Taking a jab at fat

Why are fat people either obnoxious or immediately likable? I am not referring to hating or liking the physical mass obviously, but of the person that is hidden somewhere within those folds of lard. And this bipolar view of those with an unfair share of avoirdupois (unfair because there still exist the starving Africans) is based almost entirely on such people I know, as also some consultations with a couple of close friends (who based their input on the 'fatties' they know) who do not mind discussing such a topic without already assuming politically correct stances.

So this is the theory. Maybe it is already propounded by shrinks and the like, but none were consulted before arriving at this conclusion.

Most fat people have always been fat. They never lost the so-called baby fat, and only accumulated additional layers as they went along life, much like people accumulate memories. And consequently, they were always the target for pranks, butt of jokes and the "It" in every game they played with their friends. These friends, being children and thankfully still in their true elements, lost no opportunity to remind the fat kid about the fat, even though it was perhaps in all innocence. I, for one, do not remember ever omitting the mention of fat to a fat kid when making fun of him (I say 'him' purely because most of these memories have to do with the time when I was in an all boys' school, the exercise I am sure would be a lot more fun with a girl), no matter what the context was.

The point is that most fat people have always been fat (except perhaps those who suddenly grew some hormonal imbalance, the only sort of fat people for who I have any sympathy). And society being what it is, shaped by the worship of images of toned shapely bodies everywhere one looks, continues that innocent non-malicious childish teasing in to adoloscence. The bucket of lard really gets it then, with the fat usually becoming the defining characteristic of the kid. If the kid becomes big (not just sideways), he can probably bully his way to avoid being bullied. And look! the first seeds of a life-long existence of an inferiority complex hidden by aggression has already become a strong green sapling. If you cannot fit in with the rest, lord over them; a logic very difficult to argue against.

The other reaction is that of trying really hard to fit in, usually by doing the hard-work required to make other aspects of the personality show even through the thick opaque folds of flab. And this variety usually stops caring about their own fat sooner or later, taking it for granted. Once they have done that, others seem to follow suit rather quickly, discovering in the person other wonderful traits which makes her or him immensely likable (and not because they are "cute"). And of course, this is the better kind of fat people, not merely for being likable but also for having come up with a better solution for their problem despite being lazy enough to not get rid of it entirely.

Another distinction I noticed between the two varieties of fat. The obnoxious sort are only too eager to get their pictures clicked, for instance. They are hungry for fame in whatever cheap ways it comes their way, a manifestation perhaps of their hunger for love, which they seem to also often slurp up in whatever falicious forms it makes its way to them. It is perhaps an understanable reaction to being 'disliked' all your life. The likable fat people, on the other hand, don't give a toss about fame or love (no more than the average thin Joe). They seem to have reacted in an equally understanble way to all the years of teasing - by totally rising above the need for such affection and recognition.