May 31st, 2007
You know, we always talk about how fat girls are objectified in the media, but we tend to forget about every beer commercial featuring the fat friend who is also the loser friend or how the easiest way for a filmmaker to show that the protagonist’s best friend is true to the end and also [...]
Filed under: Advertising, Fatism, International, TV, Video | 13 Comments »
May 31st, 2007
To continue our conversation about banning junk food advertising… why didn’t anyone mention that the UK already does it? Apparently–and I know this is going to come as a huge shock–when the government starts regulating things, it can get slightly ridiculous. The broadcasting side of Ofcom has tried to regulate food advertising to children and [...]
Filed under: Advertising, International, Kids | 16 Comments »
May 30th, 2007
A recent study (yes, another study) found that overweight people get less out of exercise. Slightly less. Everyone gained strength and muscle. But the overweight and obese volunteers gained 4 percent to 17 percent less than those of normal weight. Differences could be genetic, the researchers said. But if you are overweight, don’t despair! Exercising [...]
Filed under: Health, Science | 14 Comments »
May 29th, 2007
Erin sends over this link to a (possibly NSFW although it’s a small pic) photo of a magazine cover featuring a proudly nude, proudly fat Beth Ditto. NME’s cover intrigues me because, frankly, it’s so rare to see a magazine cover feature a woman who isn’t thin. I’m curious about what readers think: Do you [...]
Filed under: Beth Ditto, Fat Positive, Magazines, Music | 16 Comments »
May 28th, 2007
Should we ban junk food advertising, like we do with cigarettes? There’s a discussion going on at Scott Kennedy’s blog. But does anyone honestly think advertising makes them obese? Heck does anyone really think it is junk food that makes them obese? NO! The junk food is not at fault. It’s the misuse of junk-food [...]
Filed under: Advertising | 23 Comments »
May 25th, 2007
Because Jordin Sparks is too fat to be the American Idol. At least according to MeMe Roth (an Ann Coulter lookalike) from the National Action Against Obesity. And of course Fox News gives her a platform to make these claims. MeMe Roth, president and founder of NAAO, is host and organizer of the Wedding Gown [...]
Filed under: American Idol, TV | 26 Comments »
May 25th, 2007
Something a little less cranky, courtesy of Jen Wade: college students steal copies of their school newspaper because there are pictures of them in the paper, and they think they look fat. Says one of the students: I just kind of got caught up in the moment and grabbed a whole bunch of copies. Says [...]
Filed under: Humor | 6 Comments »
May 24th, 2007
Remember how Tyra was all “I’m not fat, so kiss my fat ass” blah blah blah? She immediately turned around and lost 30 pounds. Banks insisted the shots of her in a bikini during a winter break were just taken from a bad angle as she launched a ‘So what’ campaign on her TV show [...]
Filed under: Celebrities, Tyra Banks, Weight Loss | 49 Comments »
May 23rd, 2007
Beyonce apparently lost 20 pounds for her role in Dreamgirls via the Master Cleanse diet. (My mind goes straight to Lost in Translation, with Anna Faris’s hilarious character insisting that everybody try the Power Cleanse.) Here’s what it is: [A] starvation diet whose adherents swallow nothing but a concoction of lemon juice mixed with maple [...]
Filed under: Weight Loss | 10 Comments »
May 22nd, 2007
Greg Grumberg, who I’ve loved just a little bit ever since Felicity, is the first man to be a spokesperson for Weight Watchers. For those of you familiar with Weight Watchers, he’s doing the Core plan. For those of you familiar with frozen yogurt trends, he’s eating at Pinkberry. Mmm, Pinkberry. I lost 50 pounds [...]
Filed under: Advertising, Weight Loss | 11 Comments »
May 22nd, 2007
A fascinating New York Times article exploring the idea of what it means to be a plus-sized dancer in the world of modern dance. “I was probably the first woman in a major company with a body that was not the expectation,” she added. The press coverage, overwhelmingly focused on her body, was devastating. “For [...]
Filed under: Theater | 7 Comments »
May 21st, 2007
You won’t… I can’t… Okay. A defense attorney in the UK said that a rape victim should have been “glad of the attention” of being raped. Because she was fat. I am not kidding. A barrister provoked outrage yesterday by claiming that the victim of an alleged gang rape was so fat she would have [...]
Filed under: International | 17 Comments »
May 21st, 2007
So, recently there have been some pictures of Kelly Clarkson (the fabulous, fabulous Kelly Clarkson) in a bikini, eating a hot dog. And of course her body isn’t absolutely perfect, whatever that means, so she’s a whale. And she’s eating a hot dog, which of course is disgusting also. There are some things in life [...]
Filed under: American Idol, Celebrities, Fatism, Kelly Clarkson | 24 Comments »
May 19th, 2007
It’s our first StumbleUpon review! That’s the good news. The bad news? Or they could lose some weight. “Real” sized women? I’m not advocating size 0 sticks here. Old navy goes up to 12 or 14 in their normal clothes. People like the women here–obesity apologists in denial about health–are why America is so fat. [...]
Filed under: Meta | 26 Comments »
May 18th, 2007
The dairy industry’s commercials about drinking milk, claming that it would help you lose weight, have been pulled by the FTC. According to the petition: Only one researcher–who has a financial stake in the outcome–showed a statistically significant effect of dairy product consumption on weight loss and only when paired with a strict caloric restriction… [...]
Filed under: Advertising, Weight Loss | 5 Comments »
May 17th, 2007
This is a thought-provoking post and it made me wonder what you guys think about this issue. Let’s face it, no matter what anyone says, when any fat celebrity cleans up and become svelte and part of the Jenny Craig group, they are no longer fun and part of the In Crowd. Nope, they become [...]
Filed under: Celebrities, Oprah, TV, Weight Loss | 38 Comments »
May 15th, 2007
It looks like Keira Knightley doesn’t have to worry too much about her lack of decadent flesh. Because the protruding collarbone is the next big thing. [P]rominent clavicles can be a signifier of skinniness. Sharply outlined collarbones say “Don’t let this tent dress fool you: Underneath it all, this girl can fit into a sample [...]
Filed under: Fashion | 19 Comments »
May 15th, 2007
We’ve known for a while that Leonard Nimoy was working on a big-girl photography project, but it’s been in the news lately because his book is coming out. This New York Times article, sent to me by a handful of delightful people while I was on a Big Fat Vacation, gives a nice overview. The [...]
Filed under: Books, Fat Positive | 12 Comments »
May 14th, 2007
When I was in grad school, my friends and I would do a poetry workshop in a cafe where one of the tables was decorated with this poster from the 1890s. Start your week off right, and check it out. So why suffer horrible tortures with inferior mechanical devices that artifically fatten? Don’t look like [...]
Filed under: Advertising, Fat Positive, Old Timey | 10 Comments »
May 11th, 2007
The company that makes Skippy peanut butter and Country Crock spread (“Pam, I want you to rub butter on my foot“) has decided to ban skinny models from their ads. All of the people who appear in their ads are now required to have a BMI between 18.5 and 25. Unilever has adopted a new [...]
Filed under: Advertising, International | 12 Comments »
May 10th, 2007
Mopie sent me the link to the current Top 5 Meme going around the blogosphere (god, how did that term infiltrate itself into my vocabulary? I hate myself every time I use it) so here’s the official Weetabix-sanctioned list of Top 5 Songs That Glorify Fat Chicks (And Also Rock).* 1. Sista Big Bones by [...]
Filed under: Fat Positive, Video | 49 Comments »
May 9th, 2007
Many people envy Keira Knightley’s slim figure, despite rumors of an eating disorder. (Those rumors went into overdrive when she wore this dress on the red carpet.) But in this interview, she claims to be unhappy with her body and wishes her figure were a little fuller. [P]hotos of her looking super-slim in a bikini [...]
Filed under: Celebrities, Fat Positive, Keira Knightley, Movies | 6 Comments »
May 9th, 2007
I was checking the referral logs this morning and I saw this forum post, which mentions Big Fat Deal. I couldn’t read it, though, since it appears to be in Polish. Curiosity overtook me and I ran the post through a translator. Not a very good translator, apparently. blogi fotoblogi ( in English!) arguing, that [...]
Filed under: Meta | 4 Comments »
May 9th, 2007
Here is a picture of Star Jones at the Kentucky Derby in a giant hat. I love giant hats. Star Jones is frightening. That is all.
Filed under: Celebrities, Star Jones | 6 Comments »
May 8th, 2007
Nicole, you’re making me feel guilty about our “We hate Dress Barn” tagline. I thought I’d take a moment to praise a store that does seem to value its fat customers: Dress Barn. Poor Dress Barn. It gets no respect that I’ve seen online, particularly not from me. I treat the place as so hopelessly [...]
Filed under: Fashion | 32 Comments »