Shameless Self Aggrandizement
A very cool interview OF ME by a very cool woman named Laura is up at a website called Capessa.com. Did I mention that the interview is of ME, ME, ME? Please allow me to quote… er… myself.
“I didn’t wake up one day and say, ‘today I’ll go to the gym, go out shopping, have dinner with friends, reclaim the word fat, and then take a bubble bath,’” Monique said. “I used to be hurt by the word fat—it could make me cry, and did, on multiple occasions—but somehow, over time, it became much less painful and much more of a direct descriptor, even a friendly word. A friend and I started referring to ourselves and each other as ‘fat chicks,’ and it felt empowering and defiant. Then I started seeing it online more and more and thinking—well, I am fat, inasmuch as I’m not thin. And if I keep using this word and diffusing its power to wound me, maybe I’ll never have to cry about it again. And I never have.”
There is also a video slideshow (which I have not yet watched, because I am shy) accompanying a phone conversation between Laura and me. So if you watch it, you’ll have to let me know what you think. (And just to warn you, the site also does seem to have articles about weight loss and dieting. We should have the equivalent of a NSFW abbreviation for that. Suggestions welcome!)
Posted by mo pie
woooo! Celebrity!
For Tags I vote:
PTC (possible trigger content)
NFPS (Not Fat Positive Safe)
PDS (Promotes Diets/Starvation)
CMBS (Celebrates Media Beauty Standards)
FHS (Fat Hate Speech)
Just a few options, and there are lots of different types of offensive articles and websites, we could possibly use all of them!!!
NSFFA – Not Safe For Fat Acceptance
CAFA – Contains Anti-Fat Ads
BDA – Bewarned – Diet Ads!
The word fat has only as much power as you give it, really- I had friends who got onto me in grade school for referring to myself as fat, but when people spit it at me (because it’s the strongest insult their unimaginative little minds can think of) I sort of nod and go, ‘yeah, and?’
And I, also, refer to myself as a ‘fat something’ but CHICK isn’t the word I generally use…
The article about you is very nice- and I vote for BDA as a warning.
I’m always amused at the reaction of strangers when I refer to myself as fat. It’s like I’ve called myself a slut, or a mass-murderer, or something. After getting the reaction, I usually say something along the lines of “it’s just a descriptor, it’s no different than saying that I’m blonde.” Some people seem to get that (though few of them appear to agree with it). Some people just can’t get past the horror of my having called myself, in their minds, lazy, dirty, and smelly.
Yay you :) You came across well in the interview, and from the looks of the site you’ll be reaching folks who normally don’t frequent your site.
Good work! You were beautiful and articulate in the interview — and like the previous commenter said, that will certainly reach people who don’t often hear your message.
Google Reader suggested you for me. (“Hey Google, you callin’ me fat?!”) I watched the slideshow (with no sound, I’m at work) – it was great!
The slideshow was pretty cool, and the interview was great. I think what you’re doing here is pretty darn awesome, mo pie. Keep it up.
Hooray for Mo Pie and BFD! The interviews are fabulous! I loved hearing your story.
The photos of you living your life and being adorable are great too! The first slideshow supplements them with some stock-footage of headless fatties and junk-food, though. Combined with your message I think the overall effect will be thought-provoking, but the headless fatty image still presses my buttons.
YAY. That was a good read. Some of the articles made me giggle.
Loved what you had to say, Mo, and the slide show was cool, too! Great job!
congrats and as always good stuff to read about. I am usually a lurker, but thought I should say hi.
Keep it up. You really do rock!
I like your description of the word, and I’m really kind of thrilled to realize myself that I haven’t cried over it since I first discovered teh FA world like a year ago. :D