Woman bursts into tears after colleagues five-word remark about her weight
Appearance, and particularly weight, can be a loaded topic for many people. No matter what it says on the scale, you can often find yourself subjected to commentary from friends, family and even passersby about your body or looks, and a lot of the time this is unwelcomed and can make people feel self-conscious or even anxious.
For one woman bumping into an old colleague wasn't a happy reunion, instead it left her crying her eyes out, after the ex-coworker noted almost immediately that she had gained weight since the last time they had seen each other.
While it might have seemed like an innocuous comment to the former acquaintance, the woman's difficult history with food issues meant that it devastated her.
The unnamed woman, who posted on Mumsnet looking for advice and feedback, explained that she had put on around a "stone in two years" and that she put this down to her age - late thirties - and suffering from autoimmune issues. "I am late thirties now and so it is obviously harder than when I was young to stay slim," she explained, adding that she is "5'3 and now 9 stone exactly."
She went on to detail the incident: "I bumped into an ex colleague last night and she told me I was looking well with 'some extra weight on you.' I must have looked shocked as she then said: 'No, no. Hear me out. It looks good on you.' I just burst into tears when I came home and can't stop thinking about it. I used to struggle with eating when I was younger so this has brought it all back."
'I don't want children staying up late at weekends - I really need adult time'
Commenters on the post were pretty split about whether the woman had been reasonable to react so emotionally to this comment. Some felt that she had overreacted to what was a fairly harmless remark, while others supported her and felt it was inappropriate for the former colleague to comment on her appearance.
"That's a very healthy weight for your height. She was trying to say something nice to you, although admittedly it seems like it was a bit clumsy. But she was saying you look good! It was a compliment," wrote one.
Another took a harsher position: "Why do so many people get upset by what another person says or thinks about you? Seriously, why give it a second thought? Who cares? Then to go home and burst into tears is completely ridiculous!!"
However, other people were more supportive towards the woman posting: "I am saying this kindly, but objectively if you are 9 stone at 5'3 and have put on weight to get there, then there is a real chance she genuinely thought you looked too underweight last time she saw you," wrote one commenter. "Be careful that you are not, with your current mind set, slipping back into disordered eating and are body checking with this post. You are worthy and amazing just the way you are."
Do you think the woman overreacted? Let us know in the comments below.
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