She lost 150 pounds and was treated differently: 'We could overcome fatphobia if we stick together'

Katiria Duque, aged 28, is a photographer in Houston, Texas. Recently, she posted a TikTok video about what it was like to lose a considerable amount of weight. At first, she wanted to lose weight in order to feel more energetic. Then, she noticed something about how she was being treated. In her now-viral clip, she discusses how she received different—and better—treatment from those around her, including her own family. Developing critical commentary on fatphobia, she called on folks to "stick together," Bored Panda reports. Duque affirmed that it was time for those with bigger bodies to stop being afraid of living their lives; "enough is enough," she affirmed.

The Colombian American TikToker first went viral when she uploaded a video about losing 70 pounds and then suddenly having a boyfriend for the first time in her life. "My reaction to my video going viral was overwhelming and not because of the views, but people’s reactions!" She said in an interview with the media outlet. "I had no idea so many could relate to my exact story. [It] brought me to tears because I would not wish this on my worst enemy."

In the same video, she reveals that she had lost, in total, about 150 pounds since 2019. Using older pictures of herself, she explains in the clip, "So back in 2019, I lost 150 about pounds. Let me show you. Here I am, I was weighing about 130 to 135 [pounds]. And I think my highest weight was like, 275 to 285 [pounds]." Duque first began losing weight as she wanted to feel more energetic. In addition to this, she feared for her health because she wanted to avoid diabetes. She also had other reasons, but they were all focused on her health and wellbeing. "I wanted my health back, my doctor had told me that I was going to get diabetes," she states. "I mean, the list just goes on."

However, as she started to lose weight, she experienced some unintended consequences. For example, people started to like her for no apparent reason, strangers would stop and greet her, it appeared as if everyone wanted to be her friend, and random men would even buy her drinks on a night out. Furthermore, her equation with her family changed too. Following her drastic weight loss, members of her family became nicer to her and seemed very supportive. Her grandmother even took a photo of her, which had never happened before. Notably, the TikToker even received better job opportunities. The "positive side effects" of weight loss drove her to fear; Duque believe that she would lose out on these "privileges" if she ever gained the weight back.

Therefore, the experience highlighted to her that the way she was treated in a bigger body, and indeed the way all fat folks are treated, is wrong and condemnable. Everyone is deserving of kindness. "[My video going viral] brought me peace, knowing we could all overcome fatphobia if we stick together and continue to live our lives," she affirmed. "It seems like we all stopped living so that we could accommodate the people that hate looking at us in bigger bodies. So many people in the comments have been hiding for years. Enough is enough!"