An Edmonton woman who was fired from her retail job after referring to “fat ladies” like herself online is now spearheading a social media campaign with the Canadian Obesity Network.
Weight of Living was inspired by Humans of New York and aims to show a side of “fat” that’s not normally portrayed.
“A lot of the time, especially on the news, when the story revolves around obesity or weight-related issues, the images are often of people who are overweight and their heads are cut out, which is a little bit weird and a bit dehumanizing too,” Connie Levitsky explained.
Photos of overweight and obese Canadians are being posted on the obesity network’s Facebook page, along with their personal story. However, the photos are not made public in the context of “I want to lose weight” or “this is the Before picture.” These posts celebrate the individuals for exactly who they are.
“This was also a way for people to talk about their own experiences and say, ‘Hey, I’m not living a horrible life. I’m actually really happy,'” Levitsky said.
“We also generally try to stay away from weight-loss related stories because we want to show that you don’t have to lose weight to be happy with yourself.”
READ MORE: Addition Elle fires Edmonton employee for using word ‘fat,’ then apologizes
Plus-size women’s clothing store Addition Elle fired Levitsky, who used “fat” as part of her job status on Facebook. It read: “Conquering the world, one well-dressed fat lady at a time.”
While her employer told her the word was offensive and compared it to a swear word, Levitsky doesn’t feel the same. She’s reclaiming the word. It took Levitsky years to come to terms with the word, which she now identifies with and prefers over “euphemisms like curvy or shapely,” despite the negative stigma it still holds in society.
After her Addition Elle experience, Levitsky took an even closer look at the use of the word fat.
“I see it as an adjective. Honestly I think a lot of people still have a lot of negative connotation attached to it, which is fine, it’s none of my business if you do but a lot of people who haven’t struggled with that don’t really understand why someone would want to take it back.
“We still have this idea that being fat is an awful thing to be and the truth is it doesn’t have to be and it isn’t always.”
READ MORE: Dear Fat Shamers: Dispelling obesity myths
It also made her examine how fat, overweight and obese people are perceived. She hopes Weight of Living changes that narrative and helps others understand that fat doesn’t equal unhappy.
“Show images of people doing things that obviously they’re happy doing,” Levitsky said of the campaign. “One photo that’s coming up is she went tubing and she hadn’t done that in a long, long time. The photos are usually people when they’re feeling good about themselves which I think definitely adds to that idea that not everyone is unhappy, sitting at home feeling sorry for themselves.”
If you are interested in taking part in Weight of Living, visit the obesity network’s Facebook page.
Levitsky is currently in her last year of university studying sociology. Her contract with the Canadian Obesity Network has been extended until December.
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