Maybe

a personal and collective inquiry into what it means to be fat

Modern Western society defines most women as fat, and even more women define themselves as fat. How do we decide if we're really fat? What does fat mean to us?

Maybe I'm not fat because I can still tie my laces while my sneakers are on my feet.

Maybe I'm not fat because I don't take up 2 seats on a bus or train.

Maybe I'm not fat because I can sit in the back seat of a car with 2 other people.

Maybe I'm not fat because I can fit in a bathtub with no problem.

Maybe I'm not fat because my feet still get wet in the rain.

On the other hand...

Maybe I'm fat because when doctors aren't looking and I peek at my chart, I see the word "obese" staring at me.

Maybe I'm fat because I try to avoid scales at all costs.

Maybe I'm fat because "one size fits all" clothing sometimes is rather snug on me.

Maybe I'm fat because when my mother who lives far calls, she always asks how I am doing "weightwise".

Maybe I'm fat because I don't get many admiring glances on the street.

Maybe I'm fat because I avoid going up to Parent-Teacher night or on class trips with my kids because I wouldn't want anyone to have reason to make fun of them for having a fat mother.

Maybe I'm fat because I won't wear sleeveless shirts in the summer.

Maybe I'm fat because I have convinced myself that I detest the beach.

Mabye I'm fat because I can't find anything "cute" in my clothes section.

Mabye I am fat because I feel fat.

Mabye I'm not fat because I have beautiful legs.

i kind of feel weird about this...

maybe i'm fat because i can't find anything that fits in vintage stores.

maybe i'm not fat because people who are rounder than me say i'm not.

maybe i'm fat because i don't like what i see in the mirror.

maybe i'm not fat because i can still shop for clothes in the not-plus-size stores.

maybe i'm fat because i hear "just friends" more than i care to.

maybe i'm not fat because i say "just friends" more than i care to.

maybe i'm fat because when i watch talk shows about people who are fat and the people who love them, i feel embarrassed and upset.

maybe i'm not fat because my doctor hasn't made apocalyptic predictions about my health.

maybe i'm fat because i can think of fewer reasons that i'm not than reasons that i am.

Maybe I'm fat because i use the elevator instead of the stairs to go up one floor.

Maybe I'm fat because in 7th grade my hips didn't fit through the parallel bars in gym class.

Maybe I'm not fat because my relatives say I'm looking "healthy".

Maybe I'm fat because my doctor told me to see a dietician, even though he knows I'm a vegetarian.

Maybe I'm fat because some boys at school oink when I have the nerve to eat lunch, while the other girls don't.

Maybe I'm fat because my boyfriend tells me I'm a gorgeous Rubens girl (and I like it).

Maybe I'm not fat because I can do the splits American style.

Maybe I'm fat because I have silvery marks on my tummy, hips, and upper arms.

Maybe I'm fat, but I am loved anyway.

Maybe I'm fat because I don't fit the "norm"
Maybe I'm not because people love and accept me for who I am
Maybe I'm fat because that's what the chart says
Maybe I'm not because I'm fit and healthy

Maybe I'm fat because that's how society labels me
Maybe I'm not because I refuse to live by society's limits

Maybe, just maybe, society is wrong

Maybe I'm fat because I spill over into the next seat on the airplane.

Maybe I'm not fat because the seats are about 8 inches wide.

Maybe I'm fat because I towered over everyone I met in Korea.

Maybe I'm not fat because they're tiny.

Maybe I'm fat because I catch my reflection in the window sometimes and think, "Who is that fat woman wearing my clothes?"

Maybe I'm fat because doctors keep saying, "Have you always been heavy?"

Maybe I'm not fat because those same doctors were saying "Have you always been heavy?" when I was 130 pounds and 5 foot 8. Jerks!

Maybe I'm not fat because I always felt fat but when I look back at photos from then, I wasn't fat at all.

Maybe I'm fat because I finally grew into the feeling of "feeling fat".

Maybe I'm fat because lately all the "beautiful people" on TV and in the movies look emaciated!

Maybe I'm fat and maybe I'm learning to accept that. Sometimes.

Maybe I'm not fat because my husband calls me beautiful

Maybe I'm fat because I believe being 125 lbs would make me happy

Maybe I'm not fat because I like to eat brown rice and vegetables

Maybe I'm fat because movie theatre seats pinch my thighs

Maybe I'm not fat because I can hold my son on my lap and hug him

Maybe I'm fat because people move away from me when I sit down beside them on a bus

Maybe I'm not fat because my son doesn't notice the difference between me and other moms

Maybe I'm fat because I want to lose a hundred pounds tomorrow

Maybe I'm not fat because I care about my health

Maybe I'm fat because I get angry when I'm told I can't eat what I want

Maybe I'm not fat because my parents stopped telling me I need to lose weight

Maybe I'm fat because people say "You have such a pretty face, if only..."

Maybe I'm fat because once or twice a week, I have to have a Quarter Pounder w/Cheese......
Maybe I'm not fat because I try to eat healthy food.

Maybe I'm fat because some days I don't have the energy to go walking around the track.
Maybe I'm not fat because I love to be out doing things with friends.

Maybe I'm fat because I buy clothes at a "specialty shop."
Maybe I'm not fat because I have a closet full of nice things!

Maybe I'm fat when I see my friends eat half a salad and go "Gosh, I'm SO stuffed!"
Maybe I'm not fat because I don't eat much when I do eat.

Maybe I'm fat because much of the rest of the world sees me as such.
Maybe I'm not fat because I don't see myself that way.

Maybe I'm fat because total strangers ask me "Excuse me, but have you ever tried the (name the latest fad) diet?"
Maybe I'm not fat because my friends never even mention my "weight problem."

Maybe I'm fat because I sleep alone each night, and dream of the day it won't be that way.
Maybe I'm not fat because I have the greatest friends in the world who love me for me.

but best of all ...........
Maybe I *am* fat because not everyone sees me with my Father's eyes.
Maybe I'm *not* fat, because my Creator looks at me and calls me "Beautiful Daughter."

Maybe I'm fat because I'm scared to step on the scale.

Maybe I'm not fat because I wore a two-piece swimsuit to the theme park yesterday.

Maybe I'm fat because my shorts ride up over my thighs.

Maybe I'm not fat...just big-thighed.

Maybe I'm fat because I weigh more than my husband or my lover...combined!

Maybe I'm not fat because I can run ten miles and am training for a marathon.

Maybe I'm fat because it'll take me all day to run said marathon.

Maybe I'm not fat because even at pushing-40, men honk their horns and whistle at me.

Maybe they're honking and whistling because they like fat women.

Maybe I'm fat because my doctor always mentions my weight first thing, every year, at check-up time.

Maybe my doctor's fat (in the head).

Maybe I'm fat because I can't stop eating certain foods once I start.

Maybe I'm not fat, but biologically programmed to ingest enormous quantities of certain foods, because of some ancient urge that has long-ago lost its evolutionary advantage.

Maybe I'm fat because I don't look like today's Twiggy: ie., Kate Moss.

Maybe I'm not fat, but merely no Kate Moss (thank Goddess for small mercies -- and fat ones!)

Maybe I'm fat because I see "better" bodies walking by.

Maybe I'm not fat, and those better bodies belong to thirteen-year-old girls who are their high school's track stars, and I should check back with them in twenty-odd years and see just how much butt they've developed by then. After all that time and all those meals and all those children, let's see how many of them are asking themselves...

maybe I'm fat? maybe I'm not?

Maybe I'm fat because I'm often pressed against the toilet paper roll in bathroom stalls.

Maybe I'm not fat because I'm relaxed about my food choices.

Maybe I'm fat because my feet, ankles and knees get sore when I walk downhill or downstairs a lot.

Maybe I'm not fat because I don't worry about my lovers seeing my body.

Maybe I'm fat because the ergonomics folks special-ordered an extra-large chair for me at work.

Maybe I'm not fat because I wear tank tops and shorts in summer.

Maybe I'm fat because I my belly proceeds the rest of me through doors.

Maybe I'm not fat because I don't worry what people think of my body size when I run a meeting.

Maybe I'm fat because there are few stores where I can buy clothing.

Maybe I'm not fat because I got compliments on my swimsuit at Disney World.

Maybe I'm fat because I can have trouble squeezing in or out of my car if it's parked between 2 other cars in compact parking.

Maybe I'm not fat because my cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure levels are all fine.

Maybe I'm fat because most scales can't weigh me.

Maybe I'm not fat because friends are jealous of my flexibility.

Maybe I'm fat because the amount of weight I use to build my leg muscles seem huge to my friends.

Maybe I'm not fat because my body feels like, well, my body. Just my body. Not too big, not too small.

Maybe I'm Fat because I'm scared I won't fit on the rides at ammussent parks.

Maybe I'm not fat because I have subscriptions to the "thin Magizines".

Maybe I'm fat because when I'm sick and go see the doctor every aliment is due to my weight.

Maybe I'm not fat because people don't gawk at me like they used too.

Maybe I'm fat because I'm confident and could give a sh*t less about who's gawking at me.

Maybe I'm not fat because I'm told I'm very pretty.

Maybe I'm fat bacause I'm told I'm very pretty.:-)

Maybe I'm not fat because I'm allways the first person in a bathing suit

Maybe I am fat, because being fat is a great and wonderfull thing to be!

Maybe I am fat because I KNOW I am fat, and I want to be fat. forever!!!!!

Maybe I'm fat because I'm cool like that!

Maybe I'm fat because I'm a fierce woman martial artist.

Maybe I'm fat because I weigh more than my schools basketball star, who is seven inches taller than me.

Maybe I'm fat because I can't even begin to fit into the jeans at Contempo or Wet Seal.

Maybe I'm fat because when there's a swim party I say I've got my period.

Maybe I'm fat because on a camp camping trip, one of the guys threw a rock at my thigh and said "look at it jiggle"

Maybe I'm fat because I used to have an outie bellybutton when I was 5, and now I have an innie.

Maybe I'm fat because I am described as "nice, smart, funny, pretty face, book lover, good writer and happy".

Maybe I'm fat because it runs in the family.

Maybe I'm fat because my mom says "You should skip dessert tonight honey"

Maybe i'm fat because I can't accept myself

Maybe I'm not fat because I have two people who love me romantically at my feet.

Maybe I'm not fat because I think I'm pretty.

Maybe I'm not fat because I am pretty popular.

Maybe I'm not fat because I am confident with who I am.

Maybe I'm not fat because I DO NOT feel like "there's a skinny person trying to get out"

Maybe I'm not fat because I'm stronger than my schools basketball team.

Maybe I'm not fat because my doctor told me I have a lot of muscle.

Maybe I'm not fat because I'm a great dancer.

Maybe I'm not fat because I get whistles walking down the street.

Maybe I'm not fat because other girls are jealous of me.

Maybe I'm not fat because I finally learned to accept myself.

Maybe I am fat because people always say to me,"Have you lost weight?"

Maybe I am fat beause my clothes from last summer are too small.

Maybe I am fat because people tell me that I am.

Maybe I am fat because my mom worries about my health

Maybe I am fat because my friends always let me ride in the front seat

Maybe I am fat becuase most of my nice clothes came out of a catalog

Maybe I am fat because I need a seat belt extender on airplanes

Maybe I am fat because I can make skimpy chairs wiggle

Maybe I am fat because when I shove my body into a booth at the resurant, my self pours over the table

Maybe I am fat because I am more than breasts and legs

Maybe I am fat becuse I am afraid to be loved

Maybe I am fat because the studly man I want does not think he can want me
Maybe he is stupid

Maybe I am fat because my friends say things like I do not think of you as a fat person

Maybe I am fat because I do not yell back hey you dumb *%#! what do you think a fat person is like!

Maybe I am fat because these people were refered to as my friends

Maybe I am fat because then nobody is afraid of me

Maybe I am fat because I am jolly

Maybe I am fat because people feel they can tell me rude and inappropriate things when they do not know me

Maybe I am fat because teenagers will say oh my god look at that fat women - like I do not have a mirror
Maybe they are stupid too

Maybe I am not fat because I have bird legs

Maybe I am not fat because I look good in jeans

Maybe I am not fat because I have a traffic stopping black dress

Maybe I am not fat because I have low cholesterol and good blood pressure results

Maybe I am not fat because other people think the studly, stupid one could, should, might love me

Maybe I am not because I have a job

Maybe Iam not fat because when I model at the fat store men tell me I look good

Maybe I am not fat because I get in a swimsuit and go to H2O aerobics

Maybe I am not fat because what I am has nothing to do with who I am - even though I do not always believe that to be true

Maybe I am not fat because I am a great teacher and a pretty good role model for fat and not fat kids

Maybe I'm fat ...but I still look damn good !!!

maybe i'm fat because the skin between my thighs is darker from rubbed together.

or maybe i'm fat because i have to lift my belly up when shaving my legs in the shower

Maybe I'm fat because I looked up this web site.

Maybe I'm NOT fat because my heart ached and I squirmed when I read this web site.

Maybe I'm fat because men blatantly prefer my slender friends to me; and any man who did express interest I would regard as perverted.

Maybe I'm NOT fat because I have no sex drive left anyway.

Maybe I'm fat because I had the fortunate advantage of "changing my lifestyle" a long time ago and evidenced the attention, admiration and respect held by men who don't even see me now that I maybe fat.

Maybe I'm NOT fat because my kindly soul remains the same and has no shape of its own.

Maybe I'm fat because I want to eat lots of sugar, fat and salt foods despite growing up getting my hands "slapped" by society for doing so.

Maybe I'm fat because I am preoccupied daily with the limitations of movement, clothing, and sheer enjoyment I encounter as soon as I awake.

Maybe I'm fat because I can find more reasons for why I maybe fat than why I may not be. Sad, huh?

Maybe I'm fat because my husband left me for a woman who wears a size 7.

Maybe I am fat because when I was 16, my mother asked me why I couldn't be thin like my friend Rosemarie.

Maybe I am fat because my shorts bunch up between my legs every three steps and get "chub rub".

Maybe I am fat because I never had any boyfriends in high school or college.

Maybe I am fat because when I was in the 4th grade, my teacher had to whisper my weight of 80 pounds into my ear at the start of school weigh-ins so the rest of the class wouldn't know.

Maybe I am fat because I am forgoing my college homecoming this month because of all the weight I have put on since graduation.

Maybe I am fat because I hesitated to have my college roommates visit me and my new baby girl this summer because of how large I have gotten since they last saw me.

Maybe I am fat because people who work the checkout counters in stores ask me when I am due (my baby is three months old now).

Maybe I am not fat because my husband still loves me.

Maybe I am not fat because my 4 year old son doesn't say "Mommy, you're fat" and loves me anyway.

Maybe I am not fat because people tell me I am large because I just had a baby.

Maybe I am fat because my lists of "am fat"s is much longer than my list of "am not fat"s!

Maybe I am fat because I eat what I want and don't care what people say because I am happy with my self.

Maybe I'm fat because I consider chocolate one of the major food groups.
Maybe I'm not fat, since most of my female friends do too.

Maybe I'm fat because I hate too see myself in pictures.
Maybe I'm not fat, because my lover likes to put me in pictures.

Maybe I'm fat because I cannot find sexy clothing in my size.
Maybe I'm not fat because my lover likes me in sexy clothing.

MAYBE I AM NOT FAT BECAUSE I LOVE LOOKING IN THE MIRROR

MAYBE I AM FAT BECAUSE I DONT FIT INTO A SIZE 16 AT THE GAP

MAYBE I AM NOT FAT BECAUSE I THINK I HAVE A WAY SEXY BOTTTOM

MAYBE I AM FAT BECAUSE I WANT TO DESIGN CLOTHES FOR FAT TEENAGERS AND YOUNG ADULTS

MAYBE I AM NOT FAT BECAUSE MY LOVERMAN STILL LOVES ME AND WANTS ME AND DOESN'T SAY "EVEN THOUGH" HE SAYS THERE IS NO "EVEN THOUGH"

MAYBE I AM NOT FAT BECAUSE I LOVE TAKING DANCE LESSONS

MAYBE I AM FAT BECAUES KICKING AND HOPPING IN SWING DANCE LESSONS SENDS ME INTO A PANIC

MAYBE I AM NOT FAT BECAUSE I DRINK 10 GLASSES OF WATER A DAY

MAYBE I AM FAT BECAUSE WHEN I WEAR CLOSED TOE BLACK HEELS I FEEL LIKE PORKY PIG

MAYBE I AM NOT FAT BECAUSE A MAN FOLLOWED ME OUT OF THE BANK AND ALMOST REARENDED ANOTHER CAR BECAUSE HE WAS LOOKING AT ME

MAYBE I AM FAT BECAUSE I THINK RICHARD SIMMONS IS ACTUALLY AND TOTALLY COOL

MAYBE I AM NOT FAT BECAUSE I STILL ONLY WEAR AN EXTRA LARGE AT MOST STORES

MAYBE I AM NOT FAT BECAUSE I LIKE THE WAY MY SKIN FEELS AND THE WAY I FEEL IN IT

MAYBE I AM NOT FAT BECAUSE I THINK I LOOK LIKE A GODDESS

MAYBE I AM NOT FAT BECAUSE I STILL DANCE NAKED IN FRONT OF MY MIRROR

MAYBE I AM NOT FAT BECAUSE I AM ONLY SLIGHTLY OVERWEIGHT

MAYBE I AM FAT BECAUSE READING OTHER PEOPLE'S MAYBES MADE ME CRY

MAYBE I AM A GODDESS

MAYBE WE SHOULDN'T HAVE TO ACCOUNT TO ANYONE

MAYBE NO ONE SHOULD HAVE EVER MADE US THINK WE DO OR EVER DID

MAYBE...
MAYBE...
MAY BE.

Maybe I,m fat because God made me this way(as I have always been this way).

Maybe I,m fat because I face bigotry every day.

Maybe it doesn't matter that I'm fat because I love myself.

Maybe I'm not fat because I don't let it bother me.

Maybe I'm PHAT (pretty hot and tempting) because I think I look good in a 2 piece.

Maybe I'm PHAT because I think that I look good in general.

Maybe I'm fat because I have so much to give from the heart.

Maybe I'm fat because it protects my tender soul.

Maybe I'm fat because my body houses a tremendously large soul.

Maybe I'm fat because I enjoy food and it's nobody's business but mine how much I eat.

Maybe I'm fat because I want to enjoy living, not minding my body size.

Maybe I'm fat because it bring out the true spirit, for better or worse in others.

Maybe I'm fat because that is the media is chicken and spells it "phat".

Maybe I'm fat because I weighed 120 in sixth grade.

Maybe I'm not fat because there was one other girl that weighed 125 in that same class.

Maybe I'm not fat because I had gastric bypass surgery and lost 155 pounds and could fit into normal size clothing.

Maybe I'm fat because the doctor who performed that surgery asked me "Is this all you're going to lose?"

Maybe I'm fat because I regained to 275 pounds.

Maybe I'm not fat because I've lost 40 pounds of the weight gain.

Maybe I'm fat because I got stuck in a restaurant booth and couldn't get out.

Maybe I'm not fat because I can always sit in a chair.

Maybe I'm fat because I couldn't fit in the theatre seats.

Maybe I'm not fat because some intelligent person invented "love seats" in theatres.

Maybe I'm not fat because there are people fatter than me.

Maybe I'm fat because there are people smaller than me.

Maybe i'm fat because I'm too short.

Maybe I'm not fat because I have an hourglass figure.

Maybe I'm not fat because I've found out that there are men who like THAT figure.

Maybe I'm not fat because my best male friend is married to a BBW and likes his women that way, not only for their beauty but for their personality, wit and intelligence.

Maybe I'm just me. Maybe I don't need a label.

Maybe I'm fat because the doctor in the hospital told me to buy a scale.

Maybe I'm fat because I can't see my toes.

Maybe I'm fat because I can't get into a size 3X in women's coats.

Maybe I'm fat because all my life I've heard "You have such a pretty face, if only you'd lose some weight."

Maybe I'm fat because I can get into a 4X in men's coats.

Maybe I'm fat and if people don't like it, too bad.

Maybe I'm fat but people still love me.

* Maybe I'm fat because I actually enjoy being larger than a size 8.

* Maybe I'm fat because I have to hunt for nice clothes, rather than being spoiled for choice.

* Maybe I'm not fat, because my body seems to think I'm fine.

* Maybe I'm fat because I eat when I'm hungry.

* Maybe I'm fat - but then, maybe I'm short as well. Who gives a hoot?

Maybe I´m fat because they couldn't differenciate between fat and sexy...

Maybe I'm fat because sometimes when I look in the mirror all I see are stretch marks and cellulite.

Maybe I'm not fat because other times I look and see a beautiful woman looking back.

Maybe I'm fat because I'm too big to shop at the Lane Bryant stores.

Maybe I'm not fat because "Avenue" sells clothes in *way* bigger sizes than me.

Maybe I'm fat because the guy my friend and I were competeing for was *BLATANTLY* turned on by me. But he's dating her.

Maybe I'm not fat because the best guy in the world said he loved me.

Maybe I'm fat because he's with a size 3 woman now.

Maybe I'm just me, and society desperately needs to learn to accept that *everyone* is beautiful.

* Maybe I'm not fat because people say I'm a "Big, Healthy girl"

* Maybe I'm fat because my doctors tend to blame everything from my aches and pains to a cough on my weight.

* Maybe I'm not fat because even though society would want me to feel bad about being overweight, I don't.

* Maybe I'm fat because everytime I have to take an airplane ride I panic over the seats.

* Maybe I'm not fat because I feel that I am a nice, fun person even with all the extra weight.

Maybe I'm not fat because people tell me I am beautiful.
Maybe I am because I still hide in the back in group pictures.

Maybe I'm fat because I weighed 80 pounds in 3rd grade.
Maybe I'm not because I had a hot boyfriend in high school.

Maybe I'm fat because some drunken idiots at the Lilith Fair said I was.
Maybe I'm not because I didn't have the courage to pound the shit out of them, like I should have.

Maybe I'm fat because I don't think Camryn Manheim is fat.
Maybe I'm fat because I don't think Drew Carey is fat.

Maybe I'm fat because I feel accused at the doctor's office, even though they don't say anything.
Maybe I'm not because all the things they expect to be bad, aren't.

Maybe I'm fat because when I was a teenager my dad promised me "a whole new wardrobe" if I lost weight.

Maybe I'm fat because certain people always say, "You look like you've lost weight" When I have been 270+ for about seven years. Wishful thinking?

Maybe I'm not fat because I have a husband who loves me, and occasonally after a "quickie" says, "I'm sorry I couldn't hold out, you just turn me on so much!"

Maybe i'm fat because western society says so.

Maybe i'm fat because i weigh 337lbs.

Maybe i'm fat because i'm not an extra small.

Mabye i'm fat because i can't shop at victoria secrets, the gap, or nine west.

Maybe i'm fat because i can only shop at lane bryant, the avenue, and ashley stuart.

Maybe i'm fat because my metabolism is extremely efficient and i'm waiting for the day when all the food runs out.

Maybe i'm fat because my lap slopes downward and my legs rub together.

Maybe i'm fat because doctors are insulting.

Maybe i'm fat because i'm not good enough for a drunk.

Maybe i'm fat because all my lovers (male and female) have been jerks.

                      _____

Maybe i'm not fat because i look good in a short skirt.

Maybe i'm not fat because the catalogs i shop out of have size 10 models even tho the clothes start at size 14.

Maybe i'm not fat because i'm intelligent and articulate.

Maybe i'm not fat because i have tons of friends.

Maybe i'm not fat because i've got three tatoos.

Maybe i'm not fat becasue i can do tai-chi, kickboxing, and kung fu.

Maybe i'm not fat because i'm more flexible than my size 8 mom, or my size 12 friends.

Maybe i'm not fat because i can chain smoke and brisk walk across the Brooklyn Bridge without getting tired or winded.

Maybe i'm not fat because all my lovers (male and female)have been jerks.

MAYBE IF EVERYONE ELSE WOULD EAT AND NOT GO AROUND HALF STARVED ALL THE TIME I WOULD NOT BE FAT

MAYBE IF EVERYONE WHO THOUGHT THEY WERE FAT WERE I WOULDN'T HAVE TO FEEL SO FAT

MAYBE IF THE WORLD HAD FEELINGS LIKE ME I WOULD BE FAT

Maybe I am fat because I have not had a date in almost two years.

Maybe I am not fat because I have had dates.

Maybe I am fat because when I meet famous rock stars, they do not leer at my body and try to get me to go backstage with them.

Maybe I am not fat because I can go to these concerts to meet these bands and wear regular clothes and not a muu-muu when I go

Maybe I am fat because I can eat a whole Danish strip in two days.

Maybe I am not fat because my 3X Motley Crue and Black Sabbath t-shirts are long on me.

Maybe I am fat because my sister thinks it's funny to call me Cartman from "South Park"

Maybe I am not fat because I don't break chairs when I sit on them.

Maybe I am fat because I cannot put my legs over my head or roll into a ball in yoga class.

Maybe I am not fat because I go to yoga class.

Maybe I am fat because I am not society's idea of beauty.

Maybe I am not fat because I accept who I am and like to look good.

Maybe I am fat because when I walk into Wal-Mart or K-Mart what is in my size is mostly t-shirts with Tweety or teddy bears or kittens on them.

Maybe I am not fat because I don't buy or wear these shirts

Maybe I am fat because I can't get a date...

Maybe I am not fat at all and it is the men who won't date me who are ignorant.

Maybe I am fat because when I jump up and down I jiggle.

Maybe I am not fat because I have nice arms and legs.

Maybe I am fat because I weigh more than some people.

Maybe I am not fat because some people weigh more than me.

Maybe I am fat because I wear baggy bellbottoms.

Maybe I am not fat because I enjoy being naked.

Maybe I am fat because my doctor says that I am fat.

Maybe I am not fat because God created me and God knows what He is doing and doesn't make mistakes and has a plan for me although I do not know what it is.

Maybe I am fat because I shop at Fashion Bug Plus and wear a 42DDDD cup bra

Maybe I am not fat and I am just genetically gifted.

Maybe I am fat because my breasts hang to my waist when I am not wearing a bra.

Maybe I am not fat, just really well-endowed. (I think most women would be jealous)

Maybe I am fat because I like to eat chocolate chip cookies.... a lot

Maybe I am not fat because so do a lot of thin people

Maybe I am fat because my family tells me how happy I would be if I lost weight.

Maybe I am not fat because I am happy the way I am now.

Maybe I am fat because I wear an XL

Maybe I am not fat because I don't wear a 6XL

Maybe I am fat because everyone says I am fat.

Maybe I am not fat because I am comfortable with my body.

Maybe I am fat because I can't wear tight leather miniskirts to heavy metal concerts.

Maybe I am not fat because I am a heavy metal singer and can move and sing just like any thin female metal singer, sometimes even better than them.

Maybe I am fat because I will probably be the last one of my brothers and sisters to be married, if I ever get married at all.

Maybe I am not fat because I am not in any hurry to get married.

Maybe I am fat because when I won't have sex with them, men say stuff to me like " You ugly fat b****, I wouldn't f*** you with someone else's d***, but I'm the best you can get!"

Maybe I am not fat because these men are just stupid sexist pigs.

Maybe I am fat because people stare at me on the bus and in stores and in restaurants.

Maybe I am not fat and they just think I am beautiful!

Maybe I am fat because nobody would ever mistake me for Pamela Anderson Lee at a Motley Crue concert.

Maybe I am not fat because nobody would ever mistake me for Friar Tuck from the story "Robin Hood".

Maybe I am fat because my sister gives me "helpful" advice about losing weight that I do not really want.

Maybe I am not fat because I am happy to be who I am.

Maybe I am fat because my belly hangs over my pants.
Maybe I am not fat because my pants always need to be tightened around the waist.

Maybe I am fat because i get stares when eating in public.
Maybe I am not fat because i usally eat less then the people staring.

Maybe I am fat because i cant wear the latest trendy clothing.
Maybe I am not fat because i look good in the clothes i have.

Maybe I am fat because my friends tease me about it.
Maybe I am not fat because the ones that tease me are fat too and i tease them back.

Maybe i am fat because my skinny friends always seem to get dates.
Maybe I am not fat because girls still hug me not just pat my shoulder.

Maybe I am fat because i have only had two girlfreinds.
Maybe I am not fat because those girls could have gone out with skinny guys.

Maybe I am fat because i am hungry right now.
Maybe i am not fat because i have only had one meal today.

Maybe i am fat because i have broken furnature.
Maybe i am not fat because i dont break them by just sitting on them for the first time.

Maybe I am fat because i can only see the top half of my fellow down bellow.
Maybe I am not fat because i can still see my fellow down below.

Maybe i am fat because i have larger breast then some women.
Maybe I am not fat because i have smaller breast then some women.

Maybe I am fat because i really beleive that i will never find a mate.
Maybe I am not fat because i could be wrong.

Maybe I am fat because Hungry-Man meals look more like Hungry-Man-Needs-Two-Or-Three-To-Fill-Up.
Maybe I am not fat because I dont gorge myself.

Maybe I am fat because I am embarassed when i get in bed with a woman.
Maybe I am not fat because i have yet to have any complaints.

Maybe I am fat because if i walk upstairs i get winded.
Maybe I am not fat because i once whooped butt on a group of marines in laser tag for toys for tots.

Maybe I am fat because the big mac at mcdonalds doesnt look like that big of a mac.
Maybe I am not fat because I can not remeber the last time i had a Big-Mac.

Maybe I am fat because I look jolly during the holidays.
Maybe I am not fat because I dont feel Jolly.

Maybe I am fat because if i could i would drive my car into my living room and just hop out to my couch.
Maybe I am not fat because i can out dance my skinny friends.

Maybe I am fat because i get "room" when i dance at raves.
Maybe I am not fat because i still get girls to dance with me.

Maybe I am fat because they always go home with the skinny guys.
Maybe I am not fat because the girls have gone home with me before.

Maybe I am fat because i want to kill every guy i see with washboard stomachs.
Maybe i am not fat because i love it when i can pick up a skinny guy and throw him across the room and watch him fall to the ground with that "get the number of that truck" look on his face.

Maybe I am fat because i think fat girls are beutiful.
maybe I am not fat because I still muster the corage to flirt.

Maybe I am fat because i do a great Cartmen impression.
Maybe Im not fat because Cartmen isnt fat hes just big boned ;)

Maybe I am fat because i think that if i kill myself i might comeback as a skinny guy.
Maybe i am not fat because i have people who love me for me.

Maybe I am fat.
Maybe I am.
Maybe I like fat.
Maybe the skinny people are the freaks.
There are more of us then them.
Maybe we should be considered the norm.
Maybe I am the norm
Maybe I am not fat.

Maybe i am fat because next to my friend i am

Maybe i'm not fat because next to my other friend i aren't

Maybe i am fat because when i look at my legs they look bigger then they were when i had a little girls figure

Maybe i'm not fat because i am a women now, with a womens figure and curves.

Maybe i am fat because the bloody magazines make me feel fat

Maybe i'm not fat becuase my boyfriends says i'm sexy

Maybe i am because my stomach hangs over my pants when i sit down

Maybe i'm not fat because i was wearing a belt

Maybe i'm fat because i keep making up ridiculous reasons why i am

Maybe i'm not fat because there's no logical reason why i am

Maybe i'm fat compared to someone who i believe is way too skinny

Maybe i'm not fat at all, i just have to stop comparing myself

Maybe i'm not fat because i feel attractive

Maybe i'm not fat because my boyfriend says i'm perfect

Maybe i'm not fat because i have run out of reasons why i am fat.

I AM NOT FAT, there is no maybe's about it. I feel great and that's all that matters. i'm just a normal teenager accepting who i am and who i have become.

Maybe I'm fat because it's a beautiful part of who I am.

Maybe I'm fat because I'm a bear!

Maybe I'm fat because I wont destroy myself to please a warped society.

Maybe I'm fat because you insist on labeling me.

Maybe I'm fat because I'm perfect!

Maybe you should stand up, look in the mirror, and beam with joy at who you are!

Maybe I'm fat because I hate myself when I look in the mirror

Maybe I'm not fat because there are days I can smile confidently.

Maybe I'm fat because everywhere I look there are reminders of what I should be.

Maybe I'm not fat because I can jog/walk from one side of the George Washington Bridge and back and still have energy to go out with my friends after.

Maybe I'm fat because my lower abs don't look good in tight dresses.

Maybe I'm not fat because when I go dancing I dance longer and harder than the skinny girls I go with.

Maybe I'm fat because some guy has the nerve to tell me "he likes chunky girls."

Maybe I'm not fat because some guy has the nerve to try to sleep with me just like he would my skinny friends.

Maybe I'm fat because I'm sick of being told I shouldn't be.

Maybe I'm not fat because I dance and sing and run and jump and laugh and love.

Maybe I'm fat because I cry and hide and cringe.

Maybe I'm fat because I wish I felt it was ok to just be me.

maybe i'm fat because i can't buy anything at Victoria's Secret

maybe i'm not fat because my husband says i'm beautiful

maybe i'm fat because everyone stares at me if i order dessert

maybe i'm not fat because i can make people laugh and they like me

maybe i'm fat because i would never tuck my shirt in my pants

maybe i'm not fat because there are people who still love me

Maybe I'm fat, just because YOU said so.

MAYBE I'M FAT BECAUSE I CAN'T DRESS THE WAY I WANT TO.

MAYBE I'M NOT FAT BECAUSE I HAVE NO PROBLEM HAVING FRIENDS.

MAYBE I AM FAT BECAUSE I ALWAYS WANT A TABLE INSTEAD OF A BOOTH AT A RESTAURANT.

MAYBE I'M NOT FAT BECAUSE MEN FIND ME ATTRACTIVE AND FUN

BUT...I KNOW I'M FAT WHEN I LOOK IN THE MIRROR, AND HOPE ONE DAY I WON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PEOPLE LAUGHING AT ME.....

Maybe I'm fat 'cause I'm not comfortable with my body......

Maybe I'm not fat 'cause I'm comfortable with who I am.....

Maybe I`m fat because I hate myself, maybe I hate myself because I'm fat.

maybe I'm fat because i'm lonely.

maybe i'm fat because im tired of trying to live up to others expectations.

Maybe I'm not afraid to be fat because I spent years trying to convince myself that being fat is not something that I should be ashamed of.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because I am not afraid to say I am fat.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because I don't think that calling myself "fat" is a bad thing, or an insult. "Fat" is simply the opposite of "thin", and "thin" isn't an insult, is it?

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because I do like to eat, and I do like to cook, and I do get great joy from having a wonderful, big meal in a restaurant, with dessert.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because I don't exercise or go to the gym because I think it's too boring and a waste of my time.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because I made myself this way and have learnt not only how to live with it, but how to LOVE IT.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because I like to wear sexy clothes and tight pants and show off my cleavage, and guys like it too.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because in nightclub bathrooms when the skinnier girls look in the mirror and tell their skinny friend how they look like a whale, I laugh at them out loud at how sad their self image is.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because when I look in the mirror I smile because I think I am beautiful.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because I told my grandmother to go f*** herself when she told me I was getting too damn fat when I was 12 years old and she never told me I was fat again.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because I got the salesgirl in the mall FIRED after she told me I should lose some weight before I tried shopping there.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because I boycott every store that doesn't have tops bigger than a size "L", or pants bigger than a size 13-14.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because I'm not afraid to walk down the beach in my bathing suit while other people feel the need to cover their bodies up.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because I've had more boyfriends than most of my friends and I'm the one who picks up guys when we go out, because I give myself self confidence.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because when I'm walking down the street with my sister who weighs 110 lbs, the men notice me, not her, and she can't understand why.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because I'm not afraid to SAY I am fat. I don't hide behind words like "big-boned", or "pleasantly plump", or "heavy", or "thick", or "full-figured."

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because my boyfriend loves to kiss my belly.

Maybe I'm fat and OTHER PEOPLE LIKE IT because my self confidence helps others feel good too, and people like to be around confident people.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because I feel strong both inside and outside, and I don't think I'm any different from anyone else.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because I'm not afraid of my body, or of showing it off to anyone.

Maybe I'm fat and I LIKE IT because my size isn't a burden, and it doesn't stop me from living.

maybe i'm fat because i'm 15 and can't bear to look at myself in the mirror
 maybe i'm not fat because there are days when i can
maybe i'm fat because everyday i have to deal with skinny cheer leaders
and i want to kill them for being happier than me
 maybe i'm not fat because most of them aren't happy either
maybe i'm fat because somedays i pray for death so that i may come back
as a skinny person
 maybe i'm not fat because sometimes i smile
maybe i'm fat because in the sixth grade i weighed 135
 maybe i'm not fat because i was 5'5" at the time
maybe i am fat because its a struggle to find reasons why i am not
 maybe i am not because my mother loves me the way i am
maybe i am fat because i've never had a boyfriend
 maybe i am not fat because people have been attracted to me before
maybe i am fat because i can't think of what else i would be
 maybe i'm not fat because im starting to become comfortable in my skin
 for once in my life
but maybe i am because i still dont feel beautiful or even remotely attractive
maybe im fat because i decided to look up this site so that i could find
people who understand where im coming from
 maybe im not fat because i have a twin that looks just like me and
 people think shes beautiful

Maybe I'm fat because my pants size is 20 and my age is 18.
Maybe I'm not fat because my boyfriend is younger than me and he thinks I'm hot.

Maybe I'm fat because Callista Flockhart looks sick to me.
Maybe I'm not fat because Callista Flockhart looks sick to everyone else too.

Maybe I'm fat because all the clothing auctions I look at on eBay say "BBW" or "Plus Size"
Maybe I'm not fat because I look damn sexy in the clothes I get online!

Maybe I'm fat because I like food.
Maybe I'm not fat because I hardly ever eat.

Maybe I'm fat because my thyroid doesn't work right.
Maybe I'm not fat because since they put me on thyroid medicine I've been losing inches, if not weight.

Maybe I'm fat because I don't like to look at the numbers on the scale.
Maybe I'm not fat because no one really does.

Maybe I'm fat because I don't like my body.
Maybe I'm not fat because my boyfriend does.

Maybe I'm fat because I was never accepted by the "popular" crowd from kindergarten on.
Maybe I'm not fat, maybe they just didn't know what they were missing.

Maybe I'm fat because in first grade my best friend tried to make her "ex-boyfriend" "go out" with me, and it only lasted half of recess because I was "gross."
Maybe I'm not fat because the man I'm with now is a better best friend than she ever was, and he doesn't think I'm gross at all.

Maybe I'm fat because I sneak food into the house so no one else will eat it.
Maybe I'm not fat because if I don't, I might not be allowed to eat anything that day.

Maybe I'm fat because when I am included in family meals, I'm the first one finished.
Maybe I'm not fat because I have less on my plate to begin with.

Maybe I'm fat because my mother tells me I am all the time.
Maybe I'm not fat because even she noticed that I'm losing... she said I look slimmer in the back and shoulders.

Maybe I'm fat because I drink Coca Cola Classic and regular Pepsi.
Maybe I'm not fat because I don't hide behind the word "Diet".

Maybe I'm fat and I don't really care, because I'm a person and my weight shouldn't matter.
Maybe I'm not fat, maybe I'm just a hurt little fat girl stuck in the body of a beautiful, full-figured woman.

Maybe I'm fat, but I'm not stupid or disgusting or any of the things people call me and make me feel.
Maybe I'm not fat, I'm just insecure even though I have everything I need - my love and my life.

Maybe I'm fat because I'm easy to pick on, easy to make fun of, and that's the role I was meant to play.
Maybe I'm not fat because I can play the femme fatale just as well as, and maybe with a just little more passion and oomph, than some skinny chick could.

Maybe I'm fat, maybe that's my cross to bear to make me a better writer.
Maybe I'm not fat, I just have a little more diaphragm to support my voice when i sing.

Maybe I'm fat because there's just so many great things about me, the goddess couldn't fit it all into a skinny chick.
Maybe I'm not fat, I'm just me.

Maybe I'm fat because everyone else in my family is fat.

Maybe I'm fat because no one else in high school was.

Maybe I'm fat because the chair/desk combo in classes never fit me well and I go to class early to find a bigger seat.

Maybe I'm fat because I have a "Fat Power: We're Here, We're Hungry, We're Looking For Seconds" magnet.

Maybe I'm fat because the horrible markings on my abdomen practically spell it out.

Maybe I'm fat because it's easier to be a scapegoat for the people with low self-esteem.

Maybe I'm fat because I have breasts that would look overpowering on a skinny person.

Maybe I'm fat because I have been offered over a thousand dollars to lose 50 pounds and I accepted.

Maybe I'm fat because I used to think no one would love me.

Or....

Maybe I'm not fat because my skinny roommate always says she wishes she had clothes like mine.

Maybe I'm not fat because when I wear my clothes I don't cringe.

Maybe I'm not fat because my boyfriend absolutely adores how I look.

Maybe I'm not fat because I bared all to him.

Maybe I'm not fat because I can walk around without clothes on in my room and not care.

Maybe I'm not fat because when I hear "sexy bitch" I turn around to look.

Maybe I'm not fat because I don't want to be anymore.

Maybe I am fat because-
-I have never been thin.
-My parents would love it if I lost weight.
-I used to get teased and called Ms. Piggy tub o' lard and the goodyear blimp growing up.
-My dad used to call me a fat cow.
-I can't remember a time when my inner thighs didn't touch.
-I was the slowest person on our Water Polo team.
-I wear clothes size 20 and up, and they are comfortable.
-I have stretch marks on my stomach and arms and legs, though I have never had a child.
-I have more than one chin.
-Lane Bryants is one of the stores I have to go for decent "quick buy" clothing.
-I have never been able to wear a two piece swim suit.
-I can't touch my toes, or do a cartwheel, or a somersault, or gymnastics for that matter.
-An ex boyfriend once asked me at dinner on Junior Prom night that if I wanted to lose weight, there was a diet his Aunt was on if I wanted to try it...

Maybe I'm not fat because-
-Thin is a society placed ideal
-I could play water polo!
-I love to swim, and I can outdistance most of my friends.
-I get comments saying I am beautiful at least once a week from people I don't know.
-I am comfortable where I am now.
-I can lift heavier things than a lot of people I know.
-I have had several boyfriends and lovers of whom most I am still very fond of.
-I have the beginning of a wonderful poly friendship that is developing into more.
-I can look in a mirror and smile back.
-I had a hard time trying to come up with more reasons why I was fat.
-I went around with one of my friends to a park in two sarongs (?) and got compliments on how I looked!!!
-I have curves in a lot of the right places.
-I can go Ballroom dancing and Victorian dancing and do a Viennese (?) waltz.
-Because I choose not to be! ^_^

Tasha

Maybe I'm fat because I look so good in v-neck sweaters

Maybe I'm fat because I'm the only size 12 among my friends.

Maybe I'm fat because all my friends say they'd die if they were a size 12.

Maybe I'm fat because my friends go for days without eating a proper meal, but I hat to go hungry.

Maybe I'm not fat because I love playing sport.

Maybe I am fat because I tell myself that hungry is good.

Maybe I'm not fat because I have beautiful breasts (the envy of my friends.....)

Maybe I am fat because my mum gave me a gym membership for my birthday.

Maybe I am fat because my portly Dad says that I have his figure (thanks dad.!)

Maybe I'm fat because both my sisters are rakes.

Maybe I'm not fat because plenty of guys find me attractive, and love to squeeze me.

Maybe I am fat because I have bits to squeeze..

Maybe I'm not fat because I love my belly ring, as do all the guys....

Maybe I am fat because my knees have little faces when I stand up.

Maybe I'm not fat becuase I'm stronger than any of my friends.

Maybe I am becuase my friends call me butch.

Maybe I am becuase weight and body image is what my skinny-minnie friends and I argue about most.

Maybe I'm not because I love my curves.

But sometimes I hate my curves.

I have good days and bad.

But I love my breasts.

And I have beautiful eyes.

And a sexy smile.

And great cleavage.

Cheer up everyone!

maybe i'm fat because i still feel like the seventh grader who was taunted in gym class

maybe i'm not fat because i have been anorexic and bulimic since seventh grade and am too undernourished to menstruate regularly

maybe i'm fat because my size 6 jeans don't sag down around my hips

maybe i'm not fat because doctors insist that i'm not carrying any excess weight

maybe i'm fat because i might as well be

Maybe I'm not fat because the norm is "Heroin Chic."

Maybe I'm not fat because it is a state of mind and I can do what I put my mind to.

Maybe I'm fat because according to the insurance chart, I should be 6 foot tall.

Maybe I'm fat, but that's ok. I like me anyway.