what would you rather?

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My earlier post about 'fat shaming' by the organisation known as Overweight Haters Ltd. reminded me of a virtual occasion when a seemingly ordinary, well-educated lady and I had to agree to disagree. This is a story from the long distant past of about 2005. I was rampant in the blogosphere community over at Xanga {did anyone else have a blog over there?} and built up a lively little network of virtual friendships, many of which still exist, mostly on Facebook. One of the lasses, a Londoner, wrote a post one day asking the question, Would you rather sit next to a fat person or an individual with bad BO on the bus? She then went on to explain that she would much rather sit next to someone stinky, her reasoning being that they wouldn't encroach on her personal space and she wouldn't have to feel their blubber as it wobbled while the bus bounced along the roads. At the time I was a chubster, but as she only knew me in a virtual way she wasn't aware of this. I'll be honest and admit that of course I felt hurt. If she got on my bus and it was a choice between me and a smelly tramp, she'd sit next to the tramp! Who wouldn't feel a bit sad about that?! For a long time after this I was so aware of my fellow passengers on my daily bus journeys, so completely paranoid and anxious, just because someone I didn't really know humiliated me and made me feel insignificant. I believe my response to her post is a response I would still give today. I would much rather sit next to an overweight person on the bus, than a smelly one. There is something comforting about the fluffy encroachment of a larger person that makes me feel safe and secure. I think it reminds me of childhood and my Mumsy's cuddles. In the winter it's cosy and warm to share fully-dressed body heat with a fellow human. A really whiffy person would be an invasion of my nostrils, much like the chap in front of me in the queue at the supermarket last week. I had to take about four steps back, holding my breath. Poor man. He just needed a long hot bath and a good scrub of all his nether regions. And someone handing him a card which tells him how he smells like a zoo of decaying animals, how ugly he is, and how the water companies detest him because he doesn't use any water so they can't charge him. *rolling of eyes* So, what would you rather? Fat or smelly?!