Ouvrage Collectif 
Gaining Weight 101 

Being a skinny guy is challenging enough in a world where everyone else is at a “normal” weight, but when more than half of the people in this country are overweight it’s downright tough. Everywhere you look there are weight loss products, on TV, magazines, billboards and in every store you shop in. Fat free, low-fat, low carb…this stuff is everywhere, taunting you. The message all around you is “lose weight, lose weight”, but that’s the last thing you want to do. Most products that are designed to help people achieve their ideal body are created for people who need to lose fat and they just won’t work for you. You want to have a body like the one you see in those commercials, but somehow it seems out of reach for you.Another downside to being a skinny guy in a fat world is that nobody understands you. It would be totally inappropriate to call an overweight person “fatty” and poke fun at them and you could probably get fired from your job if you did that at work. But, people have no problem calling you “slim” or “bony” or poking fun at you for being skinny. The name calling and joking around at your expense may be just as demeaning and hurtful, but it isn’t politically incorrect because people think that being skinny is preferable to being fat, I suppose. But, come on, not for a guy! Guys are supposed to be strong, muscular and confident, not skinny and weak. Even though it is supposedly preferable to be skinny, you can tell that even the chubby guys get more respect than you do.