THE AGONY OF A NIGERIAN FAT GIRL

The Fat girl ends up miserable year after year. The society has neglected the fuller woman. This has resulted to fat girls feeling depressed, left-out and downcast. The average big lady spends most of their years in solitude, angry at themselves, the society and even their shadow. Many are being laugh at, ridiculed, jilted, abused and sent back indoors where they are depressed and even get fatter. The society is such a big nightmare for this group of people which is saddening.

When they go for shopping which is a very beautiful and fun experience for almost every lady. But for the fat girl, it’s a rather sober experience. In many cases, sizes are deceptive to the extent that a size 12 dress will be tagged size 18.
She has to through every cloth in the store before she finds what fits her. Sometimes, she ends up not seeing any flattering outfit. Again, the sadness begins.

Then she turns to her tailor to make a good dress for her. A beautifully styled dress she saw in a magazine page. The tailor makes it, it’s still not flattering. Sarcastically, the tailor says, “I find it difficult sewing for fat girls, it is too hard”. Again, the sadness begins.

Her soon-to-be-married bestfriend calls, “Wendy, will you be one of my bridesmaids”? “Don’t answer of course you will”. She is excited. “Will call you up later so we go choose the dresses with the other girls”. Her heart drops. Shopping bridesmaids with the other girls, she knows will be a huge nightmare because she is the “fat girl”. While shopping, The saleslady says, "We don't have your size, so here's the biggest we do have," and she gives it a try. Of course, it never fits. Her underarm fat is spilling over, her back fat is folding over the waist, and she can't get the thing to slip over her butt. But it looks beautiful on everyone else! And she is left feeling guilty for being more than a handful. Again, the sadness begins.

At NYSC orientation camp. The fat girl is handed her dress bag. She opens it. The kaki trouser is as small as a size 6’s whereas she is a size 18. “Ma’am, dis kaki is too small for me, can I get a larger size”, she says to the platoon mistress. The lady murmurs, “Exchange with someone else”. (lol, we’ve all experienced this). And she looks around, no one has her size. Most of other corpers, she may ask will reply saying, “NOO!!! I no carry orobo size”. Everyone laughs at her.  Again, the sadness begins.

Every fat lady go through post-traumatic dress disorder. It is the condition that occurs when a person, usually female, feels disappointed and traumatized while leaving a clothing store. It could happen when she views old photographs and asks herself "What the hell was I wearing???" It could also be the traumatic stress she feels between the moment she post a picture on the Internet and the moment somebody likes it or responds.

Fat people go through this stress all the time and the society is not being fair at all. 80% of Heart-related illnesses which fat people suffer are because they spend most of their years depressed, not just about their size but because of social prejudicial.

Written by Jennifer Ogoo Okolo