PHAT or Fat?
Hi Ladies! The story below was submitted by Carmen. Oh…. Carmen!! Us ladies slip all the time, but you didn’t slip! When a female is insecure about something, she is extra sensitive to anything that might reference her insecurity. I have a large head. I do…it’s big… 25 1/2 inch radius – I’m pretty sure Andre The Giant is the only one in this galaxy that could beat my measurement. Remember when “Austin Powers,” came out and Mike Myer’s Irish character’s “HEED!” (the name he called his child who had an enormous head) was quoted all the time? I was a wreck. When I heard someone quote and laugh about it, I would swear on my Jennifer Aniston shag (popular at the time) that everyone was making fun of me. THEY WERENT! They were making fun of my “shag” that looked more like a mullet because the stylist butchered it, but not the size of my head! Your boss is extra sensitive about her weight right now, so just let it go. You two will laugh about it once your relationship develops. Oh, and, Cameron, step away from “The Urban Dictionary!” Girl, you’re not alone if you’re worried about job security and it makes you act like a toolbag. I do it everyday! And now…. Carmen:
I can’t get over this. I got a new job in a bad economy and I’ve been trying harder than usual to fit-in. I just want to assure my job is secure. I’ll make the cheesiest comments then wince afterwards because I’m so embarrassed of what a cheeseball I sound like. It’s not like me at all. I’m using words I NEVER USE!! I’m trying too hard to be cool. Today, my boss, who’s younger and trendy (and a little overweight), came into the office with a really cool belt over her suit jacket. It was creative, super sophisticated and I saw an opportunity to compliment her. “I love your belt! I like how you put it over your suit jacket, you really pulled it off well. You look PHAT!” Because I just spelled PHAT, you know that I meant it as “fabulous,” but my boss thought I slipped subconsciously and said, “fat,” instead of “great.” UGH! Again, I never use the term PHAT, how corny!! I was just trying to bond with my boss! She went into a brief explanation about how she has a thyroid problem and she’s trying to control her weight gain and hasn’t succeeded. I then tried to explain that I meant P-H-A-T and didn’t even think about her weight. I truly thought she looked great. She didn’t buy it. She said she knew what she looked like and there was no need to explain. She knew she was overweight. The more I talked, the more pissed she got so I dropped it, but I feel like an idiot. My coworkers thought it was funny and told me not to worry about it, but it’s not that easy. Moving forward, I will stop TRYING so hard. No more talking slang and trying to fit in. Obviously, it gets me NOWHERE!
