A plus-size broadcaster has urged people to change their attitude towards weight as she said: ‘obese people are not a problem to solve’.
Louise McSharry, of Dublin, who presents on RTÉ 2fm, shared an impassioned Instagram post on the topic to mark World Obesity Day.
She revealed she was first placed on a diet aged six, and that others’ feelings towards her body led her to feel self-conscious and unwanted, even as a teenager.
Claiming obese people are treated as a ‘problem’ that need to be ‘solved’, Louise added: ‘I am not a disease. I am not a problem to be solved. There is no thin person inside me. I am LIVING. Right now.’
Louise McSharry, pictured, of Dublin, who presents on RTÉ 2fm, shared an impassioned Instagram post on the topic to mark World Obesity Day
Penning the note to her 46,000 followers, Louise wrote: ‘ Today is #WorldObesityDay, the day the world gets together and tries to solve the problem of people like me. Except, I’m not a problem.
‘In fact, the more I learn and the more I think about it, the more I realise that my weight has actually never negatively impacted my life. What has negatively impacted my life is society’s attitude toward it.
‘People’s feelings about my body have been negatively impacting me since I was placed on my first diet at age six, and they have never stopped.
‘Their feelings about my body led to years of pointless yoyo dieting which, would you believe, is really bad for your health.
‘Their feelings about my body and what it is and isn’t capable of meant I never tried out for the school dance team, even though I wanted to, because I had been taught that bodies like mine didn’t belong there.
‘It meant I stopped going on acting auditions because an agent told me I ‘better get my body together’ as she handed me a script at age sixteen.’
Louise (pictured) admitted she’s settled for substandard relationships, while believing she’s ‘lucky’ if anyone finds her attractive
Louise, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014, has previously noted that cancer gave her a newfound appreciation for her body, something that had evaded her for much of her life.
She now speaks out on issues including fat shaming, body positivity and body diversity.
She continued in the Instagram post: ‘It meant I settled for substandard relationships with some s***** people because I had been taught that I’d be lucky if anyone was ever attracted to me. I can dance. I can act. I am attractive. My body never stopped me. The attitudes did.
‘This week I did yoga in a bra and leggings, something I would never have done ten years ago. Yoga is for thins, I would have thought, and my internalised fatphobia meant I was too disgusted by my body to be in any state of undress, even when totally alone.’
Louise (pictured) donned a sports bra and no make-up for a selfie to accompany her post, racking up over 7,000 likes
Posting on Instagram, Louise explained that society’s attitude towards weight influenced her perception of her body image
The broadcaster has gained a legion of her followers from boldly being a plus size wearer as well as sharing beauty advice. And many of her supporters were quick to post comments gushing about her latest relatable admission.
One person wrote: ‘Well said Louise… you are amazeballs & i’m loving the euphoria you have found with yoga, you are inspiring me to try’
Another said: ‘I’m so emotional reading this Louise, very powerul’
A third added: ‘Love every word of this’
A stream of responses on Louise’s Instagram post praised her and said they felt ’emotional’ reading it