Harmony Albertini, a content creator and author, faces daily comments about her body along with pressure to “take control” of her weight. Instead of remaining silent, she has chosen to respond assertively in a viral message: it is not her responsibility to lose weight, but rather society’s duty to stop discriminating.
“It’s not my job to lose weight”
In an interview with Filtre, Harmony Albertini emphasizes that fatphobia is more than just a matter of “opinions”; it’s a form of discrimination that affects all aspects of life, including public spaces, employment, healthcare, and personal relationships. She stresses that being plus-size does not automatically imply poor health and urges people to educate themselves before passing judgment. In response to messages like “you’re too fat” or “you’re the problem”, she flips the narrative, asserting that it is not the bodies that should conform, but rather societal norms that must stop punishing those who do not fit the mold.
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Humiliations lurking everywhere
In her testimony, the content creator describes a daily life fraught with challenges: narrow chairs in restaurants, cramped airplane seats, and attractions or performance spaces that she “can’t quite fit into.” She explains that she is constantly told to “adapt” – to her surroundings, the stares, the remarks – as if the world isn’t meant to accommodate all bodies.
The violence often manifests most brutally in intimate settings: men may express enjoyment of her company but refuse to pursue a relationship until she loses weight. This conveys a double rejection: both fatphobic and misogynistic.
A systemically documented discrimination
Harmony’s message aligns with a quantifiable reality. Research highlighted by Gabrielle Deydier reveals that an obese woman is up to eight times less likely to be hired, and an obese man three times less likely, all else being equal. Salaries are lower, promotions rarer, and fatphobia remains normalized in the workplace. Even within the fashion industry, where inclusive runway shows have gained visibility, the “return to thinness,” exacerbated by the use of drugs like Ozempic, sidelines plus-size models, relegating body positivity to a mere “communication moment.”
“The problem is not our bodies”
By refusing to make weight loss a prerequisite for her happiness, Harmony Albertini challenges the notion that slenderness is essential for love, success, or respect. She reminds us that chasing an “ideal body” can ruin more than it improves one’s life, especially when this pursuit is framed as a moral obligation.
Her message is crystal clear: our bodies do not need to seek forgiveness for existing. What needs to change isn’t body shapes but the structures – from cramped seats to discriminatory hiring practices – and the mindsets that persist in viewing the humiliation of plus-size individuals as an opinion rather than a form of violence.
