"So I personally find it discriminatory that I have to endure such a sight": With this statement, the hotel owner Angelika Hargesheimer caused outrage last week.

Because she talked about fat people.

A statement from the owners can now be found on the homepage of the Beachhotel Sahlenburg, which Hargesheimer operates.

No guest has ever been turned away because of his weight.

The hotel only informs for reasons of liability that the designer furniture does not weigh more than 130 kilograms.

Green politician Ricarda Lang wrote on Twitter that Hargesheimer's statement was "malicious and hurtful".

Unfortunately, people have become too used to devaluing fat people.

This was promptly followed by derogatory comments on Lang's body.

“Finally I can help myself at the buffet without being rammed against the wall by fats,” wrote one user.

In fact, discriminatory statements about fat people are widespread.

"Fat shaming" or weight discrimination is called when people are attacked, insulted or excluded because of their body size.

Fat people, it is said, are lazy, hungry, careless.

The social ostracism of fat people is reflected in bullying in the school yard and in discrimination on the labor market.

Insults are everyday life for fat people

For many fat people, fat shaming is part of their daily life. On the Internet, where insults can be voiced anonymously, they experience a lot of hatred, says Ricarda Lang. Often, misogyny and opposition to fat are intertwined, says Lang. "The body is seen as a possibility of a simple attack, as a possibility not to have to deal with the contents of a person."

Given the sheer volume of insults, there are also moments of uncertainty. “At some point I began to think about every post: Do I have the strength, the time and the courage to expose myself to this hatred? I then made a very conscious decision to address this openly and to set a clear example. To show: You do not muzzle me. ”But when people withdraw from the public debate because of attacks on their external characteristics, this is of course first and foremost a problem for the people themselves, but also for democracy, says Lang.

The fat hatred on the net doesn't just hit women, any fat person can be a target.

Peter Altmaier is another politician who receives insults and threats because of his body weight.

You don't look long among your posts.

On Facebook you can find the comment: "Hang out, you fat incest pig!"

Commitment against hatred

Melodie Michelberger also campaigns against hatred. The author and former fashion journalist confidently shows her fat body on Instagram and writes about fat shaming and body acceptance. “I want to raise awareness that there are simply different body shapes and that no body is better than another.” She hits a nerve with her posts, she has over 40,000 followers. But you don't wait long for the hatred on Instagram either: tips on losing weight keep coming in without being asked, Michelberger is insulted and threatened. “Fat people are often dehumanized,” she says. "For example, one user always called me 'creature'."