From skwigg's journal:
Hearing someone you respect calling people/food “piggish” would tend to make an impression on a young mind. If you don’t know to question that comment (how would you at the time?), you’re left with the impression that if you want approval, you don’t eat too much or too enthusiastically, not in front of other people anyway. Cue the inner turmoil. That comment was a representation of her own fears and insecurities though. It has nothing to do with the other people or their food. She was probably exposed to that mindset somewhere, was hurt by it, but never had the ability to question it herself or realize the negative impact. How cool that you have the ability to “Is it true?” that thought and find compassion for yourself and her, and hey, anyone who’s eating. We’ve all been exposed to diet culture. We’re all doing the best we can at the time. Nobody benefits from judging, shaming, or comparison. You’re always free to dismiss it when it happens in your own mind, or to face it with compassion and understanding when it happens in someone else’s. If someone feels the need to judge or shame me over what I’m eating, it’s a misunderstanding on their part. It’s their pain and fear showing itself. I feel bad that they’re believing their thoughts and it’s hurting, not bad that I had extra potatoes.