Woman says complimenting someone on weight loss is fatphobic and sparks internet debate

A woman has sparked a debate on Twitter after saying that complimenting someone on their weight loss is “inherently fatphobic.”

Sarah Kelly, who goes by @thesarahkelly on Twitter, took to the platform to share her thoughts about complimenting people on their weight loss.

“Complimenting people on their weight loss is inherently fatphobic. There is no way to do it that doesn’t imply that their body was less worthy when it was bigger/softer. Find something else to compliment,” Kelly tweeted.

In a subsequent tweet, she added some alternatives such as “You have so much energy, it’s great,” and “you are glowing.”

People in the comments had mixed opinions about Kelly’s posts. Some said that it was a nice way to make sure overweight people aren’t upset, but many others took issue with her stance.

One said said: “As someone who has lost 50lbs since August, f*** all of that. Tell me how much better I look. I lost that weight because I wanted to look better.”

“I lost 150lbs; if no one complimented me, I’d have dropped all my friends. That was a LOT of work that saved my life. [I] Didn’t care that I was fat & the people complimenting didn’t either. I was dying and almost immobile, and they knew. So [the] end of the day depends [on] who’s complimenting,” wrote another.

Some said they feared triggering offence and think it safer to stay largely silent in future.

“I see a future where silence will be safer because the dictators of speech & thought will expose you,” wrote one. “We are ALL imperfect & most of us have good intentions. To jump on every mistake will result in silence where REAL issues won’t be dealt with. You must live such a perfect life.”

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