peta-save-the-whalesOriginally uploaded by marketingnacozinha I was catching up on my e-mail and noticed a number of people sent in the link to this PETA ad: Susan, Veronica, Lynette, Amy, and Kim, thank you! The only reason I didn’t post about it was that I didn’t feel like I had anything new to say; it’s been [...]

Filed under: Advertising, Advocacy, Fatism, Kids, Media | 24 Comments »

So this is a teen (tween?) band called Chair, with a song called “I’m Fat And Nobody Likes Me.” Finkbuilt describes it as “Awesome teen angst comedy mischief pop by Chair. Kind of NSFW, sophomoric and juvenile.” On YouTube, they are being compared to everyone from Jack Black to Moldy Peaches. Take a look (again, [...]

Filed under: Humor, Kids, Music, NSFW, Video | 12 Comments »

So you guys will have to tell me if I missed any big awesome discussions or news items while I was away, other than MeMe Roth still existing and being more or less insane, which it looks like was pretty well covered already. Today, I’m catching the buzz that plus size fashion options are yet [...]

Filed under: Cold Hard Cash, Fashion, Fatism, Kids, Meta | 26 Comments »

I was entertained and sort of fascinated by Mike’s post about the new Big Mac Snack Wrap, currently being tested in Canada, the home of the Maple Leafs, half of Niagara Falls, and Robin Sparkles. The sad, sad, Big Mac Snack Wrap. It is apparently half a hamburger patty with some sauce, pickles, and lettuce, [...]

Filed under: Advertising, Diet Talk Warning, Food, Humor, International, Kids, Personal, Science | 23 Comments »

I’ve been struck down with some kind of death illness for the past few days. You’d think that being curled up on my couch for 72 hours would mean I could manage a blog post or two, but it hasn’t seemed that way. I’m hoping to be back in action tomorrow, but in the meantime, [...]

Filed under: Advertising, Advocacy, Celebrities, Fashion, Kids, Meta, Personal, Sex & Romance, TV | 11 Comments »

Believe it or not, I also follow blogs outside of the fatosphere (god, I still loathe that term), and have been following Sundry Mourning since we were both blogging over on Diaryland. I’m still a DINK (for the moment, anyway) while she’s had two very adorable boys, which I guess makes her a DITK. I [...]

Filed under: Advocacy, International, Kids | 11 Comments »

These new guidelines for childhood obesity programs are just amazing. Rachel has them listed at The F Word, complete with highlighting. In this case it indicates not white-hot rage, but happiness. Consider guidelines like… Interventions should focus on health, not weight, so as to not contribute to the overvaluation of weight and shape and negative [...]

Filed under: Advocacy, Exercise, Fat Positive, Humor, Kids, Science | 7 Comments »

Just for the record, I love the Obamas. I couldn’t be more overjoyed that Barack Obama is our president, and I want him to be president forever. Everything he does and says makes me happy. At home, we play a drinking game: whenever someone says “President Obama,” take a drink. Only we don’t drink, we [...]

Filed under: Advocacy, Celebrities, F.A.T. Chance, Fat Positive, Feminism, Health, Kids, Magazines, Politics, TV, Tidbit | 25 Comments »

Originally uploaded by mo pie Very recently, I posted about an old-timey ad from the 1970s; here is another one, this time from 1957! Here is the ad copy: If your favorite little girl is on the plump side, dress her in Chubbettes and see her blossom into a lovely lass—as happy and self-assured as [...]

Filed under: Advertising, Fashion, Kids, Magazines, Old Timey | 23 Comments »

Here’s a study from the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved (which may I say I am happy exists) that talks about the link between household instability and obesity—specifically, obesity in mothers. Thirty-eight percent of mothers in low-instability households were obese, while nearly 48 percent in high-instability households were obese. The researchers [...]

Filed under: Cold Hard Cash, Feminism, Food, Health, Kids, Work | 14 Comments »

Originally uploaded by mo pie I saw this vintage ad here and was quite struck by it. The ad is from the 1970s, and the headline reads: Tracy Harper may not care if fashionable chubby-sizes are hard to find, but her Mother does. And so does Sears. This headline was the thing that really struck [...]

Filed under: Advertising, Fashion, Kids, Magazines, Old Timey, Race & Ethnicity | 32 Comments »

I ran across this news in my google reader, and at first blush, it made me happy–a picture of a little girl with a hula hoop! The idea of a small sponsoring an exciting activity day for kids, saying Hey, kids, it is cool to go out and play and run and be active and [...]

Filed under: Advocacy, Exercise, Health, Kids, Media | 13 Comments »

An adoption agency in Britian is likening an obesity to smoking, drinking, drug addiction, alcoholism. Damien and Charlotte Hall, who have been pursuing the adoption of a baby, had their application rejected because his BMI was too high, and was considered to violate the agency’s “suitability criteria.” His BMI is also considered evidence that he [...]

Filed under: Advocacy, Health, International, Kids | 10 Comments »

My baby cousin, who I should not call my baby cousin because she is twenty years old and that is pretty much an adult, is just beautiful. She used to be a pretty little girl, but she has grown up into a spectacular woman–smart and funny and generous, but she also lucked out physically. She’s [...]

Filed under: Advocacy, Feminism, Health, Kids, Media, Personal | 18 Comments »

I don’t think I posted about this, but I do remember hearing a while back that overweight kids are not only more likely to be bullied, but they’re also more likely to be bullies. The topic is coming up again, with a new study showing that “expressions of anger” are reduced in overweight kids who [...]

Filed under: Exercise, Kids, Science | 12 Comments »

I’ve been critical of Ricki Lake in the past for her attitude towards her weight loss. Last October, here’s what I said: It’s not that I begrudge Ricki Lake losing weight (even though she’s only eating 1,200 calories a day, which seems tragically low to me); if she’s happy, then great. But the quotes about [...]

Filed under: Gossip, Hairspray, Kids, Movies, Ricki Lake, Weight Loss | 40 Comments »

A new study from the Journal of the American Dietetic Association reveals something interesting (and possibly counterintuitive to many people) about poor, obese children: they aren’t eating enough. Children living in poverty are obese in part because they don’t eat enough to meet the daily nutritional requirements needed for cell function and metabolism, a study [...]

Filed under: Cold Hard Cash, Health, Kids, Science | 18 Comments »

The name of this product, the “pink patch,” sounds so innocuous, doesn’t it? It’s a nicotine-patch-like patch (okay that was some awkward construction) that is being marketed to teenage girls as a weight loss tool. (And it’s for girls, so it’s pink of course.) The takedown of the Pink Patch at Fitness Fixation is just [...]

Filed under: Cold Hard Cash, Health, Kids, Weight Loss | 16 Comments »

It’s Fashion Week, which means we get things like this amazing collection by Christian Siriano and another look at the size zero model phenomenon. Apparently, they’re back in style this season. (So much for Whitney’s victory on America’s Next Top Model.) Spurred on by a spike in reality TV shows promoting extreme dieting, women are [...]

Filed under: Advertising, Advocacy, Eating Disorders, Fashion, Kids, Project Runway, TV | 19 Comments »

Generation XXLOriginally uploaded by crayolarabbit I used to see this ad in San Francisco, when driving onto the onramp of the Bay Bridge. It’s an ad for Kaiser Permanente, which is the same HMO that does the “thrive” commercials. My main issue is that this ad portrays a young girl (of course it’s a girl) [...]

Filed under: Advertising, Advocacy, Fatism, Health, Kids, Media, Tidbit | 18 Comments »

Whenever I’m asked who this blog is for, I inevitably say it’s for my teenage self—and for teenagers who are like her. So it might not be too surprising that my hot button issue is the way the media talks to teenage girls. For example, in magazines like Teen Vogue that may be subtly promoting [...]

Filed under: Advocacy, Books, Celebrities, Eating Disorders, Fashion, Feminism, Kids, Magazines, Media | 18 Comments »

Us Magazine has a slideshow of the “weight winners of the year“—naturally, the stars who have lost weight this year! And look great! Woo! And they’re all women. OF COURSE. Because who cares if men gain or lose weight? Nobody! Woo! Stars include J. Love, Ricki Lake, Kim Locke, Vanessa Williams, and multiple women (including [...]

Filed under: Celebrities, Feminism, Gossip, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Kids, Magazines, Mariah Carey, Media, Ricki Lake | 28 Comments »

You’ve probably heard of pro-ana groups online. They’re pro-anorexia groups where people, mostly young girls, of course, go to share their sources of “thinspiration” and talk about their strategies for ingesting the bare minimum of calories. Well now there’s We Bite Back, a post-pro-ana group dedicated to helping and supporting people who are recovering from [...]

Filed under: Advocacy, Eating Disorders, Feminism, Kids, Media | 2 Comments »

A study released yesterday attempts to answer that important question, dividing adolescent girls into groups like “Jocks,” “Burnouts,” and “Alternatives,” and discovering that their peer groups are the most important deciding factor. From the press release: The central theme of the study is that peer groups of teenage girls best determine their attitude towards their [...]

Filed under: Advocacy, Exercise, Kids, Personal, Question, Science | 44 Comments »

Saw this tidbit about Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick’s son James (who I believe is 5 years old) and his hate of the word “fat.” Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker have been banned from using the word `fat’ at home – by their politically correct young son. Little James Wilke insists the word [...]

Filed under: Celebrities, Kids, Question, Sarah Jessica Parker, Tidbit | 40 Comments »