Fat Chicks Rule

Diets: Just say no

Last week was International No Diet Day.   So just a quick rehash of my dieting life: 17 years of dieting left me 70 lbs heavier, disordered eating, low self esteem, heart palpitations, immunity issues and odd reactions to certain foods.  Five years since I kicked the dieting habit permanently has given me increased self-esteem, a better relationship with food, and movement not based on whether I ate "well" that day.

Catch a rant about the dangers of diets in my current IGIGI column.

The diet industry makes $55 BILLION a year off of all people no matter what their size.  They'll be happy to have you starve, give you dangerous pills and surgeries all to increase their profit. They don’t give a shit about your health. All they want is your money.

All they have to show for it is disordered eating, a high failure rate and health problems due to weight cycling. 

Give up dieting, save your money and time, embrace a healthy lifestyle that doesn't have it's basis on the number on the scale.

There won't be a regular blog post today because I'm heading out of town. However a study recently came out that you can't be fit and fat.  I'm going to send you over the The F-Word which follows the money trail for this study (let's just say some of the researchers might be working for certain companies who might have like to keep obesity "epidemic" as is)

Size Discrimination is alive and well.

A lot of people get angry when we compare fat discrimination to racism but a study found it to be much worse. Although racism still exists, it is considered socially unacceptable, where as fat discrimination is considered a joke, or not to be taken seriously (i.e. it wouldn't happen if fat people went on starvation diets and lost weight).

For women it is even worse.  The same study from the Rudd Center (not exactly a fat friendly place) states that women suffer from bias with even with a small amount of gain, meanwhile men have to get much fatter before dealing with the same bias.  Discrimination starts at about a 27 BMI which three studies have shown to have a longer life expectance than “normal” weight. For men it starts at about BMI 35.

We see it in fashion: Fat chance for 'fatties', Despite the "anorexia look" backlash, models are still super thin.  They do not come in all shapes and sizes.

Even our mind can betray us: Feeling fat may be worse for you than being fat.  This is a great call for HAES, that a person's weight must be taken out of what is considered Healthy. 

What is fueling the bias?  Do you think it's concern for our welfare or the almighty dollar? Inside Drugmakers' War on Fat

EDIT 4/29/08

Just a quick note.  I 100% believe racism/sexism/classism etc is alive and well and should NEVER be ignored.  It still continues (Katrina and New Orleans is a great example).  However in theory it is not legal or okay to discriminated against someone due to race/class/gender/religion etc.  While it is perfectly okay and even acceptable to discriminated against some due to their weight.

Fat, get used to it.

A little busy today, so I decided to cover some fabulous fat positive stories and projects:

This beautiful picture:

Is estimated to fetch about 25 to 35 million.  So ha!

Great slideshow from Kate Harding proving how ridiculous BMI is.

Here's an old story covered in Diary of a Fat Teenager about is a beautiful dance troupe from China.

Fat and Happy. Big Beautiful Women show us that being large isn’t the end of the world

And for those lucky enough to live in the UK: Big Ballet.

Princess Latifah

As some might know Queen Latifah is doing and promoting Jenny Craig; calling it "being a size healthier".  I know for the most part Queen Latifah has been relatively proud of her curves although she occasionally tries to lose weight.   However this is the first time she's promoted a commercial diet.  While she is allowed to do what she wants with her own body, I'm annoyed that she's pimping the diet industry.   I'm not the only one.

Jenny Craig may want you to think they are not a diet but they 100% are.  According to consumer reports they average just about the same calories as all the other DIETS.  They are a diet, Weight Watchers is a diet, Atkins in a diet.  Don't ever let them tell you anything different.   They are a diet, they don't work in the long run, all you do is lose money.  Real lifestyle changes shouldn't have a weight based focus because when you stop losing weight (as most low-calorie diets do because your body goes into starvation mode), you stop doing things that are healthy for you.

And to contact Queen Latifah, this is the contact info for her publicist: Amanda Silverman
42West 220 W. 42nd St.  12th Floor New York, NY 10036 Phone: 212-774-3683
Fax: 212-277-7550 amanda.silverman@ 42west.net

I was on the Brian Lehrer (scroll down to the second "Weighty issues" headline) show on Wednesday April 2.  I got to be on with Anna Kirkland who wrote the fabulous book Fat Rights.   I was hoping we'd talk more about Massachusetts but we ended up talking about discrimination against fat people in the workplace.  It was still good.   I was really nervous but I hope I got my points across.

Speaking on which, we still need voices in MA!  If you haven't contacted your reps, do it now!  This law is so very important.  If you read Anna's book, you find out about some horrifying cases of fat discrimination.

Despite that any obesity is considered harmless, this story from Canada notes that obesity aids in illness survival.  So ha! 

In honor

I just found out that  Jeanne Toombs has  passed on from complications of  pneumonia.   Jeanne was from Massachusetts and was involved getting the height/weight law on the books.  It would have never been done without her.  I was privileged to have meet her on many occasions.  She was wonderful, brilliant, and had marvelous energy.  She will be missed.  Apparently she would have liked money donated to NAAFA in lieu of flowers.

Laws like the one in Massachusetts are extremely important as fat discrimination is as high as ever.

Fat women are more likely to be given c-sections about 50%, even though in the 70's this rate was lower;   weight discrimination is as worse as racial discrimination and fat women as less likely to be tested for certain cancers (which I'm sure will then be blamed on their being fat.)  We are told we must diet, must eat a certain way, our kids are picked on,  must fit into a mold we don't belong and most shop in the basement.

So let's remember Jeanne and fight discrimination in any form: on the job, at the doctor's office, even at the clothing store. 

Ooohh models

Finally they are recognizing that not all models are meant to be tall, thin and blond.  It's even worse when plus size stores use thinner models than the sizes they actually carry.  I mean how am I supposed to even get a clue on how an outfit would look on me if the model is 10 sizes smaller than I am.

But here are some stores about plus size models making strides in this ultra-thin world:

Didn't really like the title,  but it is great story about the beautiful plus size model Kate Dillion who starved herself to be thin, but now is finding success as a model who happens to be size 14.

Beautiful Size 16 model Chloe Marshall,becomes Miss Surrey.  She's now in the run for Miss England.  I wish we could have these kind of role models with American Pageants.

Rise Of the Real People The thin and beautiful have had their turn. The hippest models today look more like the rest of us.

Finally the Adipositivity Project The Adipositivity Project aims to promote size acceptance, not by listing the merits of big people, or detailing examples of excellence (these things are easily seen all around us), but rather, through a visual display of fat physicality. The sort that's normally unseen.

Important reminder: If you live in Massachusetts please read last week's post! This is mucho important.  MA is on it's way to be only the second state to have a law against height and weight discrimination.

Historical MA bill March 25!

I may or may not be here. Right now probably not, but if you are in MA call your rep.  If you can get to Boston please attend the hearing to show support.

Are you in Massachusetts or know someone who is? Please pass it on.

H. 1844: the height/weight anti-discrimination law

Please support this much-needed civil rights law. People of all sizes face discrimination based on body size. It's real. It's not okay. Without a law, we have no protection. The only other places to offer such a law: San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Washington DC, Madison, Wisconsin, and Michigan.

You want to help make history?

If you live in Massachusetts:

1. Call your state Representative: 617 722 2000 (Ask to be directed based on your zip code.)
- Ask how the Rep. will vote for H. 1844, how they will support this historic legislation. If people strongly prefer to send e-mails, they can find their Rep's contact info at this website:
www.wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php

2. Come to the crucial hearing! Tell your story!
Tuesday, March 25, 2pm
State House, room A-2, in Boston

For questions, contact Marilyn Wann: marilyn@fatso.com

Fat and proud

So apparently Lisa Marie Presley is upset over being called fat (She's actually pregnant)  that she's suing the newspaper who called her that.  Gee, that’s the worst possible thing in the world to be called fat.  But don’t think I’m on the side of the newspaper who called her fat due to unhealthy eating habits (because women never gain weight as they approach middle age).  I'm thinking about getting a t-shirt that says "I'm not pregnant, I'm fat."

'October Road' Actress Hopes to Change Views on Plus-sized women  I don't watch October Road, (the previews made it seem sappy) but I think I might check it out.  Although I'm always glad to see a plus size woman in a drama, she is again not the main character.

Here is the clip from the Mike and Juliet show featuring Rachel from The F Word and Mo from Big Fat Deal You'll see why I love Rachel's hair.

Pierce Bronson’s beautiful wife who looks f*cking awesome in a bikini.