---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fat shaming is real, constant, and rather…"
description: "\"“Fat shaming is real, constant, and rather pointed. There are a shocking number of people who believe they can simply torment fat people into weight lo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/roxane-gay-520_fat-people_fat-shaming-is-real-constant-and-rather_1951351.png"
---

#  Fat shaming is real, constant, and rather pointed. There…

![“Fat shaming is real, constant, and rather pointed. There are a shocking number of people who believe they can simply torment fat people into weight loss and disciplining their bodies or disappearing their bodies from the public sphere. They believe they are medical experts, listing a litany of…” quote by Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/roxane-gay-520_fat-people_fat-shaming-is-real-constant-and-rather_1951351.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/roxane-gay-520_fat-people_fat-shaming-is-real-constant-and-rather_1951351.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/roxane-gay-520_fat-people_fat-shaming-is-real-constant-and-rather_1951351.png)

> ““Fat shaming is real, constant, and rather pointed. There are a shocking number of people who believe they can simply torment fat people into weight loss and disciplining their bodies or disappearing their bodies from the public sphere. They believe they are medical experts, listing a litany of health problems associated with fatness as personal affronts. These tormentors bind themselves in righteousness when they point out the obvious—that our bodies are unruly, defiant, fat. It’s a strange civic-minded cruelty. When people try to shame me for being fat, I feel rage. I get stubborn. I want to make myself fatter to spite the shamers, even though the only person I would really be spiting is myself.””

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Fat shaming is a pervasive, aggressive behavior that weaponizes health rhetoric to control and marginalize fat bodies, provoking anger and resistance in those targeted.

**In simple terms:** Fat shaming attacks and bodies, causing anger and defiance.

Key Takeaway

Channel anger into self‑acceptance and advocacy.

Themes

body image social justice health rhetoric identity resistance

Mood

frustrated defiant determined

Type

personal social political

When to use this quote

- online harassment
- medical consultations
- public speaking
- personal relationships

Key Concepts

fat shaming body autonomy social control

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we discuss health without shaming?
- What personal strategies help resist internalized stigma?

A Different Perspective

Counterpoint: Some argue health concerns justify discussion, but tone and intent matter more than content.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Health problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-problem/) [Health problems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health-problems/) [Shaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shaming/) [Weight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weight/) [Weight loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weight-loss/)

## Related quotes

> [“Shame is a difficult thing. People certainly try to shame me for being fat. When I am walking down the street, men lean out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/shame-is-a-difficult-thing-people-certainly-try-to-shame-me-for-being/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [I run into guys all the time that say, 'Me and my three buddies started fat shaming each other and we collectively lost 130…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bert-kreischer/i-run-into-guys-all-the-time-that-say-me-and-my-three-buddies-started/)

[Bert Kreischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bert-kreischer/)

> [People have got to stop fat-shaming and writing bad stuff. I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be around for a long time. Get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-collins/people-have-got-to-stop-fat-shaming-and-writing-bad-stuff-i-m-not/)

[Gemma Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-collins/)

> [People who give off about fat-shaming and body-shaming are often the same people who talk about Trump's hair or how fat he is, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/limmy/people-who-give-off-about-fat-shaming-and-body-shaming-are-often-the/)

[Limmy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/limmy/)

> [“If you really want change to happen, if you really want to 'help' fat people, you need to understand that shaming an already-shamed population…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindy-west/if-you-really-want-change-to-happen-if-you-really-want-to-help-fat/)

[Lindy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindy-west/)

> [I stand for body confidence and against fat shaming, but I will not support people who live on bad cholesterol.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhumi-pednekar/i-stand-for-body-confidence-and-against-fat-shaming-but-i-will-not/)

[Bhumi Pednekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhumi-pednekar/)

> [When I say a girl like me, I bet you think I'm just talking about being fat. How dare you fat-shame me? You think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabourey-sidibe/when-i-say-a-girl-like-me-i-bet-you-think-i-m-just-talking-about/)

[Gabourey Sidibe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabourey-sidibe/)

> [“Fat-Shaming Chris Christie Article Jason Linkins Chris Christie's year has been more than a little bit tough, what with "Bridgegate" and its attendant melodramas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fat-shaming-chris-christie-article-jason-linkins-chris-christie-s/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It's a very weird cultural perception that if you're fat you're dumb, that you're lazy or a loser. Clearly, those are the preconditions for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/it-s-a-very-weird-cultural-perception-that-if-you-re-fat-you-re-dumb/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“We hear the statistics about how obesity is a major problem in the United States, and yet there are a mere handful of stores…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/we-hear-the-statistics-about-how-obesity-is-a-major-problem-in-the/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“These reactions hurt, for so many reasons. They illustrate how little people think of fat people, how they assume we are neither smart nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/these-reactions-hurt-for-so-many-reasons-they-illustrate-how-little/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“This world and its unwillingness to accept and accommodate me are the problem. But I suspect it is more likely that I can change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/this-world-and-its-unwillingness-to-accept-and-accommodate-me-are-the/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [Generally, the ways we discuss the fat body pathologize it; we treat it as a medical problem and/or a social problem that must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/generally-the-ways-we-discuss-the-fat-body-pathologize-it-we-treat-it/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [Stop baby shaming people to make us feel like there's something wrong with us if we don't want children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannie-mai/stop-baby-shaming-people-to-make-us-feel-like-there-s-something-wrong/)

[Jeannie Mai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannie-mai/)

> [I do not believe in public shaming. I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/)

[Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/)

## More by Roxane Gay

> [“Human endurance fascinates me, probably too much because more often than not, I think of life in terms of enduring instead of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/human-endurance-fascinates-me-probably-too-much-because-more-often/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“Being useful was a balm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/being-useful-was-a-balm/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [No woman or man is any one thing and the men in my stories, well, some of them are good and some of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/no-woman-or-man-is-any-one-thing-and-the-men-in-my-stories-well-some/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“I was a daydreamer and I resented being pulled out of my daydreams to deal with the business of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-was-a-daydreamer-and-i-resented-being-pulled-out-of-my-daydreams-to/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [Feminism is, I hope, a way to a better future for everyone who inhabits this world. Feminism should not be something that needs a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/feminism-is-i-hope-a-way-to-a-better-future-for-everyone-who-inhabits/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [Fiction offers escape but it also interrogates the world we live in, whether the past, present or future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/fiction-offers-escape-but-it-also-interrogates-the-world-we-live-in/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“I've noticed while cooking, how ingredients in their individual and naked state and be a bit repulsive but necessary, kind of like people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-ve-noticed-while-cooking-how-ingredients-in-their-individual-and/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“I shouted, “This is not right,” knowing my words were useless. There’s no room for such distinctions in a country where too many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-shouted-this-is-not-right-knowing-my-words-were-useless-there-s-no/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [Most of my favorite tweets go completely ignored but most of my favorite tweets are probably really lame or inside jokes between me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/most-of-my-favorite-tweets-go-completely-ignored-but-most-of-my/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“What about other women of color? For Hispanic and Latina women, Indian women, Middle Eastern women, Asian women, their absence in popular culture is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/what-about-other-women-of-color-for-hispanic-and-latina-women-indian/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [There has been, and there will continue to be, vigorous discussions about race in America. I worry that little will come of these discussions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/there-has-been-and-there-will-continue-to-be-vigorous-discussions/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [Writing, at its best and truest, can offer solace and salvation for both readers and writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/writing-at-its-best-and-truest-can-offer-solace-and-salvation-for/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“I knew I was in love with The Hunger Games when I did not want to get off the treadmill”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-knew-i-was-in-love-with-the-hunger-games-when-i-did-not-want-to-get/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“Just because you survive something does not mean you are strong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/just-because-you-survive-something-does-not-mean-you-are-strong/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [“Celebrities understand the economy of thinness, and most of them are willing to participate in that economy, taking to social media, where they pose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/celebrities-understand-the-economy-of-thinness-and-most-of-them-are/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

[Explore all 503 Roxane Gay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

## More Fat people quotes

> [I don't want to lose weight to live long or be healthy. I just want to be able to make fun of fat people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segura/i-don-t-want-to-lose-weight-to-live-long-or-be-healthy-i-just-want-to/)

[Tom Segura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segura/)

> [Why is it controversial to talk about the fact that fat people deserve to take up space and deserve to be sexy?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-holliday/why-is-it-controversial-to-talk-about-the-fact-that-fat-people/)

[Tess Holliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-holliday/)

> [Relationships are like fat people. Most of them dont workout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/relationships-are-like-fat-people-most-of-them-dont-workout/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you want to look young and thin on your birthday. Hang around a bunch of old fat people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony/if-you-want-to-look-young-and-thin-on-your-birthday-hang-around-a/)

[Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony/)

> [Because I'm fat, people believe I'm somehow vulnerable and easy to handle in a negotiation. Ever try to negotiate with a fat guy? We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-brillstein/because-i-m-fat-people-believe-i-m-somehow-vulnerable-and-easy-to/)

[Bernie Brillstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-brillstein/)

> [“When you're fat, people naturally assume you aren't committed. They think you're not disciplined because if you were disciplined you wouldn't let yourself get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-l-going/when-you-re-fat-people-naturally-assume-you-aren-t-committed-they/)

[K.L. Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-l-going/)

> [Thin people are beautiful, but fat people are adorable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-gleason/thin-people-are-beautiful-but-fat-people-are-adorable/)

[Jackie Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-gleason/)

> [I am proud to be called the Queen of Mean, and I never mince my words - especially when it comes to fat people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hopkins/i-am-proud-to-be-called-the-queen-of-mean-and-i-never-mince-my-words/)

[Katie Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hopkins/)

> [Uh, stay fat, people. Thats my motto. Its no picnic!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-rogen/uh-stay-fat-people-thats-my-motto-its-no-picnic/)

[Seth Rogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-rogen/)

> [Fat people are brilliant in bed. If I'm sitting on top of you, who's going to argue?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/fat-people-are-brilliant-in-bed-if-i-m-sitting-on-top-of-you-who-s/)

[Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/)

> [We're fighting a stigma: fat. People are really scared of fat. And I think we need to change people's minds and show that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-renn/we-re-fighting-a-stigma-fat-people-are-really-scared-of-fat-and-i/)

[Crystal Renn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-renn/)

> [Being fat isn't so bad.. fat people are harder to kidnap!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-fat-isn-t-so-bad-fat-people-are-harder-to-kidnap/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The perception of fat people in America is that they're fat, therefore they're dumb, they're lazy, and they must stink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralphie-may/the-perception-of-fat-people-in-america-is-that-they-re-fat-therefore/)

[Ralphie May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralphie-may/)

> [“You can't fix a problem by targeting its victims. Even if you hate fat people with all your heart, if you actually want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindy-west/you-can-t-fix-a-problem-by-targeting-its-victims-even-if-you-hate-fat/)

[Lindy West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindy-west/)

> [“The reality is that fat people are often supported in hating their bodies, in starving themselves, in engaging in unsafe exercise, and in seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-kinzel/the-reality-is-that-fat-people-are-often-supported-in-hating-their/)

[Lesley Kinzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-kinzel/)

Browse all 153 Fat people quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Fat shaming is real, constant, and rather pointed. There are a shocking number of people who believe they can simply torment fat people into weight loss and disciplining their bodies or disappearing their bodies from the public sphere. They believe they are medical experts, listing a litany of health problems associated with fatness as personal affronts. These tormentors bind themselves in righteousness when they point out the obvious—that our bodies are unruly, defiant, fat. It’s a strange civic-minded cruelty. When people try to shame me for being fat, I feel rage. I get stubborn. I want to make myself fatter to spite the shamers, even though the only person I would really be spiting is myself.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Roxane Gay"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/fat-shaming-is-real-constant-and-rather-pointed-there-are-a-shocking/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Fat people"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/fat-shaming-is-real-constant-and-rather-pointed-there-are-a-shocking/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/roxane-gay-520_fat-people_fat-shaming-is-real-constant-and-rather_1951351.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/roxane-gay-520_fat-people_fat-shaming-is-real-constant-and-rather_1951351.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2dd/roxane-gay-520_fat-people_fat-shaming-is-real-constant-and-rather_1951351.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Fat shaming is real, constant, and rather pointed. There are a shocking number of people who believe they…” — Roxane Gay",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Roxane Gay",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Fat shaming is real, constant, and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/fat-shaming-is-real-constant-and-rather-pointed-there-are-a-shocking/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/fat-shaming-is-real-constant-and-rather-pointed-there-are-a-shocking/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
