The Invisible Woman

A few years ago when my children were young our washing machine broke. This was an unfortunate event because it sent me to the laundromat with a week's worth of clothing for a family of four. When I arrived at the laundromat there were two men sitting at a table talking and waiting on their laundry to finish. The table was by the big, plate glass window that housed the door to the laundromat. I lugged my giant baskets of laundry inside, trying to open and hold the door as I entered. I did this four times. I also lugged in a big bag with detergent, fabric softener, quarters, and basic laundry necessities. Each time I struggled with the door, it occurred to me that it would be very nice if one of those men would help with the door. I would have gone to help someone, man or woman. Well, maybe it was just expecting too much.

Laundry in. Standing by my washers I had a full view of the door and the outside parking lot. What do I see?   A car pulls up, a thin woman with tight clothes and big (ummm) hair gets out. She has one itty-bitty (seriously, it looked like toy) laundry basket. BOTH men jumped up, rushed to the door, one held it open and one took her basket and carried it to a washer. And it was then that I knew: fat people are invisible.

Ironic isn't it. The bigger you are, the less people pay attention to you. Well that is until you are doing something that they want to make fun of you for doing. Or of course wearing a tube top and spandex pants in Wal-Mart on a Saturday night to rent movies from the Red Box. Then you end up on countless emails and Facebook statuses. Just to clarify, I've never been in one of those emails. I dress appropriately for Wal-Mart: no makeup, my jeans with the hole in the butt, my looonnngggg black tunic (it covers the hole) and of course, Birkenstocks. They are after all one of my life's necessities!

I do not begrudge any thin person their rights. I just want everyone to know that fluffy people have rights, too. We can be tall or short, smart or not so smart, quick-witted or ditzy, nice or bullies, good cooks or microwave royalty, jolly or somber and the list goes on. We are the same as anyone else, there is just more of us. I love the video of Britain's Got Talent where Susan Boyle comes out on stage. Everyone sees the fluffy, not so attractive woman standing there with the audacity to think she could perform. Everyone is rolling their eyes and making fun of her.(Had she been in the laundromat, she would have been invisible.) But there she stood. And then, she sang. One of the most beautiful voices of our time came from that frumpy, fluffy woman and those who were dismissing her as useless, were amazed. Give fluffy a chance. Don't prejudge. The most beautiful soul may inside that fluffy body and you could miss your chance to know them.

(If you need a little inspiration, go to youtube.com and search Susan Boyle Britain's Got Talent. Prepare to be amazed.)