Those fat memes. Can we talk about them?

You've seen them.

The pig dancing in front of the pool with the caption about a pre-holiday diet failing.

The guinea pig waddling to the kitchen after a cry.

"Me, seconds after complaining about how fat I am" - cue the dessert.

They're everywhere. Instagram, TikTok, Facebook. And they get reshared over and over again until absolutely everyone has seen them.

And I know. I know.

They're just a laugh.

A bit of harmless fun.

But they're not harmless.

And I've been wanting to say this for a long time.

Let me start with the person who's seeing them.

If you're in a larger body and someone you follow, someone in a smaller body, is posting these things and laughing along, how does that make you feel? Really?

It tells you your body is something to be ashamed of.

That it's a punchline.

That you are less worthy because of how you look.

That is not harmless.

That is fat phobia.

And the fact that it's dressed up as a relatable meme doesn't change what it is.

Now. The person posting them.

I'm not here to have a go. I genuinely just want to check in.

Because if you're the one sharing the "I cried because I'm fat and then ordered a Chinese" meme and laughing it off, are you actually okay?

Because what I see in that isn't humour.

What I see is someone who feels really rubbish about their body, doesn't have the tools to deal with that feeling, and is using food to cope.

And then making a joke about it so it doesn't hurt as much.

That is a cycle. And it can be broken.

Fat isn't a feeling, by the way.

When you say you feel fat, something else is going on.

You might be stressed, overwhelmed, lonely, bored.

The feeling of "fat" is covering something else up.

And until we work out what that something else is, the cycle keeps going.

This is exactly the kind of thing I work on with my 1-1 clients.

Not the food itself but the feelings underneath it.

The body image.

The patterns that have been there for years.

The coping strategies that aren't actually coping strategies at all.

So what can you do?

If you see these memes, and you feel comfortable to do so, call it out.

Kindly.

You don't have to be preachy about it.

Just a simple "I don't think this is very kind, do you?" is enough.

You can also mute, block, or report.

But an education is always better than a block.

And if you've just read this and thought "that's literally me, I post those memes" please don't sit with that on your own.

Come and have a chat with me. A free 30 minute call. No pressure, no pitch. Just a kind conversation about where you are and where you want to be.

Because you deserve to feel at peace in your body.

Not just okay with it. Actually at peace.

Book your free call here. And listen to this week's episode of Chatting with Cara here.