Moments From Dumplin' That Made Me Want to Scream and/or Cry: From a Fat Girl
I love this movie with my entire soul so I just had to post all the bits that make me cry pretty much every time I watch it.
The absolute befuddlement of people realizing a skinny woman has a fat child.
My mom (who was also fat) passed away when I was young, so I grew up with my very slim father. The amount of times something similar has happened to me is genuinely startling.
The fear that that one piece of clothing won't fit.
I'm not sure if this sentiment was intended in this scene, but every single time I watch this movie, this line brings so many emotions back. As a kid growing up, we didn't have much money so I maybe had one or two outfits that were suitable for a formal event. I remember every single time I had to wear those things, I felt so much fear that they wouldn't fit and shame/guilt if they didn't because my dad would have to spend money buying me something new.
The assumption that all fat people eat greasy foods or things generally perceived as unhealthy, even when it's specifically been addressed that someone does not like something.
It seems that people are incapable of understanding that fat people can also have food preferences, as opposed to just indiscriminately consuming food.
The flat out unshakable assumption that no skinny person (or any person, for that matter) could ever find a fat person attractive.
The fact that I still genuinely find myself feeling this way (only about myself, mind you, never about anyone else) is genuinely heartbreaking.
The fact that weight has any bearing on a person's prospects.
The fact that my opportunities are impacted by my weight is society's issue that ultimately becomes my problem. I have been 150 pounds and I have been 350 pounds, and at both points my mind has functioned the exact same. Other people's unjustified concerns about my body shouldn't be the thing that limits me.
People first seeing "fat" and then being unable to add any extra characteristics to a person.
I have family members who have made me feel this way my entire life. Some do it incorrectly, but out of love, while others are much more concerned that I am tainting the family by being the size that I am.
I'm sure the fact that she's wearing those not-so-great pajamas is much more because it's summertime in Texas and they don't have much money, but it also brings to mind limited plus size clothing options. Even as a kid I have distinct memories of not being able to wear what I wanted, rather, the things that happened to come in the largest sizes.
The fear a fat person has that they will completely demolish something if they step or sit on it.
I'm not sure if this was what was intended with this scene, but her hesitation before getting on the truck brings such visceral feelings. I genuinely still refuse to sit on lawn chairs because I am 100% convinced I will plummet through them.
How one body part that a fat person despises can be totally inconsequential to someone else.
We're still waiting for this one to settle into my noggin.
The realization that people can love you and your weight has absolutely no bearing on that.
For me, as a fat person, my baseline is kind of assuming that every single person first sees me as a "fat person" which is then followed by additional descriptors. But then, sometimes, for the most innocuous reasons, it hits me that there are people in my life who see me as a person with my own qualities, way before the word "fat" ever factors in, and those moments are beautiful.
In conclusion, and I know this may come as a shocker to some, so brace yourselves: people look how they look and should be loved whether they choose to change that or not. Size does not dictate beauty.
