Anonymous wrote:I agree. I almost made a comment complimenting my doctor’s receptionist on how great she looked. Turns out she had lost weight and was wearing a wig because she had cancer. She died a few years later.
Yes! I was in the grocery store one day and overheard a conversation like this:
Hey Jean! You look amazing!
Uh ... thanks.
Seriously, absolutely amazing!
Yea. How are the kids? How's Bob?
How did you lose so much weight?!
I'm going through chemo.
The woman was thin but she did not look great by any stretch of the word. It would have been obvious to most that she was ill but some people are so weight obsessed that they literally just see a smaller body and think it looks "great." The woman stammered out an "Oh, I am so sorry to hear it!" and scurried off when it was clear the other woman did not want to chat.
But also, I have lost about 30 pounds through diet and exercise and I STILL don't want people commenting on it. A very generic and low-key "you look great!" is nice, but anything more feels like, "boy you were a cow before! What an improvement!" and that does not feel good to anyone. So shut your mouth, people!