In the same way as anorexics may have a distorted self-perception of being fat, some overweight and obese people fail to see their true plus-size selves, believing instead that they are a healthy weight, says British author Sara Bird, whose book documenting her experience with “fatorexia” was published in March… “When I looked in the mirror, I saw a confident thin person, when in fact I was obese,” says Bird,… At 240 pounds, she looked like the Pillsbury Doughboy with a head that appeared much too small for her body, she said.

Oh good. Another self-loathing reformed fat person. Looks like we’ll get more people helpfully informing us that we’re fat! Terrific! THAT’S JUST WHAT WE NEED.

So then movie critic Mick LaSalle “weighs” in on this “excellent” story!

A couple of weeks ago I got some nasty reaction to my review of JUST WRIGHT, the new Queen Latifah movie in which she is the romantic lead. She plays an average woman who becomes the love interest of an extremely desirable man — an NBA superstar who could presumably have absolutely anybody. In the most delicate terms imaginable, I questioned how the movie could present its hero’s attraction for (let’s just say it) an obese woman, without in some way accounting for the unusual nature of that attraction.

Yes, apparently, it’s COMPLETELY FUCKING CRAZY that someone could be attracted to the “obese” Queen Latifah. QUEEN LATIFAH! Who looks like this!

(His original review is actually, to give him credit that I would rather not give him, a bit more nuanced than this would suggest.) Still, he’s no Lindy West (the critic who wrote that scathing takedown of the new Sex and the City movie).

I know that neither Mick LaSalle nor Sara Bird is likely to listen when I say this, but allow me to repeat: FAT PEOPLE KNOW THEY’RE FAT. We really don’t need more shaming. A lack of shaming is not the problem here.

And also, Queen Latifah is hot.

Actor Seth Rogen is struggling to accept his newly svelte figure – because he’s let down the legions of chubby men who looked up to him. The funnyman slimmed down to star in forthcoming comic book move The Green Hornet, and has to cope with strangers approaching him about his weight loss…

“I think for chubby guys, I was their guy so they were like, ‘I can be chubby. Seth Rogen’s chubby, so who cares.’ But now I’m not so chubby anymore. So now they’re like, ‘I have to lose weight.’ I’ve let them down. I’ve blatantly sold out. It’s only for money.”

I’ve talked a lot about female “fat icons,” but this did make me think about the guys, and who it is they look up to. We’ve got Beth Ditto and Queen Latifah and Nikki Blonsky; who are the fat icons for guys? Do guys even see it that way?

I don’t feel betrayed by Seth Rogan losing weight, really; number one he was never an icon for me, and number two it is “okay” for guys to be overweight, especially comedians (Jack Black, Ricky Gervais, Jim Belushi…) in a way that it is definitely not okay for women. What do you guys think—about Seth, about “selling out,” or about the size of male celebrities?

We’re hearing there’s a new strategy in Jenny Land – Zero Embarrassment. After Kirstie Alley lost a ton of weight for the commercial, gained it back and then some, it looked as if Jenny’s plan just didn’t work long term.

So the new plan…get someone who can look good by losing a relatively small amount of weight — In Queen’s case, 20 lbs. She looks really good, if not svelte, but if she gains it back it’s not going to look like Jenny Craig was a failure.

First of all, I hadn’t heard that Kirstie Alley had gained back the weight. She says she hasn’t; the National Enquirer posted photos that purported to be recent, showing that she has. The commenters at that link are sympathetic to Kirstie, if it’s true.

I did a diet plan similiar to JC and once you stop eating THEIR food — it is nearly imposible to stay thin. I quickly gained back that weight AND some. Very frustrating.

The second part of the TMZ article that’s interesting is the strategy behind it. If Queen Latifah loses a small amount of weight in the short term, no matter what happens in the long term the perception is that of success, whereas if Kirstie regains a large amount of weight, the perception is failure. I’m not sure if that’s true, but it’s certainly an intriguing idea from an advertising standpoint. What do you think?

Don’t get me wrong, I certainly enjoy looking at pictures of, say, George Clooney and Iman. And it’s not as if there are a million Nikki Blonskys and Beth Dittos out there in the world. And yet… somehow I expected it to be less blatant. Because I’m super naive, I guess! Anyway, here are the pages I dog eared. Pretend we’re sitting together outside a coffee shop, sipping iced coffees, bitching about how annoying this magazine is.

Page 16: A photo of Jonah Hill jogging (before the “beautiful” section of the magazine starts, of course). Enjoy the sight of a fat person, because it’s basically the only one in this entire magazine.

Page 19-21: A three-page “bikini challenge” ad for anti-cellulite cream that is “the difference between worrying about cellulite and not having to” (because you used the cream and got rid of it). Let me save you five bucks, or however much this cream costs you: those aren’t your only two choices.

Page 69: Article about the issue’s cover girl, Kate Hudson. Definitely beautiful, no arguments there, but also blonde, blue-eyed, and slender. Also in this issue: Kristen Bell, Taylor Swift, Elizabeth Banks, Heidi and Lauren from The Hills, Carrie Underwood, Christina Applegate, Nicole Kidman, Jessica Simpson, Blake and Taylor from Gossip Girl, Sandra Lee, and Heather Locklear (among others). Hmm. Are you trying to tell us something, People?

Page 101: Queen Latifah! Oh wait, it’s a Jenny Craig ad. The premise of the ad is that your size isn’t important, you should just be a “size healthier” than you are now. Brilliant marketing, there, Jenny Craig. HEY WOMEN OF AMERICA! You are all exactly one size too big! Sorry!

Page 108: Sarah Silverman, talking about how Jimmy Kimmel grabs her “inner thigh fat” and says how much he likes it, even though she hates it. So there is one point in favor of this magazine, because that’s cute.

Page 110: An eye-catching ad for Curvation featuring a full-figured woman in lingerie and Christian Louboutins with some sexy ad copy. It is genuinely awesome and positive, and if we hadn’t seen Curvation founder Queen Latifah advertising Jenny Craig a few pages ago, this would be even better.

Page 154: Queen Latifah again, in the magazine this time, in a section about celebrities who have charitable causes. This is the only plus-sized person on the list of 100 beautiful people, and keep in mind, she was in a diet ad in the same magazine! I also feel compelled to note that she is wearing sequins.

Page 175: A chart showing “beauty at every age,” with 10 people each listed for the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. So that’s 40 people in this little sample size. They are all women. Jennifer Hudson is the only one even remotely plus-sized.

So what have we learned? That only women of color are plus-sized? That being blonde, blue-eyed and thin is the best way to be beautiful? That People is every bit as vapid as you thought it was? That you’re a size too big and have cellulite? That, if you’re overweight, you have a 99% chance of not being considered “beautiful”?

How about all of the above?

[w]hile I’m on the subject of Queen Latifah and losing weight: do any of you think some people just look better when they’re heavier? I hardly recognized Star Jones after her bariatric surgery. She was beautiful as a larger woman, but now I don’t think so.

Or am I just prejudiced against fat people who lose weight?

Some responses:

i_geek:

I agree with you. I think it has to do with each person’s weight setpoint. I look at the face. If it looks healthy, then I tend to assume that the person it’s on is also healthy, regardless of weight. Look at the Shapelings in Kate’s BMI project. Their faces glow with health and radiate beauty, whether they’re “underweight” or “morbidly obese”.

Bree:

I also believe some women look better heavier, and Star Jones is one of them. After she had her WLS, her face got so gaunt. She didn’t look healthy. Carnie Wilson looked great when she was big too. Renee Zellwegger is another that looks a lot pretter with meat on her bones. She just doesn’t have the facial structure and features to pull off extremely thin. I don’t know if she uses Botox (I suspect it), but when she drops weight for roles, her face looks so unnatural. Not everyone is supposed to be a walking skeleton.

SRGal:

I don’t see anything wrong with Queen Latifah wanting to lose weight. It’s her decision. Maybe she feels that she’ll be more comfortable if she loses a few pounds.

If she’s beautiful as a larger women, she’ll still be beautiful as a smaller person. I mean, beauty comes from the inside, right?

It’s a slippery slope; can we judge people for being “too skinny” and then complain when people judge us for being “too fat”? And yet I still share some of these opinions. I think Renee Zelwegger does look better when she’s not at her thinnest. I think Star Jones did look weird when she lost all that weight. Can we have different rules for celebrities who are straining to fit the Hollywood ideal? Probably not.

And then there’s a model named Geo Burke. She used to be a size 18 (“hard to believe”!) and now she’s a size 14 (a “positive role model”!) At her current size, her agent is happy to represent her as a plus-size model, and she says: “Hopefully I can show people that you don’t have to be skinny to be beautiful.”

What would happen if she were a size 16? Or a size 20? Or a size 12? (Remember that Sarah the “plus size model” got kicked off of America’s Next Top Model for losing weight, and therefore being in between “normal” and “plus size.”)

It seems like in the case of Geo Banks, or Star Jones, or possibly even people we know, we quietly decide there’s a perfect weight just for them—not too fat, not too skinny, but just right. Is this connected to health? To aspiration? To how attractive they are to us? To how hot or cold the porridge is? Is anyone entitled to determine what the “just right” point is for someone else? Is Star Jones entitled to look like a llama if she wants to, and are we obligated to keep our mouths shut about it? Personally, I’m confused, and I want to know. What do you think?

Fat Lot of Good says it all:

J.Anthony, the founder of BBWSinglesFinder, claims that it is time to “celebrate real women” (emphasis mine). Last time I checked even skinny women were real women. Weight does not have bearing on whether someone is a “real” woman or not. Claiming that a thin woman isn’t a “real” woman is just as offensive as claiming a fat woman isn’t a “real” woman…

I do take issue with J.Anthony’s assertion that BBW “does not necessarily mean a fat woman”. He says that “A BBW is a woman who is proud of who she is and isn’t ashamed of her body… A true BBW is confident, sexy and real.” Hmmm…ok…so a size 0 who is proud of who she is and unashamed of her body is a BBW? Somehow I don’t think so.

So, I’m interested in your thoughts on the term BBW. To me, the first B means that it refers to a “big” woman—but what’s the cutoff point for that? Do you think Margaret Cho belongs on this list? How about Carnie Wilson, who had weight-loss surgery—does she still qualify? Do you consider yourself a BBW? Why or why not?

(By the way, the title of this post comes from Kevin’s typo when we were playing Scrabulous.)

Once again at this point it’s just a rumor, but if proven to be true it will amount to yet another slap in the face of fat people by one of our own. Star Jones was a champion for size acceptance then fought for years to cover up her surgery before coming clean last year. If the same thing is going on with Mo’Nique her credibility in the eyes of millions of ladies and a few men like myself will be shot.

It always mystifies me when fat women act betrayed if a plus-size star has wls. even skinny women often hold a distorted idea of their body image. Why is it so hard to believe that MoNique would too? It doesn’t mean she was disgusted by contestants on FAT Chance, and it doesn’t make her message of loving yourself regardless of size a lie–it means that she has deep, personal image problems and you don’t know what they’re rooted in. We’ve got to stop expecting perfection from each other! I’m a proud 220 pounds. I look good and I know it. I would never excoriate another overweight woman for making that decision–that’s like beating up on someone who has a psychological problem.

It’s just that there are so few BBWs in the public eye and fewer still that send the message that it IS possible to be plus size and confident, successful, beautiful and O.K. with one’s body. When someone like Mo’Nique or, recently, Queen Latifah, shift and begin extolling weight loss, a lot of women who found inspiration and strength through their example are left alone again.

I don’t begrudge anyone’s weight loss, I really don’t, but when someone who has made an effort to spread the message of size acceptance (and carved a career niche from it) suddenly takes measures to ensure weight loss, it’s hard not to feel a little bit betrayed.

I myself and overweight by at least 85 lbs, but never have I ever thought that I should EMBRACE my size. Plain and simple, the bottom line is about being HEALTHY! …..why can’t we be HONEST with ourselves and admit that being overweight is NOT healthy… Let’s stop being so judgemental when we have carried the burden of being judged ourselves.

So, let’s pretend for a moment that this rumor is true. Which one of these comments do you agree with? I personally continue to feel like the third commenter above—I hate to “lose” one of the few icons out there who advocate for size acceptance, and it does call into question Mo’Nique’s whole philosophy of being “Fabulous and Thick” that she works so hard to promote. But, as with Queen Latifah, I also kind of understand it’s none of my business. I don’t know. Is it different, because she’s so vocal about size acceptance? How do you feel about it?

I like a number of things that Queen Latifah says in this interview—that she is “really content with” her body image, that she’s happy with herself at any weight, and that the weight loss for her is absolutely not an image thing.

I was also happy that she shot down the ridiculous interview question that seemed born straight from the fat stereotype handbook—something like, “is exercise your biggest problem, or is it not reaching for the macaroni and cheese?” (Her answer was that she is very healthy and exercise is not a problem for her, but that her big challenge is portion control.)

However, I don’t like the commercial. According to the interview, the concept is “just lose 5-10% of your body weight to improve your health and lower your risk of diabetes.” But the commercial is more a generic, “You go girl!” weight loss commercial, and I don’t buy that Jenny Craig is doing anything other than selling a diet that is way too expensive ($61 per pound, if you recall) and doesn’t work in the long run.

“We are thrilled to have Queen Latifah support our mission of improving health by taking her first step toward achieving a more healthful lifestyle… [She] joins forces with Jenny Craig to communicate the importance of how small lifestyle changes, in the areas of diet and exercise, can have positive effects on overall health.”

In the meantime, here is what the website for her plus-size lingerie line, Curvation, says about her:

Queen Latifah positively embodies the spirit of curvaceous women. She was the unanimous choice of the women we spoke with to be their role model. She clearly celebrates her curves and that’s what CURVATION is all about. …”I am a curvaceous woman, proud to be one. This brand is what I live.”

Supposedly, the Jenny Craig ad is not a betrayal of her “proud to be curvaceous” philosophy, because it is going to be “focused on a healthier lifestyle, not on getting onto a specific dress size.”

Right. Sure. I’m sure her contract doesn’t even stipulate that she has to lose weight. I’m sure the ads won’t show before and after pictures. I’m sure it will be totally body positive and focused on health and not “look how much hotter she is now that she’s thin!” Sigh.

It may not be right to feel betrayed, because, again, people can choose to do whatever they think is best for them. But Latifah is such a role model for the fat community, and I’ve always loved her, and found her beautiful and voluptuous and confident and awesome. So there you go. I’m disappointed. What do you guys think? Am I being unreasonable? Do you think this advertising campaign will really avoid focusing on “a specific dress size”?