Fat Chicks Rule

Opposite Land

Two recent ads featured the same fat model. The first has the caption "Did your wife scare you last night?" The other features a fat model with an x next to her and a thin model with a check. Having never heard of this company, I thought it was a gym because both models were wearing similar clothes, but then after reading an article in Jezebel, it was explained that the company is personals for people who want affairs. The fat model is supposed to be the wife and the thin model is the woman the husband is to cheat with. The fat model in real life goes by the psedonym "Jacqueline"  and runs an erotica site for people who like big women.  Her image was used without permission. (The personal ad company claimed she made money off it, so it isn't considered exploition or hatred.) 

I'm pretty sure that any man married to Jacqueline, meant to marry a sexy fat woman and not a woman with a body that doesn't even look human. No, I'm not saying being thin isn't human, I'm saying the thin woman in the ad is so poorly shopped that she looks like a worm.  So if you want to cheat on your fat sexy wife with a worm, please be careful of WTD (Worm Transmitted Diseases). And if Cheatin' Hubby knocks up the worm lady, will he support their children or sell them to a freak show? Perhaps the husband was being sympathetic to the worm woman, maybe he secretly desires her worm shaped form and this superficial society would look down on their worm/man affair.

But aside from atrocious looking ads (possibly created by The Worm People from Planet Wormatron), I'm pretty sure this ad should be the opposite. Secret fat admirers may be more interested in cheating on the trophy wife with a sexy fat woman. Going once to a forum on fat sex, the speaker mentioned her erotica site had been pulling in about million a year. I'm pretty sure Jacqueline is pulling in some decent money.

I'm pretty sure she will be around long after this personal ad company is gone.  

A movie we all need to see

I saw the premiere of America the Beautiful 2, the Thin Commandments. If it is playing in a theater near you, go see it. If it isn't, email your local theater asking to show it and spread the word. 

In his previous movie, director Daryl Roberts investigated American's obsession with beauty, and the industry that obsession supports. (That movie is available as a DVD or online purchase through Amazon etc., and Netflix has it as an instant play feature).

This film, Roberts' second, is about American's obsession with thinness and dieting. Over the course of 85 minutes Roberts shows his personal experience concerning food, eating disorders, HAES, weight related issues, politics of dieting, and his own habits. 

The movie starts with Roberts getting a doctors appointment (the first in 10 years) where he is diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, high blood pressure, and was at risk for diabetes. After refusing medication due to his lack of health insurance and learning that possible side effects include erectile dysfunction, Daryl searches for weight loss solutions. The obvious first stop involves looking into a gimmicky diet, then raw foods. Then in a montage of shots, he tries Weight Watchers, Lean Cuisine, and the Cookie Diet. All of which cause him to lose weight and gain it back. Then instead of dieting, he starts exercising regularly.

He touches on issues of weight bias, including his sister, unable to get IVF unless she loses weight, a good friend obsessed with what she eats and how much she exercises, a woman who swings back and forth between anorexia and bulimia, Plus size model Anansa Sims (daughter of model Beverly Johnson), and dancer and blogger Ragen Chastain who explained that her doctor wanted her to "walk more" after which she had to explained she danced about 20 hours a week. Sims' journey is particularly harrowing: a big girl who desperately wanted to follow in her mother's footsteps, she lost weight consistently at the orders of her coaches. No matter how much she lost, it was never good enough for the modeling world. Her answer:  she regained all the weight and found success as a plus size model.

When Roberts returns to his doctor after taking up biking (he was at our screening and said he is still riding) he hadn't lost much weight but he had no trace of his diagonsed illnesses and had perfect blood pressure. Ragen Chastain who she claimed is at the top of the obese scale is also metabolically healthy.

While this doesn't prove anything because it is only two people who happened to be both healthy and moving regularly. I don't know what Ragen eats but Daryl still eats junk food although he supplements with more vegetables, but here are two people where exercise, not dieting, made them healthier. Shouldn't be looking more to encourage movement rather than losing weight? Shouldn't we stop labeling people by their size?

And here is a not so great picture of me with the director.

On the Outside Looking into New Jersey.

8/2 EDIT, I am guilty of skimming. Grassroots Natural Market did not in fact discriminate.  They did allow the store be used as a set for "What would you do." to see if anyone would come to the aide of a woman being discriminated against due to her weight (some one did). The woman and the manager were actors. 

However fat people still face legal discrimination, The food sustainability movement is still rifled with anti-fat rhetoric.  And if this wasn't a setup, the woman would still have no legal recource for being denied the job. 

Speaking of New Jersey, their governor Chris Christie had an asthma attack. I'm not a political fan of him, but his weight has always been mingled into criticism of him. Fat hater Bill Maher called him Governor fatty fat and a sumo wrestler and facebook haters came out in force after his hospitalization. His asthma attack has been attributed to his weight (Christie himself blamed his fat.) However asthma is not triggered by weight, but usually allergens, air quality etc. This allergy season has been so bad, it has even affected my (thin) cat. 

I am concerned that Christie's desire to lose weight has little to do with health and more to do with political ambitions. After all we can't have a fat president. (Sorry Taft.)  If he was really concerned about his health, he would get a pulmonary specialist and figure out what his trigger is. He is sending out the poor message that if you are fat and have asthma, just lose weight!

Also next week is the NAAFA convention and I will be there until Monday so most likely no blog post, just maybe some pictures.

 

A fat chick in a movie! And the world didn't end!

So I went to the movies and paid a whooping $9.50 for a matinee to see Bridesmaids. The sole reason I saw it in the theaters is Melissa McCarthy. I wanted Hollywood to know that just because a movie has a fat woman doesn't mean the world will end. (It didn't, instead the movie has so far made over 107 million.) The movie was produced by Judd Apatow who put pre-weight loss Jonah Hill and Seth Rogan in his films.  

Spoilers follow.  You have been warned.

Unfortunately although the movie seems like it's an ensemble, it's actually about the messed up life of Maid of Honor, the very skinny Kristin Wiig's Annie. Melissa's part is actually quite small. I don't know if I would characterize the character as positive. Melissa's character Megan seems nuts, food obsessed and grosser than the other girls. A perfect is example is a scene where all the women get food poisoning.  The bridal shop has only one toilet and three of the bridesmaids run there while the bride runs to the street. In the bathroom, two of the bridesmaids fight over the toilet, while Megan shits in the sink. This is considered funny.  But the thin Bride who ends up shitting in the street this is tragic.  Also Kristin Wiig who co-wrote the script has obviously never gone to a bridal boutique with a fat friend. THEY DON'T CARRY PLUS SIZES.  So really a funnier scene might have been all the women wearing their dresses except for Megan who has hers pinned to her clothes. 

Also whoever dressed Melissa in this movie should never dress a fat woman again. If they were trying to not look fat, they failed but did succeed in making her look like a potato. I don't watch Mike and Molly but I've seen pictures, Melissa McCarthy can be dressed properly. 

Look at the way Melissa is dressed here compared to her co-stars

Might as well have dressed her in a burka. 

That being said Melissa is a very funny lady and while I would like to see more fat actors in dramatic roles (one of Melissa's breakout roles was as Sookie in the drama series Gilmore Girls, although she was the comic relief), I'm hoping to see more of her on the big screen even in comedic roles. She does have an important scene in the movie where she wakes up Annie and helps her change her life. Megan finally has some character development where she reveals she grew up ostracized and instead of giving up, she worked hard on her education and became a higher up in the government and confident in herself.  In a scene on an airplane, Megan immediately knows the man sitting next to her is a sky marshall (played by Melissa's real life husband Ben Falcone). He denies it and also refused her advances. Later it is revealed that not only was she right but they eventually hook up. 

The movie also had a very underused Rebel Wilson playing Annie's strange roommate.  And at the ending Wilson Phillips performing with Carnie Wilson looking much less emaciated. 

Is Bridesmaids fat positive? Not really. Melissa McCathy's comedic talents are underused. While there are no jokes about her weight, she is obnoxious, gross, and food obsessed.  However it is nice to actually see letting a fat chick even in a supporting role. But with such limited roles to fat actors, is it worth it just to be seen?

 

Glee, sex and self esteem.

Check out the essay I wrote for Xhibit P, a interactive site that covers issues in pop culture.  My essay is about the lack of storyline and sexuality of Glee's fat characters.  Don't just read my essay but the entire theme is all about body image including Zoe Spencer's article about black women's booty or Franchesca Ramsey video about photoshop: "Pixel Perfect". 

In my essay, I point out that the character Mercedes who is a regular on Glee is non-sexual (she remains the only main character in Glee who has not had a long term relationship) where Lauren (who is reoccurring)  is hypersexual.  Fat women are often characterized (especially in media) as either giving it freely so people will like them or not getting it at all because no one wants them.

A entry from a blog called Live Once, Juicy explores the myth of fat sexuality (from a list of myths about fat people from Pattie Thomas' excellent book Taking up Space) and how fat people being asexual is a myth. Fat isn't asexual. She points out that asexual is an orientiation of people who aren't interested in sex.  In other words, the real myth here is that fat people aren’t sexy, she writes.

This is a modern phenomenon possibly brought on by media which puts conventionally pretty people as positive and desirable compared to fat people who are often headless and associated with disease and death.  But look at nudes in the past and you'll see chubby and fat. 

However there are people out there who either prefer a fat partner or don't allow media to cloud their judgement about what is attractive.  The problem is that fat people also believe the hype. They don't consider themselves sexy because they don't look like what the media has made desirable.  And a suitor might be potentially be turned off by the low self-esteem.

So it's important fat girls that you improve that self-esteem. Give up those magazines, try to avoid those images that make you feel like dirt. Go to Fat Positive events. I just went to one on Saturday, the Fat Girls Fleamarket. And it wasn't the "new" clothes that made me feel good, (although I did snag an Igigi dress for $10), it was the feeling of comradarie of this event. Here was a place that I could not only get cool clothes but wouldn't feel like a leper while shopping.

 

Huge

I've been without cable for almost 2 years and without a TV for months. And I absolutely don't miss it. Don't get me wrong, I still watch TV on Netflix and Hulu but I don't watch the way I once did. And I stopped trying to find shows with fat characters.

Yes there are a few, (Glee, Drop Dead Diva, the Office), but for the most part TV is dominated by thin actors and fat ones tended to be overeaters, side characters, comic relief, thin actors in fat suits, stupid, evil and lazy. Also them being fat was the entire subject of their existence.  Take the point of this post, the new show on ABC family "Huge." Huge (starring the delightful Nikki Blonsky from Hairspray) is about a rebellious teenager named Will who is forced to go to a fat camp.  Will loves her body, decides to gain weight and sells black market treats to the other campers. Playing opposite Will is Amber played Hayley Hasselhoff, the thinnest fat girl in the camp, who seems to be moving towards body image disorder as she constantly checks herself in the mirror and is obsessed with losing weight. 

I'm not sure if I like this show yet, I need another episode. Will decides to flee the camp but it caught by strict head of the camp, Dr. Rand, (played by one of my favorite actresses Gina Torres). Instead of leaving, Will decides to stay and at the end of the episode seems to want to give it a go. Although there is a clue that Will might be staying to help the other girls. I will have to see future episodes to see if Will decided that fat isn't good or if Amber will decide fat is okay. 

Thankfully I have never gone to a fat camp. I went to regular summer camp until I was 14 where I played baseball, swam, ran, had ice cream and chips and met two of my closest friends. Exercise and eating healthy wasn't mandatory.  I don't know how realistic this show is about weight loss camps but I can't imagine any of this working. Campers are over exercised, forced to wear bathing suits, weighed, and fed nasty food.

I think I would have preferred that make a show based on the book Fat Camp Commandoes by Daniel Pinkwater.  Nikki Blonsky would make a kick ass Mavis Goldfarb.

Another edition of the good, the bad and the ugly.

The Good.

The Fat Girl's Flea Market returns! Saturday April 4th. Donate your clothes and your time!   And be sure to actually come.  This is the best shopping experience you will ever have.

Starting on March 29th, HBO presents the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency based on popular series by Alexander McCall Smith. Beautiful Jill Scott plays Mma Ramotswe who is the only female detective in all of Botswanna.  She is also fat, so it was nice to see a fat actress in the role instead of a fat suit.

John McCain's daughter Meghan sticks it to talk show host Laura Ingraham who insults Meghan's weight instead of her politics.

The Bad

Apparently school programs to stop rampant fatness aren't enough, they'll now be offering free eating disorder lessons.  There are also no fat dancers.  Okay they aren't giving ED lessons, but you keep pressuring kids to be thin that's going to happen.  The writer Dorene Internicola (who's email address I have yet to find) was nice to mention that "There are very few fat dancers" (At the very end of the article.)

Correction: there are very few fat dancers in the mainstream.  Yeah you see one or two on Dancing with the Stars, but we have yet to have the Big Moves/ The Glamazons power hour. You claim to be a reporter, perhaps you should learn how to be one.

The Ugly

When plus size Samantha Scafe contacted airline Jetstar on whether she would have to buy a second seat, they told her no. The story changed as the flight got closer.  She was forced to buy a second seat, except the two seats weren't together and they did the same thing on the way home. It isn't just Jetstar, this is a common practice of Southwest to tell fat people they only have to buy one seat until they get to the airport or have to get a connecting flight or have to fly home. I believe in one person, one fare.   And if you are forced to buy two seats, perhaps they should be together.

Fat suits don't help Pt. 11 million.

So I got this article in my mailbox.  I was initially excited.  The title read "What happened when we sent a 'fattie' to London Fashion Week? Kate Faithfull reports back on her week on the fatwalk".  I thought 'did someone actually put a model more than size 2 on the catwalk?'  I remember when Gaultier put stunning plus size model Velvet  in his show.

Nope, just another person in a fat suit who thinks she is trying to help but instead insults us.  Not to mention she looks ridiculous.  Honey, green and red is for Christmas. 

Please we don't need any more help from thin people in fat suits.  You want to help, start pressuring the fashion industry to have models of all sizes, with clothes for all sizes.   Instead of that hideous monstrosity she is wearing, why not have a FAT model wear a similar dress that Thin Kate is wearing.  Just as Velvet was stunning, clothes with the right fit can look great on anyone.

Help comes from bold people coming forward to say discrimination is not right and try their best to fight it-- with out a fat suit.

CBS News

CBS news is apparently forgot what the CDC had said and is doing some kind of "Fat in America is Evil" series this week. Tonight's segment headed to Houston while they interviewed first a mother claiming to see a lot of "them" around town, a  doctor who claimed being Obese caused every single health ailment every (cause thin folks never get sick), then to a moderated chubby trucker who dared to eat fried chicken, mac and cheese and string beans.  The focus of the story was on truckers cause a thin trucker had a heart attack and was concerned about the health of other truckers.  Nothing to do with being fat, but merely not eating healthy.

Tomorrow she visits a town in Louisiana (Not New Orleans which I believe 40% of the city still lacks power because obesity is more important than power) and they will talk about whether one could be fat and fit.  Judging by today's show I think they are going to say no.

Fat Actress

For my first post on my brand spanking new, paid for, blog, which I will update regularly if anyone cares to read it, is that I finally watched all 7 episodes of Fat Actress.

Overall, I found it to be very funny, with reservations.  It definitely made me laugh.

What I liked was the making fun of various crazy thing people will do to lose weight.    A bulimic friend (who is eating tissues for dinner) tells to Kirstie she try parasites and her brother suggest using crack. She tries a diet called Coy Effect where she will get smaller if she is surrounded by smaller things. In the first episode Kirstie mentions to her agent about  how fat actors still get roles but she can't.  So there is definitely mention of issues that face actresses in Hollywood.

What I didn't really like is Kirstie portrays herself as obsessed for food and being thin.  I was really hoping to see a comedic look on how a fat actress deals with Hollywood (which for the most part is done) but I thought her crazy overeating was a overdone.  For most of the show I wanted to strangle her and tell her to (a) accept herself because she has always been hot no matter what her size  and (b) swim in that beautiful pool!

Overall, I give it **1/2