My Two Cents on that Franco Mabanta "Pro Fat-Shaming" Thingy
Okay, allow me to get to the point right here, right now.
First of all, who is this guy, you ask? Yep, same question I asked when I found out about this thing.
Apparently, Franco Mabanta, who claims to be a 'CEO & business junkie, political analyst, social media strategist to the big dogs, crusher of life' on his Facebook account, is the head PR strategist of Bong Bong Marcos.
Last 08 April, while he is enjoying his time on some yacht at the Manila Yacht Club with a certain Thistle Guevara, Franco had the lightbulb moment about fat shaming and - the PR person that he is, I guess - deliberately decided to publicly post this on his Facebook:
I personally don't understand what his problem is and how he somehow thought "long and thorough" about fat people and shaming them. Seriously, how does he have so much time when he claims to be everything he is?
Anyway, of course the people of the internet spoke their minds about this issue.
Too bad he spent all that time and effort to compose that post and have it deleted.
Remember this guy works with the "big dogs" of politics... who aren't exactly as fit so...
Some were quick to ask if he had time to check himself in the mirror.
Some had pretty strong messages...
And, of course, our favorite.
I'm not exactly the most politically correct person in the world and I can't say I don't have a single piece of hate in my body but I know for a fact, because of simply observing everything that's happening to our society and the world nowadays that
ANY! FORM! OF! SHAMING! IS! BAD!
And in true Upsize PH fashion, lemme list down some easy-to-understand reasons why you should not shame others in any way, shape, or form:
1. You're flawed too.
Everyone is, hun. But if you think you're perfect, then congratulations.
2. Everyone is fighting their own battles.
I betcha 500 pesos even you are fighting your own battle. Everyone struggles. Even politicians struggle which is why they hired a PR person who they probably should fire now.
3. It can be destructive.
Whatever you're pointing out when you're shaming someone is probably something that they're conscious and anxious about. People deal with personal issues differently and you'll never know how much effort and resources they've been putting out there just to beat whatever their struggles are. You shaming them is not helping at all.
4. You're being negative and the world doesn't really need more of that.
Seriously. There's too much negative things happening in the world and our society right now that we don't really need more. If you don't have anything nice to say, shut it.
5. You're actually not being helpful.
What is the point of shaming anyway? Why call fat people "weak minds" and how can you even measure that? How are fat people "little bitches" when they could literally sit on you and crush you to the ground? Making people feel insecure about themselves does not help. More often than not, positive reinforcement works wonders. So instead of shaming, tell people that they're strong enough to get over their challenges.
6. You'll look like a total douche.
Case in point: exactly this guy.
You know, whether we admit it or not, usually we tend to point other people's flaws out just to make us feel better about ourselves, to compensate something we lack.
I don't know about you but putting all of that big talk out there in public with a photo of you on a yacht with a woman who has a nowadays-more-commonly-socially-approved-but-not-entirely-normal body, I think that's saying something about this guy.
Also, see how the girl is basically stretching her body? She's posed. From all of the body positive stories we've seen online, we know for a fact that she's most definitely posed. She probably doesn't even really look like that. Take it from our favorite fitness Instagrammer, Sara Puhto to know the works.
Anything in excess is bad but there's nothing wrong about being fat. If you are and you're happy with your body and are confident in it, enjoy it! If you're pissed that there are fat people around you then go somewhere else. Maybe the Manila Yacht Club.
Just always remember that whoever you are and wherever you are in life, stop spreading hate. It's useless, devastating, and sad - for you especially.
I MEAN, CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG???
*In case you're interested, here's the beautiful TED Talk the gifs above were lifted from.