Company Says I'm Too Fat To Work

Growing up, I have always been fond of traveling. I just turned 23 years old, and I have been fortunate enough to have explored around 20 countries already. I have always wanted to work for an airline, not only because of the supposed travel benefits, but because I have always been interested in the airline industry. So basically, it was like a dream for me.

I graduated with an Industrial Engineering degree in 2014, and I started working for a Telecommunications company that same year. I had a lot of friends there, and my colleagues and I got along really well. I was fine. Fast forward to a year after, and opportunities started to present themselves. I decided to leave my first job and  thought that the decision would be best for me so I can advance my career. After all, I didn't want to be just fine. I then found myself going to interviews for 5 other companies, and yes, including an airline. Of all the interviews that I went to, I was the most nervous about the one with my "dream company". I felt that it went really well. However, I felt really anxious since they have interviewed so many candidates for the position, and they were only going to choose 2. The week after the interview, I got a call that I was already endorsed to their HR department for the next steps. I was ecstatic! So long story short, I passed all the pre-employment exams that I needed, and I only had to take the medical exam.

Going to my medical exam, I was confident since I knew I didn't have any problems with my health. Although I am fat, I rarely eat junk food, or drink soda. I exercise almost everyday, I swim and play tennis on a regular basis, and my close friends can attest to this. I have heard many ridiculous stories about this airline's medical exam criteria, but I just assumed they were only strict with flights attendants and ground personnel. So I waited for the results. 

A few days passed, after my regular swim session, I checked my e-mail and this is what I saw. 

After reading this, I honestly didn't know if I should feel sad or angry. Of course I was ridiculously surprised at first. It was also a bit ironic that I was labeled UNFIT, just reading the email after swimming for almost 2 hours straight. They said that I am unfit to work for them because of obesity and impacted teeth. I guess I should have taken a hint when the manager that interviewed me sent me a text along the lines of "Please take note of our strict medical criteria. Check your ideal BMI", just a few days before my pre-employment examination. 

After reading this e-mail, of course I was upset. They did say that I can ask for instructions should I be interested to still pursue my application with them. But to be honest, I am quite unsure if I still want to work for a company that judges people with such superficiality. I also heard a story from a friend about someone who applied to the same company whose application was delayed because she had acne. Seriously? I haven't contacted the person yet regarding my medical exam results. Besides, I don't think they could give me other instructions besides losing weight until I reach the weight that is acceptable for them, and having all my wisdom teeth extracted.  All that, and yet they haven't even presented me with the job offer! #what 

Growing up, I have always struggled with my weight. Of course, I had my fair share of the name calling and being made fun of, but I was never really bothered by all of that. This is the first time that I felt truly discriminated because of my weight. I would have accepted any other reason for them to turn me down, BESIDES my being overweight. I don't understand how my being overweight will affect how I will perform my job as an analyst. Did they just assume that all fat people are lazy? I seriously didn't know if I was applying to be an analyst or a model. Why do they have this internally accepted prejudice? I believe no one should ever feel that they aren't competent enough just because of how they look, or how much they weigh, because no one deserves to feel that way.

I am very thankful for my family and friends who were there to comfort me, and make me feel better after this incident. One of my best friends always tells me that 'The best revenge is a good life', and I agree. I guess I will just have to travel the world without the company's travel benefits...and when that happens, you can be sure that I won't be flying PAL. #Oops

Again, to my friends and family, thanks for reminding me that life goes on, and it's not over until the plump lady sings!

NOTE: I WAS NOT APPLYING FOR A FLIGHT ATTENDANT POSITION. I HOPE PEOPLE CAN READ THE TEXT PROPERLY AND NOT ASSUME THAT I AM ONLY WRITING THIS BLOG TO BAD-MOUTH A CERTAIN COMPANY. Judge me all you want, but everything I wrote on this post is true, and I am just telling MY side of the story. Anything you say about me, and this blog says more about you than me. I hope you have a good life :)