The Fatphobic Rage Bait is Actually Unhinged

Does anyone else feel like it's suddenly become impossible to log on to social media without encountering some sort of blatant fatphobia? This type of content is all over my feeds — granted, most of the content I'm seeing is stitches or reaction videos from people who are calling out the fatphobia, but regardless: This type of Internet content is getting a ton of attention right now, and we need to unpack that.

Make no mistake: This is rage bait (which is a social media tactic that creators use when posting extremely controversial messaging in order to provoke people to leave comments and engage with their content, which in turn boosts its visibility and virality).

Arguably the most relevant example of fatphobic rage bait? That uber viral take about how girls "need to start acting their weight". If you haven't come across this one (or any of the reactions to it), consider yourself lucky. Here's the gist: the video features a woman speaking to the camera to deliver this absolutely bonkers message: According to her, your weight determines...how you're allowed to behave, apparently?

"If you are 160 pounds, I don't want to see any attitude. I want to see you giving all that attitude to the treadmill. Give it to your nutritionist. Give it to that pilates class," she says. It gets worse, trust me — but we don't need to get into all that.

Of course, the video itself has over a million views, because that's what happens on the Internet. The most controversial, inflammatory things gain traction, while the nuanced, thoughtful takes land with a whisper. Enter: The era of fatphobic rage bait.

This particular viral video is certainly not the only one of its kind. Across my feeds, I'm seeing countless similar pieces of content. Undoubtedly, people are drawing inspiration here: They're seeing other people go viral and copying this particular brand of rage bait for one simple reason: They know that the more outlandish your message, the more offensive you get, the more you pop off on the apps. But like…is it worth selling your soul for a viral moment?

The problem, of course, is that this type of content has a big impact. And yes, I realize that I'm amplifying it in some way by writing this very piece, but I guess the thing here is this: The attention economy doesn't always reward the things that deserve our attention, and we have to accept the reality: We live in a time in which problematic messages spread like wildfire, and we can tamp some of that wildfire down by commenting on how utterly ridiculous and harmful this type of messaging is.

In some ways, fatphobic rage bait feels like the very intersection of some of the biggest issues we're facing in the wellness world. Not only is skinny supremacy back in a big way, we're also very much in the thick of the misinformation era — which is fueled by our algorithms and their prioritization of shock value over credibility. With those two factors at large, are we even surprised by the rise of fatphobic rage bait?

Here’s what we need to remember when taking in this type of content: It exists just to elicit a response from people. It may get a lot of attention, but it doesn’t deserve to take up space underneath your skin. So don’t let it get there.