I’m a size 8 & being skinny’s hell – I’m called a ‘freak’ by mums and accused of taking Ozempic & having surgery
WEARING a size eight bodycon dress and sky high heels, gorgeous mum-of-three Vicky Borman exudes confidence as she happily sips a drink with a friend.
Then, spotting an acquaintance she hasn't seen for a while, the 46-year-old Airbnb host walks over and smiles broadly.
Greeting her pal warmly, Vicky, from St Neots, Cambridgeshire, chats away - until suddenly the woman cuttingly says: “What’s happened to you? You look so tiny - are you anorexic?”
The sickening eating disorder jibe is sadly something Vicky - who has a body mass index (BMI) of 18.6, putting her in the ‘healthy’ range - has heard plenty of times before.
In fact, she's sadly used to being body shamed for her slender figure. Over the years, she's been labelled a 'freak' by mums, accused of having surgery on her natural 36D boobs and most recently accused of being on weight loss jabs.
Married Vicky says: "People are accusatory because of my figure, but the truth is I've always been slim - it's just my natural build.
"However, I've been told I'm not normal, and one lady accused me of having a tummy tuck and boob job after giving birth.
"It’s covert bullying. You wouldn’t call a larger person ‘too fat’ so why would you do the same to a person who is slim?”
'People have said I'm a bad influence'
It's something 5ft 5in Vicky, who weighs 8st, has had to contend with since childhood.
Vicky says she inherited her body shape from her mum Angela, now 70, who has remained a steady 9st 5Ib despite having a child.
The discrimination - dubbed “skinny shaming” by Vicky - started early.
“From the age of five I was told to ‘eat more’ by school dinner ladies,” she says.
“As a child it washed over me, I didn’t really care. But as a teen it frustrated me and also drove my dieting mates mad.
“I felt judged and shamed for daring to be naturally thin.”
Vicky believes the situation is unique because most people perceive being slim as being more 'attractive' - which is why many don't see anything wrong with commenting on her figure.
People told me I was a freak. Some asked what miracle drug I’d taken
Vicky Borman
Her thoughts are backed up by science. A 2015 academic study carried out by the University of Aberdeen revealed the ‘most attractive’ BMI in a woman was just 19.
Regardless, Vicky, who says she is not speaking to shame other people - especially mums, says: “People shouldn’t really comment on your appearance at all. It’s not appropriate.
“People have said to me I’m a bad influence for daring to be thin. I hate it.”
Called a 'freak'
The body-shaming comments continued into Vicky's 20s.
After meeting her former husband, in 2004, aged 26, Vicky fell pregnant.
“Before the pregnancy I weighed 8st, and during the pregnancy I only gained half a stone," she says.
“My boobs exploded, my bump was huge, but I carried the pregnancy high and didn't even go up a dress size.
“I also ate healthily. I loved fruit and vegetables and could wear my size six to eight outfits and baggy shirts and jumpers as maternity clothes.
“I was even still wearing my size six jeans when I went into labour - the delivery room nurses were stunned."
And after she gave birth to her son, now 20, weighing 7lb 8oz, she fitted straight back into her old clothes.
She says: “I hadn’t gained any weight on my arms, legs or bum. All the weight was in my belly.
“I got nasty looks from other mums on the hospital ward and at play groups.
“I was the ‘thin woman who had a baby and pinged back into shape’."
“People told me I was a freak. Some asked what miracle drug I’d taken, or if the child was actually mine.”
Snapping back into shape
It was the same when Vicky’s second son, now 17, was born in September 2007, weighing 7lb 6oz.
Vicky’s third son, now 12, was born in October 2012 weighing 8lb 10oz.
“He was the biggest baby and during that pregnancy I went up to 11st, a size 10,” she says.
After his birth however she didn’t need to exercise to lose her post baby weight, claiming because she was breastfeeding the extra pounds disappeared 'virtually overnight'.”
She says: “People couldn’t understand why I wasn’t carrying extra baby weight and why my boobs looked good.
“They are 36D, perfectly shaped and all natural.
“A mum from the school run told me I looked better when I was pregnant.
“Another told me ‘I think you have gone a little too far now’ and she did it in front of my other friends.”
No exercise - no problem
To maintain her enviable figure, Vicky says she doesn't need to exercise regularly, and simply enjoys walking the dog and boating.
“I eat what I want when I want, although I am a pescatarian,” she says. “I love rich Chinese takeaway and Greek food.
“Luckily, I do not have a sweet tooth and never get cravings. But I love a good nosh up with friends and never turn down pizza, mocktails, and a good time. I love indulging in food I love.”
Vicky says some of the comments she has been subjected to are outrageous.
“I get accused of having plastic surgery, weight loss surgery or secretly buying and injecting Ozempic,” she says.
“The comments I hear are boring and repetitive. It’s ‘gain some weight’, ‘no-one likes skeleton-looking women’, ‘men like curves’ and ‘eat a burger’.
“But I don’t care what other people think. Men don’t factor into my appearance.
“These remarks come from other mums, people in the supermarket, shop assistants and even random people in the street.
“A restaurant owner once took my order and said: ‘I suppose you will want a child’s portion?’"
No such thing as 'thin privilege'
With the UK getting larger - the average woman is now a size 16 compared to a 12/14 in the 1990s - Vicky says skinny shaming is worse than ever.
She says: “There’s this weird assumption ‘thin privilege’ exists and I get special treatment like better tables at restaurants or get to queue jump because I am thin - it doesn’t. On the contrary ‘thin discrimination’ exists.
“Society protects plus-size people and their right to be that size. We should do that, it’s correct.
“But what is done for one body shape must be done for all.
“No one speaks about or defends us, because it almost seems okay to judge us. It’s deemed acceptable.
“After all, how can anyone be skinny shamed when being thin is #bodygoals?
“I hate being judged by other people because of my thinness. They assume I have a perfect life because I am thin. But like everyone else, I break and hurt.
“I am speaking out because skinny shaming is shameful.”
Vicky says when it comes to the topic of skinny shaming, fat shaming is brought up as a comparison.
“But, really people shouldn’t judge people on others’ bodies at all,” she says. “I want my children to grow up feeling positive about their bodies and I want to feel positive about mine.
“You cannot defend body positivity and skinny shame at the same time.
"It is my normal and I am not going to take it anymore.”
