Who were these “flabulous” celebrities? Beyonce, Jessica Simpson, Britney, Kirstie Alley, and Snooki. I mean, seriously. Did you doubt they would all be women? Plus, they sent me some accompanying photos showing the offenses, and they all looked like this. Where’s the “love handles” on Beyonce? Not that there’s anything wrong with “love handles,” Jesus. At least they have a cute name.

2. Okay, here’s a link, and it’s a good one: the “obesity stigma” is not actually helpful. Well, no effing duh. Which is basically what The Well-Rounded Mama says:

I suppose I should be grateful that someone is taking time to disprove the kinds of lame claims that more stigma is needed, not less. On the flip side, though, is that while they are concerned about the negative effects of obesity stigma on fat people, the big concern is that this stigma gets in the way of obesity intervention efforts…

But at least they are saying something against obesity stigma and countering the usual nonsense out there. It just amazes me that some idiots can actually believe that obesity stigma is really an effective tool for health improvement.

3. Another good one: obesity ills are “a myth” according to an Ohio State University study, via Big Fat Blog.

“There is a myth going on. Our findings show being overweight is no different from being what we believe is a healthy weight and this is across a person’s entire lifespan. For college-age adults, this should help them realize that they don’t have to worry so much if they have a BMI of 27 or 28. Some young people with these BMIs feel like, ‘I’m going to have all these problems, I need to try 50 different diets.’ And what is all that stress and dieting doing to your body? Probably more damage than the extra 15 pounds is.”

4. I ran across a Listmania list on Amazon today called “Large-size heroines and more.” Leonard Nimoy, The Gossip, and Nikki Blonsky are all represented, as are some projects I’d never heard of, such as an anthology called Such A Pretty Face…

Each tale has a plus-sized heroine or hero, ranging from a mermaid to a fairy-tale princess.

As well as a guide for plus-sized brides, some Fat Studies readers, and a UK series called Fat Friends.

I can’t vouch for level of empowerment each thing on the list has–for instance, I know Queen Sized was problematic, and there’s a weight loss memoir on there from someone named Michelle McManus, who won Pop Idol in the UK–but there were enough interesting things listed that I figured I’d pass it along.

5. Finally, 340 (and counting) blogs have been added to the comprehensive Fierce Freethinking Fatties Feed, and there are sub-feeds like Fat Acceptance, Fatshion, and Political Allies. (And other sub-feeds that do allow diet talk, so click those with caution.) If you want to find some new reading material or to add your blog to one of those feeds, check it out. Thanks for the heads up, Shannon!

1. “Carnie Wilson’s War” (with video from the Tyra Banks show, of course) is Carnie’s battle with her weight after her highly publicized weight loss surgery.

2. Britney Spears is on the Posh Spice diet (water with lemon, steamed fish, edamame, and seaweed) and has gone from a size 14 to a size 10!

3. Oprah has gained weight again!

From that last post:

I hate how we are so quick to pay attention to how much weight everyone loses and gains. I know, Oprah has tons of money and I’m really not a big fan… Nonetheless, money or not, she has the same body issues many of us “normal” women have — probably moreso because she’s constantly being scrutinized by people. When she loses weight, people give her a hard time. When she gains it, people give her a hard time and laugh at her. It’s sad. Maybe I’m just sensitive, but I really hate seeing people being judged by their weight — fat, skinny, whatever.

I don’t want to point out again that all of the posts I ran across today were about women. But, oops, I guess I just did!

What happens when magazines are too lazy to hire an airbrusher? OK Magazine did a cover story on her supposed weight loss (“15 LBS IN JUST 4 WEEKS!”) and accompanied it with a cover photo taken in 2003. Best Week Ever claims that this can be explained by time travel. Oh, if only she could.

“Since when does a picture qualify the New York Post to assume someone is not healthy?” Federline’s publicist, Marilyn Lopez, fumed. “Golfing over the week end doesn’t sound terminal to me.”

It’s a good point—it’s the whole “let’s mock fat people exercising” thing. But that’s the whole point of celebrities: we see photos of them and judge them! For instance, in the golfing photo, I judge K. Fed’s horrible hair. Where have you been, Marilyn Lopez?

Also, if the story is true that he warned a restaurant not to serve dessert to Britney because she was too fat, maybe this is just karma. On the other hand, why would a restaurant refuse service to Britney on K-Fed’s say-so? Implausible.

Call it the Fat Follies or the Obesity Opera: How big anyone is, or looks to be, seems to be the most compelling topic for public conversation… In this new world of weightertainment, fat Britney Spears is more fascinating than her younger, slimmer persona. She’s clearly a media savant: The reveal of her chunky middle at the MTV Video Music Awards is what now qualifies as great TV.

Definitely gave me pause to think. I remember the furor over Tyra Banks and her bathing suit, Catherine Zeta-Jones and her anorexia, and of course Britney at the VMAs. Not to mention the covers of People and Star every week. Damn. Maybe she’s got a point.

(Notice that it’s women, though. Always, always women. Sigh.)

[D]o you think some of Britney’s downward spiral might be her toxic diet? We’re glad she was out having fun this weekend with sis Jamie Lynn, but maybe Brit could dial down the snarfing—as seen in the above trip to Tacky Bell.

Sometimes, fast-food swings = mood swings. At least that has been our experience, not to mention Morgan Spurlock’s. (Anyone see Super Size Me?)

Sure, we love our trash food from time to time, but this mac-and-cheese mama might feel and look better if she avoided the Travis Bickle Taxi Driver diet.

Oh give me a neglectful mother-effing break, E! Online. Here’s a video of her allegedly going to a restaurant. To eat food. Avert your eyes!

I saw this ad in this week’s Entertainment Weekly; it’s the first Jennifer Hudson for Avon ad that I’ve seen so far. And I was quite struck by the “sex sells” marketing. Not only is it an obviously sexy shot of J. Hud, the perfume is named “Seduction,” and the tagline on the ad is “Where desire leads.” Although Jennifer is full-figured, the execution of this ad seems no different from, say, a Britney Spears ad for her new Midnight Fantasy perfume.

In the realm of hot chicks endorsing perfume, I’ll probably stick with Kate Winslet’s Lancôme Tresor, but this is only because Kate Winslet is my girlfriend and refused to be airbrushed and I love her beyond all reason as you all well know by now. That frees Jennifer Hudson up for you! It’s a win/win! Another sexy picture for the same campaign can be seen here. If you try Imari Seduction perfume, let us know how it is!

Reader Jessica wanted to make sure we were all aware of this post from Manolo for the Big Girl. (Since I’ve been off getting married and stuff, and I just got home, it’s good to get caught up on what I missed.) So the deal is, Glamour magazine featured a cover with America Ferrera, where they both A) declared her “HOT!” and B) airbrushed the shit out of her.

Francesca will not go into the horrible quality of the photoshopping. Please go to Ayyyy and read the comments in which Manolo’s noble readers wonder aloud just how freakish are those arms, or whether it is physically possible for a woman to make her neck bend like that.

No, no, Francesca simply wants to know from the editors at Glamour: Is Ugly Betty only HOT! if she gets rid of all the fat from her arms, every bit, and reduces from a C cup to an A? Is it not possible that Ugly Betty, or at least the actress who plays her, is HOT! exactly the way she is?

And in case that wasn’t hypocritical enough, check this out:

In general [one Britney Spears piece] is a poorly written article wrapping up the “she’s fat” / “no she’s not” reactions to Sunday nights performance [at the VMAs]. Again I was ready to leave it alone until I saw this quote from Glamour Magazine executive editor-at-large, Suze Yalof Scwhartz. “Girls aren’t looking as skinny this season as they did… There’s food backstage. They’re looking sexier.” At Glamour, she noted, a model won’t be featured “if she shows too much clavicle.”

I read an issue of Glamour recently because I was researching a possible project for them and deciding if it was a magazine I could get behind. And in that issue they had a story about swimsuits to flatter every figure, and they showed pictures of women in swimsuits who were up to a size 18, and even put one size 18 girl into a bikini. (I wish I could find this article online because I meant to do a post on it at the time.) I was very, very pro-Glamour after that. And now this. What happened, Glamour? Like, seriously?

Oh, and I really do have a subscription to the magazine right now. They are substituting it for Jane, which is now defunct. And following that link, we see that ex-Jane staffers knew about Glamour’s chicanery all along:

“Glamour is not at all like Jane,” says the refugee. “It’s the exact opposite. They preach fake empowerment of ‘loving your flaws.’ Jane doesn’t point out flaws. Glamour is still preaching that women aren’t good enough.”

Actually, the title of this post says it all.