Our appearance is often where we get the most feedback, especially from moms. If you were a fat kid, you got extra feedback. It makes you self-conscious. The weirdest thing to me is I am 57 and now thin for the first time in my life. STRANGERS call me skinny, say I'm tiny, etc. Why? I look DIFFERENT, and women are hyper-obsessed with weight. Most Americans my age of overweight. Many are obese. So now I get to hear about how it's wrong, different, etc to be thin! I don't feel insecure, tho, but rather feel a sense of accomplishment because I know exactly how hard I've worked. I have no idea why I had the burden of being a fat kid, but I know one thing: it wasn't my fault. I've spent a literal lifetime trying to solve the puzzle of weight gain and it seems unlikely I could've figured that sh*t out at the age of six. It turns out there is so much more to life than appearance, but I kind of got stuck there because so much of my identity, achievement, sense of belonging, and self-worth got tied up in being different and being told so--not just by playmates and strangers, but in my family. I think it's safe to say the trauma of being a fat kid is extensive. It overshadowed much of my childhood and greatly affected my self-image and confidence.