2000 Practicing Awareness of Microaggressions
This week I made me think back to a conversation I had not long ago with my cousin. I have always been a little overweight but as I have gotten older and the health issues I have encountered over the past few years with having total knee replacement and foot surgery to repair bone spurs and torn ligaments I have gained more than I would like and in the conversation with my cousin I was complaining about how I am not losing as much as I have been trying to and she said “but you are still cute”! I know she did not mean any harm but she has made the statement before and I did not make anything of it but since I now know that was a microaggresion, I will be mindful not to make that statement to anyone again because I have made a similar comment to a friend.
In this case discrimination, prejudice or stereotyping was not observed.
2 comments:
I am a tad bit overweight myself and most people will say "but you are cute though to be that size." I mean, when you know better, you do better. Now, that I know that these are considered to be microaggressions, I will not say anything to anyone else about size because I know how it makes me feel.
Microaggressions are subtle, unintentional and may go unnoticed. However, the recipients gets the effects of the hidden message and it may affect him/her psychological, affect his/her spirit, and in some case affects the person physically.
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