Why Should Overweight Women Be Proud of Their Bodies?': Mom Blocked From Facebook for 'Hate Speech

Maria Kang, a California mother of three young children who TheBlaze featured last month, is proud of her post-baby body -- and she's not afraid to share it, attracting both praise and criticism. But some of her outspokenness on Facebook recently landed her with a temporary suspension from the site for so-called "hate speech."

Maria Kang and her three sons. Earlier this year, Kang was criticized for this image posted on Facebook. Now, she's gotten herself in hot water with a new Facebook comment. (Image source: Maria Kang/Facebook)

Kang, who tries to encourage people to stay in shape, recently asked, "why should overweight women be proud of their bodies?" The comment was in response to a campaign for curvier women to take "selfies." As a result of her question, Kang was blocked from the social media site.

Her Facebook use has since been restored, but the athletic mother has written another "sorry but not sorry"-type post explaining her position.

Image source: Maria Kang/Facebook)

In a blog post, Kang wrote:

While I speak strongly about making one’s health a priority, the very last thing I intended to express was any level of shame. No one should be ashamed of who they are, at the same time, in order to desire something greater, you have to –at some level – be uncomfortable with where you are at. When we normalize being unhealthy we create complacency to positively change.

In our fast-paced world of news media, it’s easier to categorize someone as a ‘fat-shamer’, a ‘hater’ or even a ‘bully’, without understanding the full story.  Somewhere in this social media frenzy, I have been called all of these names after using a popular catchphrase on a motivational fitness poster and now for my vent on our obesity crisis in America.

I understand the deeper issues because I grew up with it. I witnessed the abuse of prescription pills that helped alleviate symptoms but didn’t provide the cure that living a healthy lifestyle would’ve done. I experienced a hateful relationship with food that triggered several years struggling with Bulimia. I sensed people creating environments filled with comfortable people and comfortable personal expectations that encouraged their poor habits.

Kang went on to explain that today, Nov. 27, is her wedding anniversary and that she remembers the day with some amount of sadness because neither of her parents were present due to health issues her mother was experiencing. She wrote that this is, in part, why she has a mission to encourage people to make healthy decisions.

"Many put off what is important for tomorrow because of the short-term stressful or satisfying moments they experience today. Maybe one doesn’t feel their weight and unhealthy habits are taking a toll now, but it’s not a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ your organs, bones and overall body succumb to the additional pressure you are applying to it," Kang wrote. "Maybe you won’t be able to run with your children. Maybe you will miss out on special events. Maybe you might not witness your child’s wedding day…"

Kang included this photo in her blog post, stating that she choked up when her father-in-law asked her to dance on her wedding day. Kang's own father was at the hospital with her mother who was suffering health issues at the time. (Image source: MariaKang.com)

On Facebook, Kang updated fans writing that Facebook said she was wrongly blocked by "human error," but she points out that her "offensive" post about the "obesity crisis in America" was not restored.

Let us know what you think of Kang's perspective by taking our poll.

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