Like it or not, the First Amendment also applies to the word “fatties”

I spent most of my childhood, all of my teens, and the early part of my twenties being overweight. Despite dropping 65 pounds while in college, I continue to struggle with my weight and body acceptance issues on a daily basis.

Having been judged by my peers for being fat and knowing the extreme pain and torment harsh words, silent stares and hushed snickers cause, I make it a habit to keep my mouth shut when it comes to others’ weight.

So, was I offended this week when I read Maura Kelly’s blog post (that ignited a firestorm) for Marie ClaireShould “Fatties” Get a Room? (Even on TV?)?” Nope. Do I agree with her opinion? Not at all.

As of this writing, Kelly’s post has over 2,500 comments, hundreds of bloggers have written about her and the Today Show did a segment on the post (according to the show, both Kelly and Marie Claire Editor-in-Chief Joanna Coles declined to appear on the program).

Editors at Marie Claire have provided Kelly with a platform to engage readers, be snarky and draw visitors to the site, day after day. She’s doing a damn good job. Just about the entire Internet is talking about her and Marie Claire was a trending topic on Twitter.

I was surprised to hear that Coles and Kelly turned down an appearance on the Today Show. Both had released statements about the controversial post – why not take the opportunity to further explain what Marie Claire was trying to achieve with the piece that was sure to upset its primarily female audience. The biggest question I have is why did an editor assign a story about a television show to a writer who, according to Kelly’s post a) is “not much of a TV person” and b) never saw the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly? I’m left wondering more about the journalistic integrity of the magazine than Kelly’s issue with overweight people kissing or watching “a very, very fat person simply walk across a room.”

I’m glad Marie Claire is willing to publish controversial articles and doesn’t feel the need to overly censor its writers. I support Kelly and her right to voice her opinion under the First Amendment. Personally, I would rather disagree with someone than never hear his or her take.

And to all of the people who were offended by Kelly’s post, remember: “When people attack you, you always have to remember that a lot of what others say about you has a lot more to do with them than you.” – Hillary Rodham Clinton (Thanks to my colleague Lisa for posting this quote on her Facebook page.)

One thought on “Like it or not, the First Amendment also applies to the word “fatties”

  1. The First Amendment right to free speech is a right of the people not to be censored by the government. To have a First Amendment issue, you need a government actor. For example, the White House trying to stop a newspaper from publishing an anti-war article or even sensitive government information. There, the government is trying to suppress speech. That’s a First Amendment issue.

    In this case, a privately owned magazine is being criticized by private citizens. People are disagreeing with the article and calling it hateful and disgraceful. No government actor, therefore no First Amendment issue.

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