I was once at a comedy show where the punchline landed squarely on my body — well, not mine specifically, but bodies like mine. The comedian tossed out a lazy fat joke, the crowd roared, and I sat there with that familiar cocktail of emotions: annoyance, weariness, and the quiet ache of invisibility.
Here’s the thing: fat jokes are everywhere. In sitcoms. In movies. On late-night shows. In casual office banter. Even in the mouths of people who would never dream of making a racist, sexist, or homophobic quip. We’ve decided, as a culture, that mocking someone’s size is still somehow acceptable, even edgy.
But let’s be clear — it’s not edgy. It’s not acceptable. It’s not enlightened. It’s tired. It’s cruel. And it needs to stop.
Why the Fat Joke Still Lives On
Other forms of prejudice have, rightfully, been pushed to the margins of mainstream comedy. You don’t hear prime-time jokes about race, gender, or disability without public outcry. But fatness? That’s still fair game. Why?
Because society has wrapped fat bodies in layers of stigma, labeling us as “lazy,” “unhealthy,” or “lacking willpower.” In comedy, we become the easy laugh, the exaggerated sidekick, the butt of the joke (pun, unfortunately, intended). Psychologists call this “punching down” — targeting those who already experience systemic disadvantage.
And when people laugh at those jokes, it’s not just harmless fun. That laughter reinforces bias. It gives permission for employers to overlook plus-size candidates, for doctors to dismiss real medical concerns with a flippant “lose weight,” for strangers to sneer at us in restaurants or on airplanes.
Personally, a doctor told me to lose weight to control my cholesterol. I have great cholesterol; however, because I’m the size I am, he didn’t even check. Additionally, I once had a flight attendant tell me the next time I asked for a seat belt extension she would charge me for an extra seat. I no longer fly on that airline…although, I’m sure she is still humiliating people.
The Real Cost of the Laugh
Every fat joke ripples outward. It seeps into the workplace, where plus-size women are less likely to be hired or promoted. It echoes in healthcare, where weight stigma literally results in misdiagnoses and poorer health outcomes. And it burrows deep inside us, breeding internalized shame that whispers: Maybe they’re right about me.
That’s not comedy. That’s cruelty dressed up with a laugh track.
Reclaiming Joy Without Harm
Here’s my unapologetic truth: humor is sacred. Laughter heals. But there’s nothing healing about punching down. The real brilliance of comedy lies in punching up — exposing hypocrisy, skewering power structures, making us laugh at the absurdities of life.
So let’s demand better. Let’s call out fat jokes for what they are: relics of a mean-spirited culture that hasn’t caught up with the dignity of every body. And let’s reclaim humor as a force for joy, resilience, and connection — not shame.
Thinking you need to belittle someone’s body to get a laugh is not even a little bit funny. Trust me: the world is rich with comedy without ever needing to mock a waistline.
The Real Cost of the Laugh
Every fat joke ripples outward. It seeps into the workplace, where plus-size women are
less likely to be hired or promoted. It echoes in healthcare, where weight stigma literally
results in misdiagnoses and poorer health outcomes. And it burrows deep inside us,
breeding internalized shame that whispers: Maybe they’re right about me.
That’s not comedy. That’s cruelty dressed up with a laugh track.
Reclaiming Joy Without Harm
Here’s my unapologetic truth: humor is sacred. Laughter heals. But there’s nothing
healing about punching down. The real brilliance of comedy lies in punching up —
exposing hypocrisy, skewering power structures, making us laugh at the absurdities of
life.
So let’s demand better. Let’s call out fat jokes for what they are: relics of a mean-spirited
culture that hasn’t caught up with the dignity of every body. And let’s reclaim humor as a
force for joy, resilience, and connection — not shame.
Thinking you need to belittle someone’s body to get a laugh is not even a little bit funny.
Trust me: the world is rich with comedy without ever needing to mock a waistline.
