Weight can be a very sensitive subject for a lot of people. Even if they have a body you think is flawless, they could feel completely different and be very insecure with how they look. Some people are very confident in their skin, and I think that's how many people need to aspire to be. I have a friend who is so skinny you can see her bones, but she eats non stop, and she is very insecure about her body, she's even gone to the doctor and taken medication to try and gain weight. Everyone has something going on, and a simple compliment could hurt or uplift someone. Its a tricky subject. 

I was overweight as a child. Around 6th grade, I was teased and everyone was so mean. They called me tank, big bertha, and other names. I was so sad. In 7th grade I had lost some of the weight and although I was not called names I was self conscious all the time.

Finally, I was selected for the flag team and I really lost weight and looked good. I could not forget the names kids called me and how that made me feel.

I can actually relate to this topic a lot. Growing up, I was always rather thin, though I was VERY active and probably over extending myself without realizing. My problems with food started around middle school. By high school, I was already experiencing the effects of eating disorders, fad diets, and starvation. Let me be clear, I didn't choose any of these things. But I didn't acknowledge it or get help in any manner that was fast enough. My latest experience with eating disorders, was probably the most rough. I found myself at a lower weight than I have EVER been (as a teen or adult) and it hurt to look at. After not seeing my mother for two years, we hugged in the terminal of literally another country and the FIRST thing she said to me was "My God, Francesca. Your're so thin." I knew she was concerned, and i knew that she knew what that meant. But hearing those words hurt, they still do. I'm in my mid twenties and I can't sit down and eat a full meal without legit effort and I can't explain why without breaking down the barriers of lifelong depression and anxiety. 

In all,  weight gain/weight loss is out of peoples conscious control way more than considered. Commenting on such features (for me) just feel like insults or unwanted advice. And they hurt because it's like something I cant even control is a problem about me to so many people. 

@noracrainiectskin-com

Exactly! I feel as though society is really just too comfortable with commenting on others physical appearance. Unhealthy is one thing, and even such, those conditions are meant to be acknowledged by a professional- if the individual so chooses. Otherwise, you NEVER know what someone is going through or living with. 

This article hits me pretty hard. I have been thin, tall, and athletic for my entire life. I grew up playing sports and my body gains muscle very quickly. In middle school and high school I played a different sport every season and loved it. To me, I looked healthy and felt healthy. However, I was severely bullied for how I looked in middle school and high school. I was confident until other people in my class started making fun of me for having muscle and being tall. Unfortunately it got so bad that I quit swimming for a year because it would make my lats "too big for a girl." Not working out that year and being bullied caused me to become depressed and that's when I started smoking cigarrettes. It's extremely unfortunate when someone who loved their body and felt healthy and confident, got bullied into not working out and picking up smoking. Overall, commenting on people's body can make them go from being actually healthy, mentally and physically, to depressed and scared to work out for fear of gaining muscle and getting made fun of.  

Francesca and Nora I understand that society is too quick to judge on how a person looks. I find that there are better things to say to someone than comment on their weight unless I am asked. Then I have to handle the situation very carefully so as not to hurt their feelings

YOur right Amanda,

I felt so uncomfortable around my school mates and I stayed quite and just hoped not to be picked on. Gym class was the worst and I hated exercise. I still do not like to exercise where people will see me. Even some people in my family thought it was funny to pick on me and call me names like fatty. I wished I could be thin and never realized that thin people have the same issues as I did

As ive gotten older ive seen the societal change in being more "body positive." Not to say by any means that rude comments and slurs arent thrown around to just about anyone, but theyre pretty few and far in between. As a plus-size woman, i can honestly say i havent had many people comment on my weight (to my face anyway) but i have heard it come back to me. I think the more confidence you gain the less and less you care about any ones opinions in general, good or bad. 

Being a curvy woman i know others opinions isnt something to rely on. So i apply it to everyone, no matter your size, dont comment on it. Giving a compliment never has to include their weight, saying they look good is all that needs to be said. You never know how that person feels about their appearance, and one thing can completely throw someone into a spiral. 

As someone who has always struggled with a healthy relationship with food and my weight, I hate when people comment on weightloss or weight in general. Anytime I have ever gone on a diet I loose weight because I end up starving myself. So when people comment on my weightloss they really have no idea how I'm even doing it. Is starving yourself healthy? Absolutely not. So am I "healthier" just because I've lost weight? Not necessarily. I also feel like anytime someone comments on my weight it triggers things for me like when I was bullied all through grade school for being fat. I feel like the saying "wow you lost weight you look great!" is basically telling me you thought I looked ugly when I was heavier. Instead what is important is that I'm healthy and happy in my own body and my weight gain or weight loss is no ones business but my own. 

We have been brain washed to focus only on how we look and what kind of physical shape we are in and we automatically think that someone loosing weight means they look better and we assume they are healthier and that just isn't true. Their are a million other things we can say to our friends and family that don't have to do with weight because we are more than what we weigh! Things are changing and we should just love eachother because of the type of person we are, not because we look a certain way to fit society's standards. Screw what society believes anyway, they don't know whats best for anyone!

@abigailcochraneiectskin-com yes their are a million other positive comments to say to someone NOT weight related! 

@francescablackiectskin-com I agree! I think that someone's weight regardless of it is weight loss, weight gain or anything regarding weight is personal and no ones business. 

During elementary school, I struggled with my weight. I was always told I was "chubby". Once I got to middle school I lost a lot of weight because I didn't really eat. It got to the point where my mother would call the school to see if I ate that day. I've never been truly happy with my body, but as I get older i'm learning to love it.

@abigailcochraneiectskin-com I 100% agree with you. I dont know why people feel the need to throw in a comment about someones weight when they give someone a complement. 

@laurenjohnsoniectskin-com 

Yes Lauren the article and your comments are very good. I have gained and lost weight various times and people would say how good I looked with the weight loss. I heard nothing when I was heavier

@abigailcochraneiectskin-com 

I have struggled with weight for years. Your right that people comment to others and through them I hear what they have said. I think there are stereotypes on every physical issue people have and it is not right. This thinking is embedded in our culture and institutions

@deborahwatersiectskin-com Yes because we associate weight loss with being a good thing but it's funny how no one is asking how it was done! What if it was done by starving yourself or because you are really sick? Then it's not such a good thing. Someone who is really thin isn't necessarily healthy. 

@keyonnastarksiectskin-com Ugh bullying when you're young is the worst. It really takes a toll on you when you get older and messes with your body image. 

Weight is a very sensitive topic, especially when discussing womens weight. Its so many factors in life that can cause you to gain or lose weight. During my life my weight had fluciated back and forth. When i was in 3rd and 4th grade I was alot heavier than my other classmates and I loss the weight overtime. Now I am starting to gain weight again but its because im on birth control. 

@keyonnastarksiectskin-com I was also the "chubby" child in elementary school. I felt alone because none of my other classmates looked like me. Overtime i started going outside more and playing and loss the weight. Adjusting to you weight changes throughout life is totally something that takes time. 

@deborahwatersiectskin-com Its so sad how even at a young age we all have dealt with insecurity and teasing over weight. I believe society and what we see on tv and hear from older generations plays a huge part into our views on weight.

Sometimes i feel to skinny and it is annoying when a family member or friend is like you need to eat. It alot more than just "you need to eat". Sometimes i get sick from eating or i dont want to eat.

@camiryndavisiectskin-com You should never comment on a mothers weight especially if they just gave birth. Moms did the most amazing job having that baby and they should not be ashamed of it.

@keyonnastarksiectskin-com Elementary and middle school are hard. Thats when you body changes and can be all different sizes.

@cameranriddleiectskin-com 

I think sometimes people see a slim person and right away think they are too thin or like you said eat more. I had friends that were very slim who were bullied just as I was

@camiryndavisiectskin-com 

It certainly does take time and the stigma of the name calling and how that made me feel is still in my mind. I have not worn a bathing suit in over 5 years and I just feel as if all those names will come back to me

@laurenjohnsoniectskin-com 

My body image is not good. I don't wear shorts, dresses, or bathing suits. As Ive aged getting weight off is hard and a long process. For some surgery is an option. For me I can.t afford it. I could have body treatments to help but there is not any time to get them done. I've been working out the past few months. It has been hard, I like the Pilates but again I can only go 1 time a week as per my schedule. 

Being that weight is such a sensitive subject for many people, I think it is very important to just not comment on anyone's weight regardless if they are "too skinny" or "too over weight".  You never know what someone's insecurities are or what they are going through.

@keyonnastarksiectskin-com I love that you are learning how to love your body! Similarly to you, I've never really had a good relationship with my body image. I did pageants as an early teenager, so that had really ruined my view with the way I viewed my body. I struggled with anorexia for years, and then bullemia. I gained a lot of weight throughout highschool and collage, and felt horrible about myself. For the last 2.5 years, I've worked really hard on my relationship with food and my body image and I'm the healthiest I've ever been.