“You… Sooo SKINNY!”

 OK…this is one of my pet peeves and I will take a moment to sound off about it.

In this weight conscious exterior directed society that we live in, weight is often the topic of conversation. However, people don’t realize that comments about weight can swing both ways.

There is no one in their right mind who would walk up to a man, woman or child, look them up and down and say…

”Boy have you put on a lot of weight!”

Hands down, we all know that this is inappropriate and wouldn’t if we had a brain in our heads say this.

However, I have personally found people who have no hesitation to go up to a person who is thin and say,

“Boy are you skinny!”

How on earth can they think that this is not offensive?

After my knee surgery, due to the surgery and the medications that I was taking, I lost 13 pounds.
That might not seem like a lot of weight, but on my smallest frame…it is a lot.

I can’t count the number of times that “friends” and associates have come up to me here lately and say how thin I look.

When I explain my situation, I am told that I am so lucky that I have lost all this weight and if I needed some pounds that I could borrow some of theirs…ha ha ha!

Apparently, they had recently had an extra dose of insensitivity cuz I didn’t find any of that either supportive or a tad bit funny.

Having said this, I now feel a tad bit better.

Photo Credit: ierdnall via Compfight cc

Beatrice Bailey

Beatrice Bailey was born and raised in Davenport, Iowa to a Baptist minister father and a mother who was a gospel recording artist. She has three sisters and one brother. She attended the University of Iowa and graduated with a BA in Psychology from California State University, Sacramento. Retired since 2004 from management positions with both the Xerox Corporation and the State of California, Bea now conducts customized seminars on “Budgeting for the Not So Rich and Famous”, “Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together…The Ultimate Balancing Act,” as well as interview techniques entitled, “Selling the Sizzle and Not the Steak.” In addition, she is an active member of St. Paul Baptist Church in Sacramento, CA, where she is an Adult Sunday School teacher. Bea has been a Head Feature Writer for Senior Magazine of Northern California. She also writes a monthly newspaper column entitled, “Uniquely Bea” Currently, she has authored a best-selling book, entitled, "Farewell, My Friend” and is conducting presentations and book signings throughout the United States and Mexico. "Radio Luz,” a Spanish Speaking Christian Radio Station, has interviewed her multiple times. Bea also was selected to be included in a book by The Author’s Show, as one of the "50 Outstanding Writers You Should Be Reading”. Bea has produced and hosted a new innovative television show, “A-Z with Bea”, which aired in November 2009 on RCCTV, Sacramento, CA. Bea is active at St. Paul Baptist Church and is an Adult Sunday school Teacher, and a Small Accountability Group Leader. She is a member of Kaiser’s Bio-Ethics Committee and on the Board of Advisors for the East Lawn Corporation. Recently, she has been asked to participate as a speaker with the Black Health Today national organization. To relax, Bea likes to work out at the gym, walk, knit, paint, sew, cook, garden, and read. Traveling within the United States, Mexico, Asia, the Caribbean, South America and Europe is one of Bea’s true passions. She has two adult children, one “bonus son”, five wonderful grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She resides in Northern California.

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Beatrice Bailey was born and raised in Davenport, Iowa to a Baptist minister father and a mother who was a gospel recording artist. She has three sisters and one brother. She attended the University of Iowa and graduated with a BA in Psychology from California State University, Sacramento. Retired since 2004 from management positions with both the Xerox Corporation and the State of California, Bea now conducts customized seminars on “Budgeting for the Not So Rich and Famous”, “Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together…The Ultimate Balancing Act,” as well as interview techniques entitled, “Selling the Sizzle and Not the Steak.” In addition, she is an active member of St. Paul Baptist Church in Sacramento, CA, where she is an Adult Sunday School teacher. Bea has been a Head Feature Writer for Senior Magazine of Northern California. She also writes a monthly newspaper column entitled, “Uniquely Bea” Currently, she has authored a best-selling book, entitled, "Farewell, My Friend” and is conducting presentations and book signings throughout the United States and Mexico. "Radio Luz,” a Spanish Speaking Christian Radio Station, has interviewed her multiple times. Bea also was selected to be included in a book by The Author’s Show, as one of the "50 Outstanding Writers You Should Be Reading”. Bea has produced and hosted a new innovative television show, “A-Z with Bea”, which aired in November 2009 on RCCTV, Sacramento, CA. Bea is active at St. Paul Baptist Church and is an Adult Sunday school Teacher, and a Small Accountability Group Leader. She is a member of Kaiser’s Bio-Ethics Committee and on the Board of Advisors for the East Lawn Corporation. Recently, she has been asked to participate as a speaker with the Black Health Today national organization. To relax, Bea likes to work out at the gym, walk, knit, paint, sew, cook, garden, and read. Traveling within the United States, Mexico, Asia, the Caribbean, South America and Europe is one of Bea’s true passions. She has two adult children, one “bonus son”, five wonderful grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She resides in Northern California.

3 thoughts on ““You… Sooo SKINNY!”

  1. I’ve noticed that the people who always tell me I’m too skinny, or don’t need to lose any more weight, are always overweight themselves. So screw that, I say!! None of their business. We live with ourselves primarily and our own individual relationship to our body. So long as we are healthy and feel we have plenty of energy, our weight is our own business. Way to go girlfriend! You just tell them to mind their own business!
    Susan xo

  2. Been there, people kept telling me I’m too thin, they’re worried about me, on and on they went. I gained ten pounds (ten pounds, i’m five foot ten) and now people are telling me I need to be careful and wow, you’ve gained weight.

    Make up your mind! Which is it?

    How about they shut up and keep their thoughts to themselves.

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