1. Gabby Sidibe was on one of four covers of Elle Magazine featuring young Hollywood stars. But she was the only one whose body was cropped out. Oh, and her skin was lightened, too. 2. Levi’s has come out with new “Curve ID” jeans, with different cuts similar to the Lane Bryant Right Fit concept. […]

Filed under: Celebrities, Fashion, Fatism, Gabby Sidibe, Magazines, Meta, Race & Ethnicity | 21 Comments »

So, let’s talk about “real women.” We hear this phrase a lot, often in the sense that “real women have curves” and that, by extension, skinny women are somehow not “real.” And this article from the Sydney Morning Herald articulates the problem: Women have been caught in a pointless feedback loop as we debate what […]

Filed under: Advertising, Celebrities, Fashion, Feminism, International, Race & Ethnicity | 30 Comments »

Amy sends along this article about “Mr. and Mrs. Average,” two people who won a British contest for averageness.* They have exactly “average” heights and weights, and are being turned into three-dimensional sculptures! Amy says her favorite part is this: So how do Jose and Susan feel about being representatives of the state of British […]

Filed under: Art, International, Race & Ethnicity | 22 Comments »

This post at Racialicious (originally posted at Red Vinyl Shoes) is about black plus-size models in mainstream fashion, but the part that really struck me was this (bolding mine): A popular (white) misconception is that fat is more acceptable in the black community. This is patently untrue. Hip-hop culture is often pointed to when one […]

Filed under: Advocacy, Celebrities, Fashion, Fatism, Gabby Sidibe, Question, Race & Ethnicity | 7 Comments »

1. The new Oprah biography contains a shocking allegation about pecan pie (and, perhaps, an opportunity to become educated about food addiction). From Michelle Coppola: Oprah once ordered two pecan pies from room service and *shudder* ATE THEM BOTH!! And what, Kitty Kelley? The earth tilted on its axis from Oprah’s subsequent weight gain? As […]

Filed under: Advocacy, Celebrities, Eating Disorders, Feminism, Food, Kids, Links, Magazines, Meta, Oprah, Race & Ethnicity | 17 Comments »

You can click the “Links” category for our previous links roundups, which so far have a different name each time. Maybe one of these days I’ll do a poll! Okay, let’s not go crazy. But anyway, here are some links! 1. Celebrity gossip and internet drama, two of my favorite things! But seriously, an interesting […]

Filed under: Celebrities, Christina Hendricks, Fashion, Health, Jennifer Hudson, Links, Mad Men, Meta, Race & Ethnicity, TV | 6 Comments »

I do link roundups from time to time, to try and cover links people send me or things I might otherwise miss. I was thinking of making it a regular feature, especially given how much I enjoy the Morning Shots at Monkey See and Fugs and Pieces at Go Fug Yourself. But I have a […]

Filed under: Art, Celebrities, Fashion, Gabby Sidibe, Humor, Links, Magazines, Meta, Movies, NSFW, Race & Ethnicity, Sex & Romance | 23 Comments »

It’s Feel Good Friday, and as such, I’m going to throw out some links to a few things on the Internet I read this week with pleasure. I already recommended this on Twitter, but Roger Ebert’s essay about no longer being able to eat or drink is fantastic. The man is a national treasure. (Via.) […]

Filed under: Celebrities, Feel Good Friday, Feminism, Movies, Question, Race & Ethnicity, TV | 9 Comments »

I’ve been alternately sick, or busy, or sick and busy. In the meantime, here are some things that have been going on lately… In Case You Missed Them! Even though you most likely didn’t. 1. Shapely Prose leaves the Fatosphere! As we’ve tried saying a gazillion times, [Shapely Prose] is not the movement. It is […]

Filed under: Art, Celebrities, Fatism, Gabby Sidibe, Kids, Links, Meta, Movies, Race & Ethnicity | 16 Comments »

One of my students first told me about People of Walmart, and even though my first reaction was that making fun of working class people is kind of not cool, a lot of my students insisted that no, it was funny, and I should check it out. Indeed, makes fun of lots of people, such […]

Filed under: Fashion, Fatism, Feminism, Humor, Question, Race & Ethnicity | 66 Comments »

Catching up on my blog reading, I ran across the discussion on binge eating over at The F Word. First, Rachel quotes this article, where Matthew Tiemeyer says: Here’s something I hadn’t thought about before. The definition of binge-eating disorder (BED) says that binges involve eating more food than most people would expect you to […]

Filed under: Advocacy, Eating Disorders, Food, Race & Ethnicity | 18 Comments »

Not only did someone write that on Helen Hodges’ receipt, they then handed it to her when the transaction was finished. Here’s the story: Hodges, 31, bought $10 worth of gas in an automated cash transaction at the pump island but assigned the money to the wrong pump. When Hodges went inside the store to […]

Filed under: Cold Hard Cash, Fatism, Question, Race & Ethnicity | 36 Comments »

So are you guys watching Glee? The awesome, Jane-Lynch-starring, musical-theater-celebrating, football-team-singing-Single-Ladies-scene-having, Glee? Which is on tonight? If so, then you have noticed Amber Riley, who plays Mercedes, and is a plus-sized chick. Check out this post about her from All My Jiggly Bits. Though in many ways the characters fall into the same old categories […]

Filed under: Celebrities, Glee, Music, Race & Ethnicity, Theater, TV, Video | 26 Comments »

Sometimes, conversations about weight can pop up in unlikely places. Amy V. alerted us to this post at The Simple Dollar, a blog about personal finance, in response to a reader comment. Being fat is voluntary. People make a choice to eat unhealthy and not excercise. Therefore, it should never be covered by the Americans […]

Filed under: Cold Hard Cash, Fatism, Feminism, Health, Race & Ethnicity | 17 Comments »

The Gruen Transfer is an Australian show about advertising which dissects and analyzes the affects of advertising on the average human brain. As part of their show, they frequently issue challenges to agencies–create This Kind of advertisement. Sell this seemingly impossible-to-sell idea. This time around, it was make an ad about fat discrimination. One entrant […]

Filed under: Advertising, Advocacy, Fatism, International, Media, NSFW, Politics, Question, Race & Ethnicity, TV, Video, Weight Loss | 26 Comments »

In the comments, Liv pointed me to this article, which asks, “Is Fatism the New Racism?” Leaving aside all the implications of equating those two very different issues, the article’s point is to ask whether discrimination against the obese should be protected by law. The study shows that overweight women are twice as vulnerable as […]

Filed under: Advocacy, Fatism, Race & Ethnicity, Work | 32 Comments »

Now that Big Love is off the air, those of you lucky people with HBO will need something else to watch to pass the time. Well, as Entertainment Weekly reminded me, this week is the premiere of the TV series version of The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series. I can’t wait to hear what […]

Filed under: Books, Celebrities, Fat Positive, Feel Good Friday, International, Jill Scott, Magazines, Race & Ethnicity, TV, Video | 10 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 »

Nonk was telling me about this Consumerist article last night, and I almost fell over. A woman named Amanda went to Macy’s and tried to buy a formal dress in a plus size. And here’s what she was allegedly told: Pam: I’m sorry, ma’am. Macy’s does not cater to your size. Me: I beg your […]

Filed under: Fashion, Fatism, Race & Ethnicity, Work | 65 Comments »

A story from India, about a 22-year-old woman who killed herself because she was too “obese” to be a good wife. A 22-year-old software professional hanged herself today, apparently depressed that she wouldn’t be a good wife because she was obese. Swati A., a resident of Amberpet, was set to marry a relative. She was […]

Filed under: Fatism, International, Race & Ethnicity | 38 Comments »

Something that we haven’t talked about yet—but which others have, of course—is the proposed increase in health insurance costs in Alabama, directed at the overweight. That is, you have one year to get “healthy” and if you fail, you have to pay an extra $25 per month in health insurance. From Wallet Pop: So, what’s […]

Filed under: Cold Hard Cash, Exercise, Fatism, Health, Race & Ethnicity, Weight Loss, Work | 21 Comments »

I read blogs daily, and bookmark a lot of links for you guys, but don’t always manage to write about everything. So this week I’m going to try a little links roundup… in case you missed it. First up, Fatly Yours, about the idea that size-acceptance blogs are just “fat people sitting around making excuses”: […]

Filed under: Advocacy, Books, Fashion, Fat Positive, Fatism, Feminism, Links, Meta, Project Runway, Race & Ethnicity, TV | 4 Comments »

Language is power. Which is why this Utne Reader story is so fascinating. [T]he language we use to describe fat people smacks of race, class, and gender stereotypes. More euphemistic words for fat are used to describe those in higher-paying professions… [A] Google search for “portly” resulted in descriptions of doctors, lawyers, and professors, but […]

Filed under: Advocacy, Fatism, Feminism, Race & Ethnicity | 17 Comments »

hyacinth hippo Originally uploaded by mo pie Those of you out there who have seen Fantasia and who fondly remember the hippo ballet sequence might appreciate this rare glimpse into the history of Disney animation: photos of actress Hattie Noel, who was the live action reference for Hyacinth Hippo in the film. I don’t know […]

Filed under: Art, Fat Positive, Fatism, Movies, Question, Race & Ethnicity, Theater, Video | 17 Comments »

It’s a hit song and dance on the Ivory Coast, and it’s all about shaking… well, your bobaraba. While the dance has been embraced by both sexes, DJ Mix says it was inspired by women. “We made it as a tribute to women, because African women are defined by the shape of their bottoms,” he […]

Filed under: Fat Positive, International, Music, Race & Ethnicity, Video | 5 Comments »