In a society that is completely obsessed with body image and weight, it is inevitable that at some point in your life your weight has been a topic of conversation. Whether you are "skinny" or "fat", it seems acceptable for it to be discussed, either privately by other people, or to your face directly. But is this really okay? Even if there are more "obese" people than ever, is it really okay to announce to someone that they have "put on a bit of weight" or "need to lay off the cakes". Is it acceptable to tell someone they "need to eat more" or "need to eat some cakes"? Is it acceptable to use the term "skinny", "fat" or even "chunky" when talking about a baby, toddler, or child? I don't think so. In fact I think it is disgusting to judge an innocent child. Especially for something like their weight.

So below is a photo of my 19 month old daughter (17 and a half if you go by her corrected age). Elise was called "chunky" by a member of the public the other day. When I questioned what she meant, she followed up with "she's a little bit fat". Now personally when I look at my daughter, I don't see her as fat. She has always been petite, and is actually small for her age (wearing 9-12 and 12-18 month clothes right now). In fact I've had a number of people tell me she is tiny, or think she is a lot younger than she is. So how can she by tiny, yet fat at the same time? This isn't the first time someone has commented on her weight, in fact I've had it plenty of times. She was even called chunky as a baby, and although some people may think it is cute to call your own child "chubby" or say "look at those baby rolls", should it be acceptable for someone else to say it to you, or to your child? Is it okay for a complete stranger to say?
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