There is a new internet star — his name is Chonkers and he is a Steller sea Lion. I bet you can guess his relative size. I feel an affinity for him not only because I love cute, chubby animals, but also because he currently lives in my hometown of San Francisco. In fact, at San Francisco’s Pier 39 in Fisherman’s Wharf, you can see hundreds of California sea lions lounging on wooden platforms built for them. Tourists love to watch them and listen to them bark and chirp.
Chonkers, a name given to him by someone on the internet, weighs over 900 kilograms and is probably quite average for a male Steller sea Lion. What sets him apart is that he has been hanging out with California sea Lions, a species that is much smaller than his. The average male California sea lion weighs about 800 pounds. Hence, when Chonkers climbs onto a shared floating platform at Pier 39, the motion can literally knock some of the other California sea lions into the water.
Of course, his name comes from the relatively new words “chonky” or “chonk,” which are used to describe fat pets (especially cats) or as a moniker for them. It is commonly used as a term of endearment and accentuates the fact that chonky cats are cute. On Instagram, the hashtag #chonky has been used 402,000 times, #chonkycat 622,000 times, and #chonk 709,000 times. The vast majority of these hashtags are attached to photos of fat cats.
It is a strange word — likely it is a slang word that originates from “chunky.” Somehow chonky is just cuter, I guess. Perhaps it distracts us from the fact that “fat” or “chubby” or “chunky” are not generally associated with cuteness — and certainly not when it comes to people.
In my experience, the words chonk and chonky are used more by women than men to describe cute, chubby cats (and other animals). Perhaps it’s because women are more likely than men to like cats or fat cats? I wonder whether it’s because women’s weights are more heavily monitored, and this is an emotional response to their experiences. In other words, if women are told that they cannot be fat and cute, then at least their cats can not only be fat and cute but extra cute because they are chonky.
I don’t think this is too far-fetched. In US and Korean society, women who are viewed as fat are not only sanctioned for it in everyday life, but can be openly criticized using seemingly rational reasoning linked to health outcomes. It is unlikely that strangers judge you negatively for being “fat” because they are worried about your health outcomes. They probably just don’t like you.
In fact, even chonky cats (or rather their owners) are being warned about their weight and its potential negative impact on their health outcomes. The Facebook group, “This cat is chonky,” which has 883,000 members, has a strict policy of “no chonk shaming,” “no owner shaming,” and “no medical advice” allowed on posts to its page. Presumably, this policy comes from earlier critiques. However, the website cats.com states that “By glorifying those extra pounds, the chonky cat trend actually encourages people to let their cats get fat. Having a chonky cat is like hitting the Internet jackpot and opens doors to social media fame.” The website later warns that, “Like with humans, obesity in cats can cause a long list of health issues.”
In fact, there are cats that became famous after being placed on diets. Peaches the cat once weighed 19.5 kg and eventually slimmed down to 11.3 kg. Videos of him using an underwater treadmill came up on my feed years ago. His diet journey made him a TikTok and YouTube star. While he lost a lot of weight, he eventually died of kidney disease — something that affects 80 percent of cats over age 15 according to the Cornell Feline Health Center. “I am Bronson Cat” has 221,000 followers on Instagram and proudly states that he was originally adopted on April 24, 2018, at 14.9 kg and weighed 7.89 kg on July 25, 2021. The page tells followers to “Follow his journey to a healthier life.” Sadly, according to a Facebook post, Bronson died in June 2023 of blood cancer and kidney disease.
So, while many of us enjoy photos and videos of fat cats and other animals on social media, pet owners cannot escape fat-shaming, not just of themselves as individuals, but also as the caretakers of their animals.
What does this mean for Chonkers, our star sea lion? Chonkers isn’t even fat; he’s just misunderstood. Hopefully, the human onlookers won’t start fat-shaming him. At least no humans will be blamed for his figure.
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Grace Kao
Grace Kao is an IBM professor of sociology and professor of ethnicity, race and migration at Yale University. The views expressed here are the writer’s own. — Ed.
khnews@heraldcorp.com
