Race Jones
gangster. grace. alchemy
This is Jennifer Wilkinson and this is her 15 minutes of fame. An embarrassing moment that went viral.
The 39-year-old mom of two says she is still suffering from obesity and struggles to lose weight because of her spinal condition, anxiety, ADHD and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
she said she only found out about the photo after her sister found it and asked if it was her.
She subsequently scrolled through hundreds of cruel comments that poked fun at her obesity.
‘The worst thing about this photo is that people think a fat woman tipped over a cart because she was too lazy to get out of the cart to get the case of soda,' Ms Knapp Wilkinson wrote in a candid post on Quora.
‘I have a condition in my spine called Spondylolisthesis. The most common symptoms in the legs include a feeling of vague weakness associated with prolonged standing or walking.
In my case, the longer I stand the more numb and weak my legs become. I have been known to fall because of this condition.’
Ms Knapp Wilkinson was grocery shopping for her husband Robert when she fell off her scooter and was in enormous pain
‘Both my parents had a form of this disease and both had to have back surgeries in their early thirties. So there is a good chance my children can get the same spine disease,’ she said.
She shamed bullies for assuming her obesity was because of ‘laziness’, saying the photo is now an eternal reminder of a 'low point' in her life.
She said, ‘I was at a very low point in my mental health. I also was experiencing a lot of pain and weakness that day. I took a cart because I was grocery shopping for my family. I went to get a case of soda for my husband.’
‘I thought I saw a flash of light and heard some young girls giggling. I thought nothing of it because I am use to hearing people make fun of me or saying snide remarks. It was nothing new.
Ms Knapp Wilkinson called on people to think before they poke fun
'I have also seen this photo attached to stories that aren't even true about this situation,' she went on.
The stay-at-home mum said she wants people to know ‘fat people are people too’ and wants ‘compassion, understanding, and respect as a fellow human being’.
‘You can not see my disabilities but they are there and they are real. So next time you see photos making fun of people just remember you know nothing about these people or the struggles they face everyday,’ she adds.
‘It is never just harmless fun to laugh at someone.’
Wilkinson goes on to say:
My obesity is caused by my American diet and also by my mental illnesses. I have major depressive disorder, PTSD, and avoidant personality disorder. I have experienced several cases of emotional trauma that lead to these illnesses. So I ended up using food to cope with my mental illnesses.
My main point in this answer is I did not choose to be photographed at a low point in my life. The fact that people assume I am fat because I am lazy is false. Or they assume I am fat because I want to be on disability. Obese people are treated as less than human and as something to ridicule. I just want people to be aware that fat people are people too.
I just want to get something clear – I am not asking people to accept or condone obesity. Obesity is a major health problem causing many illnesses and diseases. I also am not asking people to pity or feel sorry for me. What I want is compassion, understanding, and respect as a fellow human being. I am a person. Please treat me like one!"
I always thought people who snap photos of strangers for cheap laughs and giggles were weird as hell. As soon I hear the flash I'm fucking your ass up.
