Just two months ago, 41-year-old Julie from Marseille found her life a nightmare. She lost her job and had her penis amputated. Being over 25 kilograms overweight caused her numerous problems: difficulty moving, constant shortness of breath, and trouble sleeping. She was ashamed of her body. When she finally learned about it, thanks to participating in a study, her life changed dramatically. The excess weight disappeared, and she felt attractive and feminine again.
Years of humiliation and ridicule
Conversations with Julie aren’t easy. She’s not very forthcoming about her past experiences:
I spent my free time gaining weight. At school, I was called “a little bastard” and teased. I didn’t tell my parents because everyone was ashamed of me for doing it. Growing up, I looked at myself in the mirror with a picture of myself. I hated my thighs rubbing together and those all-important abs popping out from under my pants and sweaters. During college, I was held back by the fact that people were constantly staring at me and talking about my weight, which was out of my reach. I’d often say, “Hey, she’s gaining weight!” In restaurants, it was the same: “She’s so fat, and she’s still eating!”
All of this put me in a dangerous situation. My body was increasingly refusing to cooperate. Eventually, I developed back problems, and I stopped functioning normally. Unfortunately, I spent most of my days at the computer—bookkeeping. Eventually, my boss fired me because I was no longer effective.
Read more on the next page
ADVERTISEMENT
