I’m just glad that it revealed you for what you are so I don’t waste an iota of my time at WATRD.

I really did hope they would be able to build something better by being inclusive. But, it seems like I just scratched the surface and out came something even more troubling. I think some of mamaV’s comments reveal that she is even less aware of women’s issues than one would assume a person blogging on body issues ought to be and now we see that she may not be willing to learn anything. I think the ball is in her court and it’s time for some reflection. I’ll check back with them, but my hopes are slim.

I feel like I instigated all of this nastiness by venting. But I think one commenter was right when they said this post was just the last straw which perhaps provided a needed forum for people to vent all of the sketchy things they’d been noticing about the blog. Either way, misogyny and power are difficult to confront.

Um. Just…wow.

*boggles*

That’s it. Heather, I don’t know about mopie or any of the other bloggers, but you just lost all credibility here with me.

Are you related to Bakke?

1) Privilege: Of course thin privilege exists and is wrong and unfair. Fat discrimination exists and is simply inexcusable. BUT–so is reverse discrimination and “ranking” the right to express body image issues.

I will have a lot more fuel to add to the fire, along with my contributors. Watch for QA to be posted Thurs., get your daggers sharpened!

2) No moderation: I have no interest in a nicey-nice-don’t-worry-be-happy blog. SP is meant to be a safe place, that allows individuals to express themselves in a non-threatening environment. WATRD is meant to be an open place, that allows us to see the brutal reality, no matter how offending, hurtful, and irrelevant. There is space for both and you are free to choose which you are in the mood to read.

For the record, comments were not closed to shut off the conversation (they are back open BTW), I meant to direct the comments to the apology post because it made logical sense to me. I am really hard core on complete and total freedom of speech, regardless of how brutal it may get (and as you can see I am taking the brunt of it) so I am sorry this was perceived as an attempt to cut off your voice…feel free to continue posting your comments, the conversation is still in full roar.

3) Intellectual snobbery: Ripping on grammatical errors and type’os is so tired. My style ain’t changin’ (yes, I said ain’t). Plus doesn’t this send the message that one must articulate themselves at a set standard and/or level of education or risk being criticized?

4) Kate is a gem. She is a bright, courageous woman. Did I miss the chapter on thin privilege? Did you skip the part about not judging other women? Glazed right past the advice to “get over yourself and stop thinking everyone is focused on you and your flaws?”

5) Barbie comments -sarcasm that bombed…since this was taken literally by most, I sincerely apologized for the Barbie related statements (only). I mistakenly thought my sarcasm would be quite obvious since I am a 40 year mom, with lumps, bumps, zits, and wrinkles just like 99% of the female population—except I love who I am and I am not afraid to say I am beautiful. Why are you?

Bottomline, we can all continue to out-snark each other….or we can attempt to listen and learn. I have already learned a great deal from reading all of the comments, knowing Kate, reading her book, and now reading the other blogs that have been recommended to me (such as this one).

Are you willing to explore the other side? I hope so, because it is quite obvious the ladies here and at SP are leading the FA effort, and WATRD is on your side whether you believe it or not—and whether you want us to or not.

I am glad my Barbie post let us all cut to the chase….aren’t you?

Heather
aka mamaV

Honestly, I think I am just tired of how narrowly some ppl define the word “women” or phrase “women’s issues.” While I do hope ppl who “screw up” get themselves sorted, I would suggest that there are other long term authors on these issues with a much broader outlook. ironically one of the ones I teach material from is called: Adios Barbie

There is debate and dissent on shapely prose all the time. That’s why most posts generate more than 50 comments. Sure, there’s a fair amount of “right on!” But there is routine challenging of ideas and assumptions.

You can argue that since these “perspectives” exist in “the real world”, it’s important to let them through so we can “learn to deal with them”. Hey, you know some other perspectives that exist in the real world? That fat people are stupid and lazy, that no woman in thin enough or pretty enough, that if an ED’s what it takes for you to be “acceptably” thin then what’s the problem, yes you should exercise 4 hours a day til I feel like looking at you fatty, you need this $50 cream to be fit to leave the house, etc etc etc etc.

In other words, we get all those perspectives every minute of every day from everywhere, yet mamaV was worried enough to start up a site to try to undo some of that. So…you mean something is wrong with those perspectives? You mean maybe we shouldn’t have to listen to them all the time? So maybe THEY SHOULDN’T BE ALLOWED UNMITIGATED IN COMMENTS on exactly such a site? Hmm. That’s an idea.

The posts are (sometimes) all right, but any good they do is immediately undone in comments. If those “alternative perspectives” are so important, why even have the site at all? Just let popular culture do its work.