Ricarda Lang: Losing weight was planned for a long time

Ricarda Lang (31) has visibly lost weight in the past few months. The former chairwoman of the Alliance 90/The Greens party now speaks for the first time about the reasons for her weight loss program and how years of hatred and hostility because of her excess weight initially prevented her from making any changes. “Losing weight was planned and worked hard for since last spring,” emphasizes Lang. There was no reaction to the comments and devaluations online, “otherwise I would probably have done that much earlier.”

The main reason for the weight loss was her health and the realization that her political job was very draining: “I should pay a little more attention to myself.” The public hostility would have prevented her from getting involved with nutrition and exercise. “Many people then think, oh, I can’t do that anyway,” explains the Green politician. She also thought out of spite: “No, I won’t let you push me into this.”

Lang had expected that her figure would continue to be an issue even after she lost weight. But many didn’t dare to address the change directly: “You’re a little insecure because you don’t want to reduce anyone to their appearance.” However, she herself is happy that people noticed: “I think you can see that I feel comfortable in my skin right now.”

She couldn’t forget a single one of the countless hate comments about her weight. However, she found the ones in which it was claimed that anyone who doesn’t have control of themselves cannot achieve anything else to be particularly hurtful: “That’s absurd. But it struck a chord with me more than just ‘you fat wheal’ or ‘ “You ugly piece of butter” or something like that.” She still feels affected by this “perfidious kind of devaluation”.

In general, Lang sees women in politics confronted with “incredibly contradictory demands.” A claim is formulated in which failure is programmed: “You are considered power-hungry if you say that power is part of the political system; if you are not, you are the little mouse who cannot assert yourself.” It is time “that we create new rules of the game,” said the Green politician.

She learned about her resilience as a child from her mother: “I always have the feeling that I am built on a very stable foundation and that no comment or hostility can bring me down as a whole person.” With her weight loss, she now wants to be a role model – but not at any price: “I can’t put the pressure on myself all the time to be responsible as a projection surface. I also have to make sure that I’m doing well.”