Body Shaming My Old Binge Eating Disorder Body

I've recently encountered a new form of body shaming and this time, it's body shaming of my old binge eating disorder body (No Body Is Perfect: Body Image and Shame). When you have an eating disorder, like binge eating disorder, it can drastically impact how your body looks. At the height of my eating disorder I was 315 pounds and a size 24. I'm now around 210 pounds and a size 14. Needless to say, I look very, very different these days. Recently, I got into a conversation with someone who felt it was appropriate to act as if I am a different person and body shame this older version of me (Binge Eating Disorder And Body Shaming).

Body Shaming My Old Body: The Whale

This strange form of former body body shaming presented itself to me on Facebook. After my breast reduction surgery recovery, I bought new clothes that fit. Due to a combination of not keeping up with clothes after my gastric surgery and now having proportionally-sized breasts, I ended up having size 20 clothes in my closet while I wear a 14. So I went shopping at all of the local thrift stores.

Of course, where's the fun in shopping if you don't take selfies in your bedroom? I posted some photos and seconds after I did, a person on my Facebook friend list commented on how great I looked. Unfortunately, the commenter added that if I had worn the blue dress I was wearing in the photo at my former weight, I would have looked like a whale. I promptly deleted the comment and deleted the person from my friend's list so quickly, no one else on my Facebook saw what they said.

Why Any Kind Of Body Shaming Is Toxic and Unhelpful

The commenter, someone I didn't know well, probably thought that body shaming my old binge eating disorder body would be met with agreement. They expected me to jump onto the thread and announce my concurrence that I would have looked terrible and now that I am the size of an average person, I'm socially acceptable enough to wear such an outfit.

But I don't feel that way. Insulting a former version of me is still insulting me. Yes, I no longer look like I did, but I am still the same person and I deserve to exist in a space free from put downs no matter what my weight is (Mental Illness And Self-Acceptance). The very idea that certain bodies are allowed to do certain things while others are not is a terrible concept. Physically taking up more space in this world than the average person does doesn't mean you lack feelings, dignity, or humanity.

How Body Shaming My Old Binge Eating Disorder Body Impacted Me

In the end, body shaming my old body just went to reinforce the concept that bodies are worth more or less based on their size. I have spent the majority of my life overweight or obese. I haven't forgotten what it feels like to be harassed, insulted, and belittled all because of my body. I will never forget that no matter what I look like.

Body shaming can take many forms and this is just one of the many. In the end, my former body held as much dignity and humanity that I do now. Anyone who thinks otherwise is wrong. And they're not welcome on my Facebook page.

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