Two MPs thought it was appropriate to make comments seen as referring to Finance Minister Nicola Willis’ health and weight loss. Wellington chief reporter Melissa Nightingale questions why anyone feels they have a right to talk about it.
When I lost nearly 30kg last year, my go-to response when people commented on my slimmer figure was: “Thanks, it was drugs.”
Flippant, but true. I used a weight loss medication – not Wegovy, for the record – that suppressed my appetite and helped me make better choices around my eating. I wrote about this in an article over the summer because I wanted to encourage others facing the same struggles as I was and help chip away at the stigma around this method of weight loss.
I chose to make my weight loss a topic of discussion, but I don’t believe anyone is owed an explanation when someone they know – or even the person who runs their country’s finances – trims down.
National’s deputy leader Nicola Willis has spoken about her weight loss in the past, saying her svelte new silhouette is a product of diet and exercise. Respectfully, that’s where the conversation should end.
Instead, it has been headline news for days after comments from Labour and NZ First politicians – one debatably about weight and the other, definitely.
Willis on Wednesday asked for an apology from Labour leader Chris Hipkins, who had suggested she needed medical help.
During Question Time, Willis at one point emitted a long groan. Hipkins interjected that she “may have been having a few issues” and “may need some medical help”.
Willis took offence, saying she was in “great health” and challenged “a long line of politicians in this House making personal aspersions on people”.
Later, Willis approached Hipkins in front of journalists and asked if he would like to apologise.
Hipkins: “I’m happy to if you were genuinely offended by what I said. I was referring to the noise that you were making and nothing else.”
Willis: “I think you know exactly what you were meaning.”
Then, on Thursday, New Zealand First deputy leader Shane Jones made a comment about the “bump and grind of politics”, adding “I don’t know, maybe it’s an outcome of losing too much weight”.
His leader, Winston Peters, called the comment “unacceptable” and Jones has since apologised.
“It has been reported that my remarks were not in keeping with what one would expect from a senior parliamentarian, and I shall be very mindful in answering questions in the future that don’t have an unnecessarily hurtful impact on my colleagues,” he said.
It’s not the first time politicians have had their weight spoken about. The late Jonathan Hunt was teased about being the “Minister of Wine and Cheese”, and former National deputy leader Paula Bennett has openly spoken about her choice to get gastric bypass surgery.
Just this month, Act minister Nicole McKee revealed to the Herald’s Audrey Young she had lost 25kg in the past year, walking 3-5km daily and limiting her daily sugar intake to 4g.
More power to politicians who want to speak openly about their weight – I personally believe the more people who want to talk about it, the better – but that is a choice.
If anybody, politician or otherwise, has not invited that discussion, then it’s none of our business.
There are a number of reasons why someone might lose weight. They could have found a lifestyle change that worked for them. Some, like me, may have had medical help. Others lose weight because they’re stressed or sick.
There’s also a double standard in publicly talking about someone else’s weight loss. After all, would you comment on it if they had suddenly gained a few kilos?
I can’t imagine what it’s like to be a woman under such public scrutiny. I can only guess at how exhausting it must be to have people talking about your weight in critical and very public ways.
If someone invites or encourages that discourse, great. More power to them. If not, let’s try to remember how best to behave in polite society.
Perhaps we could all benefit from following the advice I give my 4-year-old: “It’s not nice to talk about other people’s bodies”.
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 12 years.