The "language of fat" is probably a mystery to most people -- even if they happen to speak it.
Author Jessica Weiner invented the phrase to describe the way people discuss insecurities about their looks to mask their real emotions.
Weiner's latest book, Do I Look Fat in This?: Life Doesn't Begin Five Pounds From Now, aims to crack this supposed body-image code. Weiner addressed an audience and signed copies of her book last night at the Penn Bookstore.
While touring the country to promote a memoir, Weiner said she encountered body-image issues in bathrooms across America.
She noticed that people she had never met were always willing to commiserate about their respective body issues before they even shared their names.
"I know intimate details about strangers' butts," Weiner said.
She said she realized that in criticizing their bodies, people were trying to hide true feelings of anxiety or pain that had no connection to their waistlines.
"Fat has become this catch-all phrase that women use to describe their emotional state of being," Weiner said. "Fat is not an emotional state."
She added that the language of fat is often abusive.
"I don't think any girl or woman would treat their friends the way they treat their bodies," Weiner said.
This mentality can affect men as well as women, she said.
People can speak in this way without even knowing it, Weiner said, beginning as early as elementary school, for ingrained cultural reasons.
Weiner is spearheading a nationwide challenge to break this habit. She has declared tomorrow Fat Free Friday and hopes people will refrain from using the language of fat that day.
Wendy Cramer, a representative of the Renfrew Center Foundation handed out materials on recognizing and getting help for eating disorders.
The foundation is a Philadelphia-based organization that works with patients of eating disorders and maintains a strong connection with Weiner.
Cramer said that there are "some pretty frightening statistics" when it comes to eating disorders and college students. She said that one of every 10 students suffers from anorexia, one of every five from bulimia, and those are just the cases that are diagnosed.
Stephanie Schwartz, a Philadelphia resident, was inspired by what Weiner had to say.
"I can't wait to read the book," she said.
The Daily Pennsylvanian is an independent, student-run newspaper. Please consider making a donation to support the coverage that shapes the University. Your generosity ensures a future of strong journalism at Penn.
DonatePlease note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.