Sadly, body shamers are everywhere. In the last few weeks alone, trolls called photos of Simone Biles in a swimsuit "ugly" and "gross," Amy Schumer's social feeds were filled with hateful comments after she was cast in an upcoming Barbie movie, and Lena Dunham felt the need to defend her un-Photoshopped Glamour cover.
Now, at least one body-shaming bully is trying to make amends with the people he used to harass. On Tuesday, Reddit user roundrobinator posted to the weight loss subreddit LoseIt an "Open Letter of Apology." "I am the one who was giving you dirty looks in the grocery store. I am the one who rolled their eyes at you in the restaurant. I am the one who shared that insensitive meme," he says at the beginning of his screed. Later, he reveals what caused his change of heart: After a lifetime of being thin, he ruptured his Achilles' tendon and gained 119 pounds, and became the butt of the same types of jokes and insensitive comments he used to dish out. He wrote the apology letter shortly after a random passerby made pig-snorting noises at him.
"[I hoped] that someone like me who's never been big and tended to judge those who are would read this and just go out into the world with somewhat of a different perspective the next day," roundrobinator told Health via Reddit. (He declined to provide his real name.) He also said he wants to be a more body-positive role model for his daughter.
The letter received an outpouring of positive comments—more than the anonymous writer says he ever could have imagined. He says other Reddit users have offered him health advice books they've written, complimentary consulting services, and simply (but arguably most importantly) words of support on his journey to reclaim his own health.
Regardless of the author's motives, he concludes his apology with a message we wish we saw more often: "I know now that you are so much more than your weight."
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