Is it OK to fat-shame Donald Trump?

Editor’s Note: Lindsey Averill, a PhD candidate in comparative studies at Florida Atlantic University, is co-creator of Fattitude the movie,and regularly writes for media outlets such as Time.com, xojane, The Huffington Post, Alternet and Bustle. Follow her on Twitter. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

If you’re new to the body-positive conversation, fat-shaming might feel like a buzz word – but it’s a real thing, and it has very real consequences. Fat people experience systemic prejudice that is on par with racism and sexism – and by that I mean that statistical data documents that fat people are confronted with oppressive bias in economic, educational, medical, and social spaces.

Lindsey Averill

Beyond this, hatred of fat people like that expressed by Donald Trump is markedly understood by psychologists as contributing to low self-esteem, anxiety, depression and suicidal behavior in young people.

In his career as a public figure, Trump has openly fat-shamed a number of women including Rosie O’Donnell, Kim Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez, and former Miss Universe, Alicia Machado (most recently, twice in 24 hours). And, at the recent presidential debate, he conjured a visual on how cyber threats to national security might well be conducted by “somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds,” a comment that, to say the least, reinforces negative ideas about fat people and their trustworthiness.

Donald Trump walks on stage at a rally on September 28, 2016 in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Trump has been campaigning today in Iowa, Wisconsin and Chicago.

video

Related video Is the topic of weight Trump's go-to defense?

Most of us already know that in general, Trump deals in insults and degradation. Demeaning fat people, representing them as “less than,” is one of the terrible tools in his arsenal.

donald trump alicia machado 1997 3_00004817.jpg

Related article Trump's America: No fat chicks

That said, unlike all the other verbal violence that Trump deploys, there is something really weird about his distaste for us larger-bodied folk: his failure to realize that he’s a fat man.

DONALD TRUMP IS A FAT MAN.

To be clear, when I call Trump fat I mean him no insult – because as far as I am concerned fat is a neutral descriptor, a term that deals only in simple facts—akin to noting I have brown eyes and brown hair. Assuming fatness as bad is a byproduct of a culture that already is on board with Trump’s thinking, positioning some – in this case thin people - as deserving of respect, and positioning others as unworthy of kindness, care and equal treatment.

Singer Kelly Clarkson has seen her weight fluctuate over the years. The Internet had a great deal to say after she didn't immediately shed the weight after the birth of her daughter in 2014. "I don't obsess about my weight, which is probably one of the reasons why other people have such a problem with it," she told Redbook. In July she responded to a Twitter troll who called her fat by tweeting "and still f***ing awesome."

After being called out for her apparent weight gain, Rihanna posted a meme showing rapper Gucci Mane at two different body weights with the caption, "If you can't handle me at my 2007 Gucci Mane you don't deserve me at m 2017 Gucci Mane."

"Modern Family" star Sarah Hyland posted a note on social media to refute speculation she has an eating disorder. The actress said she's been having a health challenge and lost muscle tone as she's been unable to work out.

"Modern Family" star Ariel Winter has taken on those who have body shamed her for everything from the size of her breasts to how she dresses.

Singer Lady Gaga posted a message on her Instagram account regarding comments about her body during her NFL Super Bowl 51 halftime show. "I'm proud of my body and you should be proud of yours too," she wrote.

"Dancing with the Stars" contestant Amber Rose said she felt body shamed by judge Julianne Hough during her week 3 performance. Rose is shown here with co-host Tom Bergeron and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy.

Some fans have criticized plus-size model Ashley Graham for losing weight after she posted new images on her Instagram account in July.

Actress Rebel Wilson has gone a step beyond worrying about those who criticize her for her weight: She's found fame playing "Fat Amy" in the "Pitch Perfect" films. But as proud as she is of her look, Wilson told Marie Claire U.K. she doesn't do nude scenes.

Singer Meghan Trainor pulled the music video for her song "Me Too" after it debuted in May because her waist had been altered to make her appear thinner.

British model Iskra Lawrence had a creative, and cheeky, response this month to a commenter who called her a "fat cow" on Instagram. She posted a photo of herself wearing lingerie and surrounded by bags of potato chips, followed by a slow-motion Instagram video of her eating a chip and then making an obscene gesture to the camera.

Amy Schumer recently posted an Instagram photo that she said was of Glamour magazine including her with plus-size performers. It's not the first time she's been categorized as such. In February 2015, she shot back at a critic who accused her of being overweight by posing topless in her underwear. In June, she accepted a Glamour Award in London and said in her speech, "I'm probably like 160 pounds right now, and I can catch a d*** whenever I want. That's the truth. It's not a problem."

In March, "Prison Break" star Wentworth Miller used a body-shaming meme as an opportunity to educate about depression and suicide.

Susan Sarandon's cleavage got a lot of attention at the 22nd annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in January.

Actress Tia Mowry said in December that she has been the subject of negative comments on Instagram since gaining weight. Questions about whether she is pregnant amount to body-shaming, she said.

Gigi Hadid is not letting negative comments about her appearance get to her. The model, center, posted an open letter on social media to trolls, saying, "Your mean comments don't make me want to change my body."

Designer, author and former star of "The Hills" Lauren Conrad announced that her website will no longer use terminology associated with body-shaming.

In 2013, one critic called actress Melissa McCarthy a "female hippo" in a review of her film "Identity Thief." "We have to stop categorizing and judging women based on their bodies," McCarthy wrote in a recent Instagram post.

Actress Lily James was the subject of some negative chatter after photos surfaced of her as a wasp-waisted Cinderella in early 2015. The actress said she is naturally small, and "I'm so healthy."

In 2014, actress Emma Stone told USA Today, "I've seen a lot of comments that say, 'Eat a sandwich' or 'She looks sick.' I've been looking at myself in the mirror being mean to myself. I'm not sick. I eat sandwiches."

Actress Jennifer Lawrence has been accused of being overweight and in 2013 told Barbara Walters, "I just think it should be illegal to call somebody fat on TV."

Cracks about Kerry Washington being too thin have hit the "Scandal" star, as People reported that she told Essence in 2007 that she has struggled with eating disorders. "I used food as a way to cope. There was a lot of guilt and a lot of shame."

Nicole Richie went from Paris Hilton's thicker sidekick to a very thin fashionista. In 2006, she told Vanity Fair, "I know I'm too thin right now, so I wouldn't want any young girl looking at me and saying, 'That's what I want to look like.' "

E!'s Giuliana Rancic told People that a cancer-suppressing drug she has to take after a double mastectomy in 2011 is responsible for her small frame. "I'm sorry that some people think I'm disgustingly skinny, as they put it, but there's nothing I can do. I'm lucky that I even have the type of cancer that reacts to the medicine," she said.

Singer and actress Jessica Simpson seems to alternate between being accused of being too big and too small.

Most women would kill to look like model Kate Upton, but one blogger wrote that the Sports Illustrated cover girl has "Huge thighs, NO waist, big fat floppy boobs, terrible body definition -- she looks like a squishy brick."

After "Fast & Furious" actress Gal Gadot was cast as Wonder Woman in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," the Internet immediately started buzzing that she was too skinny for the role. The actress reportedly responded, "I represent the Wonder Women of the new world."

Women aren't the only ones body-shamed. After friends encouraged actor Val Kilmer to post a photo of his weight loss, he took to Facebook to say, "Can't win in this crazy town. Too heavy for too many years and now gossip says, too thin!"

Actress Keira Knightley once told Elle UK that she has been called "anorexic."

Kelly Osbourne not only got fat-shamed before losing weight, she was accused of fat shaming singer Christina Aguilera during an episode of E!'s "Fashion Police."

In 2014, Cosmopolitan asked whether Gabourey Sidibe is "the Most Fat-Shamed Actress in Hollywood."

In April 2015, actress Tara Reid tweeted to the media to "stop bullying" her about her weight, as she says she is a "skinny girl."

Reality star Khloe Kardashian has endured harsh commentary, including being called the "fat Kardashian." These days, she's slimmed down and silenced critics.

Celebs who have been body-shamed

Prev Next

You would think that Trump, as a person of increased girth, might get it that representing people with fat bodies as slovenly, unmotivated, disgusting, unruly and amoral is a product of bias, but in this case no such luck. Trump’s failure to realize that demeaning fatness is an insult to himself may be part of his much larger issue of personal denial and an inability to differentiate between truth and self-serving falsifications.

Obviously, I am not a Trump supporter. I’m a believer in pursuing social justice for all people. Human dignity and human success require a life and a politics that favor individual generosity and national prosperity over personal greed. As far as I can tell, the Trump team doesn’t value the many over the few. Trump is divisive; he motivates loyalty with fear and encourages hatred. I find him to be unfit for office.

And yet, a month or so ago when life-sized naked Trump replicas were turning up around the country and people were jesting about the fatness of this man who, terrifyingly, wants to be president - I didn’t laugh. It doesn’t matter if I detest everything that Trump stands for, we cannot allow ourselves to slip into the trap of brandishing his fatness as a symbol of his hatefulness.

The October 10, 2016 cover of the New Yorker

A recent cover of The New Yorker parodied Trump by presenting him as Miss Congeniality. The image presents Trump as a failed fat beauty queen, teary-eyed in heels and a swimsuit; it is already the veritable ‘talk of the town’ because it is calling attention to his hypocrisy. In this moment, it’s important to remember that beneath this joke at Trump’s expense are sexist and fat-shaming ideas.

To shame and pigeon-hole anyone based on appearance is wrong. Perhaps you remember this – it was something we all learned in kindergarten or maybe even earlier. Then, we proceeded to carve out lives in a world that perpetuates body-policing of all kinds and lost sight of the fact that mean-spirited comments have repercussions.

Shift the script. Step away from oversimplified stereotypes that make negative assumptions about fatness and fat people.

Trump shows disrespect towards people of all kinds. Give him a microphone and within minutes something racist, sexist, homophobic or xenophobic is bound to spill forth. So, his complete disregard for the consequences of treating fat people with demeaning brutality is no surprise.

What IS a surprise? That so many Americans believe that this bully, badly in need of a serious dose of moral guidance, should be president – that’s flabbergasting.

So, no, don’t fat-shame Trump. We are better than that.