A short YouTube advice segment by communication coach Raele (Well with Raele) presenting three preferred responses to criticisms about weight. The speaker advocates using 'I' statements to set boundaries, reduce defensiveness, avoid retaliatory comments, and offers brief guidance on handling follow-up questioning and staying aligned with one’s values.
I'm going to give you three responses that I personally love and I'm going to explain why I'm not sure why my weight is your concern. I don't comment on your weight or appearance, even though I easily could, so I'd appreciate the same courtesy done for me. I'm not comfortable with you criticizing my weight. All three of these start with I statements, which help neutralize the situation and reduce defensiveness, and they set a clear boundary, specifically from your perspective, which is harder to challenge or question. Saying something like, you always criticize my weight and I want you to stop may encourage the other person to question you and say, well, when do I do that? Can you give me an example? Which then might throw you off guard if you're not fully prepared with an example in the moment, does that make sense? This way, you also steer clear of stooping to the other person's level, commenting on their weight or appearance and clapping back at them in a way that might not align with you. I'm well with Raelle, your communication coach, and as always, I hope these are helpful.
