing up. Thankfully, Whitney learned how to embrace her body type. The reality star says in the video, "Now almost 20 years later, I embrace being fat as just a simple part of my identity." She further claims, "But I don't want to live in a country where only two states have explicit protections against body size discrimination."
Whitney Way Thore asks for advance legal protection against body discrimination
Whitney slams the internet for being a "real j**k to fat people." As she trashed the online hatred, Whitney made her followers aware, "Did you know it’s perfectly legal to discriminate against someone on the basis of body size?" She then described her reason for partnering with Dove. She stated the reason was to "raise awareness around body size discrimination in partnership with the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) and the Fat Legal Advocacy, Rights, and Education Project (FLARE), and others to advance legal protections across the US on the basis of body size."
