I just came back from the nearby pharmacy to buy vitamins for Pristine. I know one of the ladies who work there and since it’s been a long time since I visited, she was asking if there’s baby #2 already and when I said no, we’ve been trying but nothing, lalala-lalala…the same storyI tell when I’m asked by people why I only have one child (as if having only one is the greatest mystery in the world).
She stepped back and looked at me head to foot and said,
“It’s because you are FAT!”
She said that I am not conceiving because I am fat. Huh? Okay, I tried to relax. Maybe she was just honest but she was also rude or I was wearing the wrong clothes. But still, even fat people (not necessarily me) deserve proper treatment as customers! Hello, Ms. Know-nothing-about-customer-service!!
Something’s terribly wrong with the customer service here in Dubai. I was bigger when I was in Japan but I didn’t get any nasty remark like this. Ever.
This is not even the first time. I went to buy trousers last month and this sales person came handing me a size 20 trouser. WTF? Are you my mother that you know the circumference of my ass!? FYI, It does not deserve a size 20!
(I don’t mean to criticize people who are size 20 but after exhausting myself with exercise everyday, I am not so thrilled to see someone shoving a size 20 trouser in my face.)
What has our society become? There are people who think Kate Winslet is fat and that is so wrong. I am still far from my goal weight but feel I have made improvements. Little improvements, baby steps. I’m on medication with weight gain as one of the fantastic side effect. It’s already hard for me to lose weight as much as I want to but I’m still here, fighting.
I guess I haven’t come to terms with the word “fat” yet. I’m tired of that word being associated with me for at least 10 years now.
By now you’ve discovered that I am self-concious and have big issues with my weight so I took a photo of my fat self to remember today’s milestone.
April 2010 - still 'fat'
Finding Backroads 
I get this all the time as well Grace. I am an emotional eater and it takes a lot in me to come into terms with my body. For a long time I hated fitting rooms and trying out clothes – it made me super depressed. Size 20 is a horrible joke though!
These days, I try and be as active as I can and care 2 hoots about comments regarding my weight. Worst case I reply back with my own quote: “Fat people are happy people” 🙂 But I really wonder why people choose ‘Weight’ as the conservation starter around here. It’s not like your r talking about the weather – For God sake!
.-= Anu´s last blog ..Another one will bit the dust =-.
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That is a rude thing to say to someone! In my experience, it’s my ‘kabayan’ who generally blurt out “ang taba taba (not just one taba, mind you) mo na!” I prefer to just smile and tell them I’m working hard to gain more weight 😀
.-= nadia´s last blog ..Protected: Down to a Sunless Sea =-.
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I don’t know what they’ll say if they see me!!!
Just ignore them, let that not make you De-motivated in reaching your goal – which i am sure you are gonna reach, one baby step at a time!
(this is a reminder for me as well!)
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You keep saying you’re fat. I don’t think that word means what you think it means! That picture looks quite healthy to me. Are you supposed to look like you’re starving? Don’t take it so much to heart. If you feel like you need to lose weight, then do, but I think you and the people around you are entirely too hard on you!
.-= Cindy ´s last blog ..Help a Mama (and Daddy) Out? =-.
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I have belly fat which I really want to lose and nope, I don?t want to look like I?m starving. I don?t expect people to tell me ?you?re thin!? but I don?t like to hear them say the word ?fat? either (although I?m still big).
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Really, if that bitch thought you are fat, she has obviously never seen a fat person in her life. Or she has eye problems (double vision?). Or she is just completely stupid.
In any case she is incredibly rude and should under no circumstance be allowed to work in a profession where she has to deal with customers. In Germany you could easily get fired if your boss would overhear such a remark made to a customer – and rightly so.
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I think you look great!
I’m a size 10-12 and I’d call myself “curvy” but never fat. Fat is for people who need plus size 20 pants…
Seriously for that woman to say you can’t conceive because your fat, she must not be very intelligent. Curvy women are healthier and carry babies much better than the skinny twig women (who sometimes can’t even menstruate due to low body fat).
Geeze some countries are so different than others…service like that is totally unacceptable!
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Wow!! Talking about RUDE! I can say with 100% certainty that you are NOT fat! I think in Asia, the outlook perception about how thin we have to be tend to be a bigger thing than here in America. I don’t think a salesperson or customer service will be able to do that here without any consequence.
.-= Amy @ The Q Family´s last blog ..I Got Mail: The Best of New York in 10 Seconds Travel Book =-.
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You’re not fat at all! And your commitment to fitness and nutrition have totally been an inspiration to me. Don’t worry about what the haters say, they’re just unhappy people. You are beautiful!
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What!! You are so NOT fat! Please don’t listen to her and look at that picture, I think you look very good!!
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Ummmm….where is this fat person you speak of? I don’t see her ANYWHERE!!
.-= Jacki´s last blog ..Simply…. =-.
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Thanks Jacki! I guess I just need to accept other people’s opinion of my and the way I look. If I look fat to them, I can’t do much about it, can I? *sigh*
If only I had your metabolism!
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On my – I better not visit any time soon!
.-= janmary, n ireland´s last blog ..Lessons Learned and a peak at the madeover bathroom =-.
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I’m glad you put the photo, I think you look nice and curvy. I wouldn’t say fat at all. I don’t know what size 20 is there – I am in the States, and I guess all of it is relative, fat or not fat, to our culture and to what we think of ourselves.
I can’t believe she would say that though! That is pretty rude.
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The sales lady brought me a US size 20 size…anyway, Thanks for your kind words. I am curvy yes, could never be stick thin or wishing to be one. I think I just need to accept other people’s opinion of me.
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How rude is that! And NO you are not fat!~
.-= Maribeth´s last blog ..The Dirt! =-.
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Grrrr. You are so NOT fat! I saw a fat man in the grocery store yesterday… He was easily twice my size, if not three times. It was kind of gross actually. You, on the other hand are gorgeous!
But talking about customer service… I was looking for a plastic lid that would fit on the top of a food can. I’ve seen them before and sometimes when I open a can of fruit in the winter I want to just put half of it in the fridge. The sales clerk in Macy’s proceeded to tell me that they didn’t sell those and I was poisoning my family by leaving food in cans. Um, the food came in the cans didn’t it? She was very condescending and I’m actually kicking myself for not reporting her to the manager.
.-= Krista´s last blog ..Super Hero Boy =-.
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I guess bad customer service exists everywhere! I am too sensitive to it after living in Japan for more than 10 years because the sales persons there treat customers like GOD.
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You are not fat!
You are doing at great job losing weight and getting in shape!
Be proud!
:0)
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Next time, snap back with these retorts I got from an old article by Lourd de Veyra. I have selected the ones that your readers will understand, but I have my own personal favorite that just might get you into trouble. So I’ll keep that one to myself.
Here goes (translations are mine):
1. “A consequence of increasing personal wealth kasi yan. Ikaw mukha ka pa ring dukha (you still look like destitute).”
2. “That’s because I’m joining ‘The Biggest Loser’.”
3. “Maganda nga abs mo, pero bobo ka pa rin. ” (Your abs may be tight, but you’re still slow on the uptake).
4. “Ever heard of East Beach diet?”
5. “Nagbasa ako ng Preview. Yan daw ang uso in the next six months. ” (I just read an article in the Preview. It says this is the trend in the next six months).
6. “Ah, but the curve is the most beautiful of all the lines.”
7. “Does the phrase ‘Dove Beauty’ mean anything to you?”
8. “Bakit ikaw mukha kang floorwax?” (How come you look like floorwax?)
9. “Which is why I’ve been taking Xenical. And I’ve got this nice, moist feeling inside my pants.”
10. Alam mo, sabi dati ni Roland Barthes, ?Steak is part of the same sanguine mythology as wine. It is the heart of meat, it is meat in its pure state; and whoever partakes of it assimilates a bull-like strength. The prestige of steak evidently derives from quasi-rawness. In it, blood is visible, natural, dense, at once compact and sectile? To eat steak therefore represents both a nature and morality.?
11. ?I mean, that?s just your opinion, man.??Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski
And this from one of Lourd’s readers:
” Ako pwede pa pumayat. Ikaw hindi ka na pwedeng gumanda/gumwapo.” (I can still lose weight. But there’s nothing you can do about your face).
Let’s see how she responds to that.
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LOL I had to laugh at all of these. Problem is, I need to take lessons on bitching back. I’m so weak with snapping back at rude people that sometimes I hate myself for it!
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Unfortunately, those people are the one’s who clearly lack education when it comes to people’s health issues and the world today-Yes, there are a lot of obese people out there and some of them may be contributing to their own problem, but there are many more with medical problems who are trying to better themselves with diet and exercise like yourself.
I say pay her no mind because she has absolutely no clue what is going on.
.-= Kayla´s last blog ..Inspirational Tuesday(4/13) =-.
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I just think the person who told you you were fat was just insecure, you
comprise confidence she doesn’t have, she’s just out of words kaya may masabi lang. such people exist. I know you don’t really care for them, sometimes lang talga it gets to you.
.-= Edez´s last blog ..hanging by a moment =-.
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Grace- I’m trying to say something creative, pero mao lang ni- ayaw na didto pagpalit og vitamins! ako, when a househelp (tigulang na to) told me that “dili naman ka monimawang, kay permi lang ka tulog” (this came a few weeks after I gave birth to josh– was really overweight and was catching up on sleep) and the other one- “ah, mao nang tambok mo kay sige raman mo og kaon..” — I retaliated by not taking her again after she resigned and decided to come back. She begged three times, but I nicely said no, I don’t need her services (even when I needed a househelp)… It maddens me to hear people say insensitive things like that – right in our face, di ba? (hehehe, modungag pa unta ko– nalimot ko na comment section ni, dili email)…
.-= bin´s last blog ..Gotta Do those Pushups! =-.
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You are not fat. You are healthy. But this is good information to know as myself and my family may be moving to Dubai soon and I need to be prepared for the comments because, depending upon the store and who the maker is, I am a size 18, 20, 22, 24…but I am also 6 feet tall. So just how much trouble would I get in for responding with, “Yes, I may be fat, but at least I’m not a b*tch like you.”
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she is just completely stupid.
In any case she is incredibly rude and should under no circumstance be allowed to work in a profession where she has to deal with customers. In Germany you could easily get fired if your boss would overhear such a remark made to a customer ? and rightly so.
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You’re not fat!
Suya ko, wala na imong bilbil…grrrr…
Really working hard to lose weight also, been taking stairs for a week now (until 8th flr. lng).
That girl should be fired! She is not fit on her position, very rude!
I like Maja’s comment, the last part…”Ako pwede pang pumayat, ikaw di na pwedeng gumanda/gumwapo.”
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Hey honey! first off, you look fabulous! Also, hopefully this will help ease the zing of the rude comments in Dubai. I have many Middle Eastern & SE Asian friends (i’m Bengali myself) & i have noticed that (not judging..but..) people from these parts do not have the most tactful or even thoughtful way of speaking when it comes to weight & even appearance. It’s almost the way the cultures are, they feel they can say anything they want in accordance to one’s appearance. It is rude, and careless & best to treat it as ignorant behavior on the speakers part.
Don’t feel bad 😦 i’m sad that she made you feel awful at the comment. At least you are walking away the more mature person. I have tendency to say something more rude to get the person back, which sometimes is great >:) and sometimes not. xoxo hope all is well!
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You’re no longer fat! You look great!
After a year here in Singapore, I get that a lot now, and yes, from sales people. Not only that… I’m often told that I have hair loss problem, that I need to try facial because my acne is really bad (as if I haven’t noticed that). That’s why I no longer buy my toiletries at Watson’s.
.-= shiera´s last blog ..Neglected =-.
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