People of Wal-Mart are People Too.

I used to be a part of the People of Wal-Mart group on Facebook. Members would post pictures of people/outfits they saw in the store and others would "like" or comment on said pictures, usually critically.

 

And then I had a thought:

 

Since when am I all that fabulous?

 

Seriously, who hasn't gone out in their ratty gym clothes and/or with greasy hair? Why am I a member of a group founded solely to make fun of people? 

 

I decided I wasn't comfortable being in that group anymore.

 

We are all over our youth about the dangers of bullying, but then we adults perpetuate the problem with things like this - effectively giving kids permission to not only make fun of people who are different, but to post about it on Facebook.

 

She might be heavy, but you're definitely an a-hole.
 

Either this woman thinks she looks nice enough to be in Wal-Mart, or it's all she has to wear. Maybe she just lost everything she owns in a fire or storm. Maybe she just had a baby and is going through that "I can see my feet again, I'm obviously rail-thin!" phase. Her kid is dressed more "acceptably," maybe she chooses to spend all her discretionary income on him. Whatever the reason, why does it matter to you? Are you really so important that you think you need to "pay more" somewhere else to avoid possibly interacting with this woman? Because that's what this meme is implying, isn't it? That because she's heavy and poorly dressed she's not worthy of your orbit.

 

Please. Puh-leez.

 

Maybe you think you're just reposting things like this to share a laugh, but what you're really doing is giving others permission to deride, fat shame and bully this woman - the same way that you yourself have just done. Did it not occur to you that this woman is a real person? They had to get this picture somewhere after all.

 

If you re-post things like this, YOU are part of the bullying problem in America.