Hammy-Down Links!
1. We talked about April Flores, the plus-size pinup and adult film star awhile back. She’s in the news again, criticizing the ridiculous American Apparel for their sizing prejudices, and talking about her work, body confidence, and fat prejudice. As if you needed more evidence that she’s both gorgeous and awesome.
I now know that confidence and being a happy, positive person plays a more important role in attraction than body size alone. My main motivation for doing erotic work is to make the statement that fat women can express their sexuality and be sexual beings. I am challenge the norms of what is considered beautiful and sexy. I want people to examine their own ideas of what they consider appealing. For many people beauty does not just come in a size 0.
In related news, this is a very funny take on American Apparel’s “not our demographic” bullshit.
2. Holy crap you guys, it’s the solution we’ve all been waiting for! I love Allie Brosh and her finely tuned sense of the ridiculous.
The Weasel Belt is a revolutionary new product that uses the wonders of weasels to whittle your waist! Was that egregious alliteration annoying? You bet it was!
Anyway, the Weasel Belt works by attaching a cage-like structure to your abdomen and then releasing several live, rabid weasels into the enclosure. You don’t even have to do anything! You just sit there and let the weasels gnaw your love handles away!
3. Speaking of weasels, Julien MacDonald has gone on record with his foot in his mouth, which must have taken some serious flexibility. He says plus-size models aren’t taken seriously, and shouldn’t win a modeling competition. Because he’s an ass.
“There were no plus-size models,” Macdonald reportedly said of [Britain’s Next Top Model].
“This is a serious show. You can’t have a plus-size girl winning — it makes it a joke.
“It’s not fair on them — you’re setting them up for a fall. I know what would happen to them. They are looked down on.”
Because maybe, way too often, still, even after all the “celebration of ‘real women'” fooferah going on in the popular media, plus size models are usually not included in modeling competitions and taken as seriously as smaller-sized models, maybe? WEIRD. Shut up, Julien. Can I call you Julien? Too bad.
4. This was very cool—an interview with a plus-size fashion stylist. She’s got some old chestnuts about “creating proportion” and fear of “adding bulk” and whatnot (maybe she should have a long conversation with the deeply fabulous chestnut-roasting Beth Ditto), but she also has some interesting things to say about the industry, fashion, and even getting into the business.
I hope that as a stylist I can contribute to the plus size fashion industry as an educator, role model, and mentor. I truly enjoy connecting to real women all over the country and helping them feel great about themselves by offering them a fresh perspective on plus fashion and style. I have found my niche with the plus industry and I hope to continue partnering with plus related companies, designers, and industry leaders to reach out to society and media and showcase curvy women in a positive, flattering way.
5. This made me happy. You need something beautiful to hang in your house, and remind you that the female body has been worshipped for millennia? Check out this print.
Posted by jenfu
Filed under: Advocacy, Art, Beth Ditto, Celebrities, Comics, Fashion, Fat Positive, Fatism, Humor, Media
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The Weasel Belt!! What a wildly wonderful weight-whacking widget! Seriously, that’s a brilliant little piece. Brava to Allie Brosh – it was as big a laugh as I’ve had all week.
The Venus print is awesome. A few years back, some catalog had actual small Mother Goddess figurines and my hubby bought me the Venus one because he said it reminded him of me…sans the bumpy head. :D
As a Christian, I’m a little disturbed by the celebration of the adult film star mentioned above. As a recovering feminist, I’m even more disturbed by the celebration of a culture that objectifies women. Yes, it may be nice to some that she is plus-size but she is still a part of an industry where you are judged on your body, and not your mind!
Awesome links!
Sorry, I sound like a spammer. Yet, I find them delightful.
Hmmmm. I adore this blog, and hope these thoughts don’t come across as antagonistic. April Flores is a hot, juicy lady and she seems like a lot of fun. That said… I am not so sure I want my fat-positivity from the porn world. There’s all kinds of cah-razy crap they celebrate in that world. And even if they/we succeed with fat positivity? Then, YAY! We fat women get to be judged on our fuckability, too! Hurrah!
I’ve got mixed feelings, as I know the point here is how, as fat people, we are desexualized, culturally. That was a hurdle for me as well, especially as a teen. You feel invisible. But you know, that only works if you believe it, kind of like the Eleanor Roosevelt line, other people can only make you feel as bad about yourself as you’ll let them. Once you know you are beautiful and sexy, even with flaws, you win, fat or not. And there are plenty of guys out there who like their ladies juicier. Not everyone will agree you are sexy, but isn’t that true for everyone, even thin people? I don’t see what April Flores adds to that process, as her products are really for me, aren’t they, and not for women.
I personally would prefer my fat, sexual women characters in the mainstream and not with one leg over the fence of fetishism, as that leaves us still marginalized. It’s too bad that the cover photo for the prior article about Flores was labeled “Bizarre.” Yes, it’s the magazine name I know, but still… the label, whether it’s of the pic or the magazine, is just not so fat-positive.
Sorry, typo:
“I don’t see what April Flores adds to that process, as her products are really for MEN (not me), aren’t they, and not for women.”
Jasmime, you make a very good point and I agree with you. I am just now beginning to really understand feminism and the way I see it so far, is that there are different sides to it. One side says that feminism stands against objectifying women and sex toys, but the other side seems to favor the idea that women should be able to do whatever they want with their bodies and no have judgment passed on them. It seems like two totally contradictory ideas, doesn’t it?
April rules! You know I also was thinking, since she’s a redhead and happens to be named April, wouldn’t it be cute if she dressed as April from Ninja Turtles?
One more thing, after looking at the Ninja Turtles website I wanted to clarify I mean the old school April outfit, not the modern one. The one that looks like this:
http://members.fortunecity.com/zobovor/april_o%27neil_fashion_doll_cartoon.gif
I personally find porn boring but that doesn’t make April any less gorgeous. Then again I’m more interested in the fun of pin-ups, lol. Oh, and I just love the outfit she’s wearing here. :D
After browsing through these comments I’m reminded of how some people ride the fence over whether porn is degrading or empowering to women. For the record, I’ve worked for an adult site (not as an actress or a model, but as an artist) so I’m of the opinion that it’s empowering.
To each his own though, right?
i love the willendorf print!
it makes me feel better. it looks like ME right down to the fat sitting on top of the pubic arch. i am fat and round and fluffy and TheEngineer finds me so sexy that he wakes me when he stays up late and comes to bed just to try to get some *ahem* attention. (he knows better than to wake a person who has difficulty sleeping, and does it anyway LOL)
there is beauty in every size. from the slender athletic woman to the generously rounded curves of the reubenesque woman to the outrageous curves of a sassy woman out on the town to the delicate bone structure of a woman late in her life.
i want to never stop knowing that beauty is more than the bones or the meat wrapped around them. beauty shines through the soul.