Fat people are inherently seen as lazy. It’s a stigma we can’t shift. Despite our excess weight being down to any number of reasons, whether it be health-related, genetics, excess stress, a full-blown addiction, or even just happiness, somewhere along the line being plus-size meant you were just too lazy to exercise or go on a diet. (By the way, most plus-size people I know are avid exercisers).

I know I shouldn’t, but I think of that lazy comment whenever I go for a job interview; whenever I start in a new workplace, and whenever I meet new people. In a bid to not be perceived this way, I overcompensate by people pleasing, being kind, dressing ‘nicely’ and working hard. But sometimes it’s still not enough.

In another job, a manager sat me down and told me that in order to get a promotion I would need to make myself into a ‘brand’ (i.e. grow my social media following) – but that it would be difficult because of the way I look. Another job, where I applied for a promotion internally, blindsided me into an ‘interview’ that they said was a catch up, before giving the job to a (slim) male colleague. I later learned the job was always intended to be his and I was simply a roadblock that needed to be cleared. (I should note that this man did not have the correct qualifications or experience). Perhaps this was more sexist than sizeist, yet I can’t help but feel that I would have been given more of a look-in if I were an average size.

In saying this, not all of my career experience has been dimmed by my fatphobic experiences. I am so proud and thankful of so many of the things I have achieved, the colleagues I have befriended, and the kind and supportive managers I have met along the way. Yes, fatphobia is rife in the working world, but you don’t have to let it define you – it took me a long time but I’ve finally realised that, actually, I’m not lazy in the slightest, that manager was just a Mean Girl.

So many fat women thrive in the workplace. I have gone on to achieve things I would have never thought possible both in spite of and because of my size (as it turns out, writing about the fat experience is rather relatable, hey?). Yet, until workplaces support, encourage and promote plus-size women, it can be a tough path to navigate. Just know you’re not alone.