Winery’s fat-shaming ‘challenge’ shows our secret size shame
The “stature challenge door” erected by a Yarra Valley winery is shameful, degrading and absurd — even more so as we celebrate International Women’s Day, writes Susie O’Brien.
Opinion
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Shame on whoever erected a “stature challenge door” at Badgers Brook Winery that measures people by their body size.
It is painted a lurid pink — no doubt in a bid to appeal to women.
The doorway had six openings from wide to narrow, offering a choice of body-size options to go through.
They range from the widest “big boned body” to “overweight body” to “chubby body” to “standard body” to “fit-looking body” and “congratulations” which was the skinniest.
Most average-sized women would barely get one leg through the narrowest “congratulations” opening.
Congratulations for what? Having a limb removed so you can fit through?
It’s shameful, degrading and absurd. I can think of better ways to celebrate International Women’s Day, that’s for sure.
One visitor, Shannyn Tucker, noted on Facebook that children were playing with it and running through it.
What a disgraceful message to send them.
Tucker herself has been the subject of abuse on Facebook after posting about it – perhaps the same small-minded people who had a go at short-statured Queensland boy Quaden Bayles.
No doubt somebody thought it was funny – perhaps a play on the “full-bodied” reds in their cellar, but it’s no joke.
It’s a reminder of the way women continue to be judged and shamed for their size, with anyone larger than average receiving unwelcome comments and abuse – often from strangers.
Fat shaming continues to be an ugly part of our society. Last year a plus-sized Nike mannequin was attacked for “normalising an unhealthy body size”.
Singer Kelly Clarkson has long talked about being abused for her size, with two middle-aged men on radio telling her to “stay off the deep-dish pizza for a little while”.
Why is it that woman are continually mocked for their size, but rich middle-aged men get off scot-free? Why aren’t they ridiculed for being incontinent, ugly, impotent and old?
The same abuse has been dished out to celebrities such as Chrissie Swan and Rebel Wilson, along with new mums and even young female swimmers.
Shaming people doesn’t make people lose weight, it makes them more likely to climb under the doona with a packet of salted caramel Tim Tams.
The excuse that this could be just a joke doesn’t wash either. People of a larger size have no doubt made all the jokes at their own expense already, getting in first to laugh at themselves.
So, they don’t need some winery hawking hundreds of calories at $50 a bottle telling them they’re big boned or overweight.
And they sure don’t need to be congratulated for being the size of a child in order to fit through the smallest opening.
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