An influencer’s reaction to a sticker on a parking meter is proof that different people can see the same thing but interpret it differently. She accused the city of Los Angeles, California, of promoting “fatphobia” because of the content of the sticker. Airing out her grievances in a TikTok video the influencer read out the sticker that had cemented her opinion. “Why is there a diet culture on the parking meter?” she began as she referenced a sticker prompt pasted on the meter that read, “Sometimes I diet; don’t feed me on the following holidays.”
Clearly offended, the woman wondered aloud, “Why are we promoting fatphobia and diet culture even on the parking meters in LA?” The influencer, visibly annoyed by the sticker’s words, noted that it was a major issue that needed to be resolved. “Because, Hollywood, this is actually disgusting,” she concluded.
As always, the comments quickly filled up with everyone having one opinion or the other. “You’re clearly not comfortable with yourself at all,” a user accused. Another explained that the words on the meter were not put there with any ill intent, “Because the phrase has always been ‘feed the meter’, so it’s meant to be a cheeky play on words, it’s not there to be malicious.” Someone else echoed that sentiment, “‘Feed the meter’ has been a saying for decades. She’s dragging it.”
A user took her words as a jab towards them as well, implying that words could be interpreted either way. “What’s wrong with dieting? Are you shaming us who are trying to eat healthier and do better with our exercise routines?” one wrote. “Are you actively looking for these things? Because who reads the stickers on meters?” someone else wondered. Sarcastically, another chimed in, “They need to make phones without the ability to record videos again.”
One TikToker found the humor in the scenario, “The food stain on her sweater is icing on the cake 😂.” While another added, “This is such a reach. Fat people are not the only people who eat a lot and go on diets.” A netizen who was obviously familiar with the influencer’s content said, “She is so exhausting. She goes around to department stores and demands they carry 4xls.”
Still, a couple of TikTokers supported her. “These comments are sick. This is an issue. See how she read that and noticed that. Now imagine a little kid reading that? Should a little kid be focused on their body and nitpicking what they eat? No. Stop promoting this!” one wrote. “Fatphobia is so entrenched in our society. It’s sad,” another noted, echoing the influencer’s words.
A last user wrote, “It starts with small things like parking meters where people don’t understand ‘what the big deal is’. That’s how conditioning works… You make people comfortable with small things, and it gets bigger over time.”
