I’ve been carrying around People Magazine‘s 100 Most Beautiful issue all week, having bought it because I thought it would be interesting to talk about, but it wasn’t until the weekend that I had time to crack it open and check it out. And oh my god, it was worse than I thought! I used […]

Filed under: Beth Ditto, Celebrities, Fat Positive, Fatism, Feminism, Gossip, Jessica Simpson, Magazines, Media, Nikki Blonsky, Queen Latifah, Weight Loss | 41 Comments »

I was out of town this weekend unexpectedly (and it was awesome) so I didn’t get a post together for today. Instead, I’ll recommend Weetabix’s post over at Elastic Waist about Halle Berry and Kirstie Alley: Here’s a picture of Kirstie Alley exiting a restaurant, but what’s striking is the commentary: the anonymous writer has […]

Filed under: Celebrities, Fatism, Kirstie Alley, Magazines, Meta | 13 Comments »

even cammy diaz isn’t perfect Originally uploaded by mo pie We all know that OK Magazine lied about Britney’s weight loss, and Glamour airbrushed America Ferrera. And now there’s another problem—or is it a problem? Conde Nast has admitted to airbrushing ultra-thin models to make them look larger. [There is] a trend towards presenting less […]

Filed under: America Ferrera, Cameron Diaz, Celebrities, Feminism, Keira Knightley, Magazines, Media | 29 Comments »

Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian (I am really sad that I know who either of these people is) and The Evil (hint: a food), all together in one news tidbit. Apparently, on a Vegas radio show, Paris said of Kim: “I would not want [Kim’s butt] — it’s gross! It reminds me of [the evil] […]

Filed under: Celebrities, Fatism, Feminism, Food, Humor, Magazines, Paris Hilton, Tidbit | 17 Comments »

Yesterday I ran across two great posts that I wanted to share; first, Rachel’s, which details some advice from magazines of the 1950s. (One magazine from the 70s that I sometimes bring into my classes has an article about how to raise your son to be a “real man” and contains the line, “Do you […]

Filed under: Feel Good Friday, Feminism, Humor, Magazines, Meta, Old Timey | 5 Comments »

it’s like magic Originally uploaded by mo pie 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 […]

Filed under: Britney Spears, Celebrities, Magazines, Media, Tidbit, Weight Loss | 12 Comments »

The “fat-osphere” (punctuating that is getting more complicated by the minute) is in a Chicago local weekly called RedEye (with Kate Harding on the cover). Here’s a link to the article: A negative body image, on which some weight-loss programs try to capitalize, can be a barrier to engaging in healthy behavior, [Sarah Catanese] said. […]

Filed under: Advocacy, Fat Positive, Magazines, Media, Meta, Tidbit | 10 Comments »

According to Elle magazine, by way of Jezebel, men actually are hot for ultra-thin women. At least in New York. You know that whole thing about how being superskinny is an ideal originated by the fashion industry and perpetuated by female competitiveness and like, totally NOT AT ALL what men are interested in etc. etc.? […]

Filed under: Feminism, Magazines, Media, Weight Loss | 80 Comments »

Kira Cochrane, a British writer with a column in the Guardian, hates the diet industry. And although she is “at best, reluctant about diets, and, at worst, disgusted by the very notion,” she’s going on a diet. And here is her introduction to the new column, and it is is definitely worth a read. I’m […]

Filed under: International, Magazines, Media, Weight Loss | 32 Comments »

A gossip tidbit courtesy of La Wade that is very appropriate for Feel Good Friday: next season’s cast of Dancing with the Stars will include Marissa Jaret Winokur, the original Broadway Tracy Turnblad! I don’t even watch the show, but I admit, now I’m tempted. Also Sean Hayes will be on, and I love me […]

Filed under: Celebrities, Feel Good Friday, Gossip, Hairspray, Magazines, Theater, Tidbit, TV | 3 Comments »

Originally uploaded by mo pie Although we’re definitely not done with all the meta media aftermath (and Rachel has a good roundup today), I thought I’d take a break to share an actual post! About something else! Are you shocked? I was, when I read today that Miley Cyrus, the 15-year-old star otherwise known as […]

Filed under: American Idol, Celebrities, Feminism, Magazines, Meta, Miley Cyrus, Music, Tidbit, TV | 24 Comments »

According to Wired magazine, chewing too much gum can have a laxative effect and cause dramatic weight loss. Given that most weight-loss drugs have a difficult time producing one-pound per week weight loss, you might think the scientists would trumpet these findings as a prelude to the newest blockbuster pharmaceutical. But sadly, the drop in […]

Filed under: Eating Disorders, Food, Health, Magazines, Tidbit | 12 Comments »

So, this whole Jennifer Love Hewitt brouhaha has been going on, and now Janice Dickinson, who is crazy, has decided she’s going to defend J. Love by calling Tyra Banks fat (again)! When shown J.Love’s bikini pics on The Today Show, the world’s first self-proclaimed supermodel had this to say: “Jennifer Love Hewitt is a […]

Filed under: Celebrities, Gossip, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Magazines, Media, Tyra Banks | 18 Comments »

Sorry for the missing posts this week! I’ve been working around the clock at both of my jobs, and the lack of sleep has given me a horrible cold. I’ve spent the last few days doped up on cold medicine, sleepy and confused. Fortunately, we’ve got BFDiva Becky to pick up some of my slack. […]

Filed under: Feminism, Health, Kids, Magazines, Personal, Science, Weight Loss | 12 Comments »

Seventeen has launched the Body Peace Project, “aimed at changing the way young girls view their bodies.” Three celebrities have signed on: Fergie, Brittany Snow, and Ashlee Simpson. According to IMDB news: The trio want teenagers to stop obsessing about the shape of their bodies. Editor in Chief Ann Shoket launches the year-long project to […]

Filed under: Advocacy, Eating Disorders, Hairspray, Magazines, Media, Movies | 15 Comments »

beth ditto basically rules Originally uploaded by mo pie Of course I bought BUST, with Beth Ditto on the cover and Big Fat Deal on page 18. How could I resist? The first thing I flipped to… well, was page 18. The second thing I flipped to was the interview with Beth. I absolutely loved […]

Filed under: Beth Ditto, Fashion, Fat Positive, Magazines, Personal | 37 Comments »

Beth and BFD in BUST Originally uploaded by mo pie I am thrilled to report that Big Fat Deal is mentioned in not one, but two nationally circulated magazines this month. That’s right, people. We are officially fancy. First off, we’re in BUST Magazine, which you all need to buy immediately because as you can […]

Filed under: Beth Ditto, Magazines, Meta | 21 Comments »

Two bits of celebrity news I just had to share. First of all, in a rare instance of fatism against male celebrities, Ryan Gosling reportedly was fired from The Lovely Bones for being too fat. And also annoying. But mostly fat. A source tells Us Gosling “was fired” because “he just gained too much weight!” […]

Filed under: Celebrities, Food, Gossip, Magazines, Movies, TV, Weight Loss | 13 Comments »

I was on a plane yesterday and I bought a couple of magazines, including the new issue of OK with Ricki Lake on the cover. The headline is “Thin, 39, and Looking for a Man.” The article is called “How Ricki Stays Thin” and you can read it here. (Interestingly, she claimed that her weight […]

Filed under: Celebrities, Gossip, Hairspray, Magazines, Ricki Lake, Weight Loss | 20 Comments »

jennifer hudson ad Originally uploaded by mo pie 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 […]

Filed under: Advertising, American Idol, Britney Spears, Celebrities, Feel Good Friday, Jennifer Hudson, Kate Winslet, Magazines, Tidbit | 6 Comments »

Another thing that made the rounds while I was off was this video, but it’s well worth linking to, for those of you who haven’t seen it. It talks about the effects that magazine images and other media have on young women. If you’re unable to view the video, this article hits many of the […]

Filed under: Eating Disorders, Feminism, Kids, Magazines, Media, Tidbit | 7 Comments »

america airbrushed Originally uploaded by mo pie 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 […]

Filed under: America Ferrera, Britney Spears, Celebrities, Fatism, Magazines, Photoshop | 18 Comments »

Star Jones admits she had gastric bypass surgery and was “intentionally evasive” when questions were asked. “[T]he complete truth is, I was scared of what people might think of me,” she continues. “I was afraid to be vulnerable, and ashamed at not being able to get myself under control without this procedure.” “I used to […]

Filed under: Celebrities, Gossip, Magazines, Star Jones, Weight Loss, WLS | 25 Comments »

I feel all nostalgic now; there’s news about Star Jones! Well, sort of. On a press tour for her new show, she evaded questions about her weight loss, then promised to explain all: “I know that people are curious,” Jones admitted. “I’ve changed completely from the way I looked when I first started in television […]

Filed under: Celebrities, Magazines, Star Jones | 22 Comments »

I’m happy to brag that our very own Big Fat Deal has been selected as an Editor’s Pick on BUST Magazine’s Girl Wide Web. At the moment you can see us us right on the BUST main page, but we’re also at the top of their Our Bodies, Our Hells section, where you can give […]

Filed under: Magazines, Media, Meta | 2 Comments »