The founder and showrunner of BFD, Monique “mo pie” van den Berg, has been writing online since the dark ages of the internet, mostly at mopie.com. She has a book blog, a Twitter account, 1/2 of an American Idol blog, and 1/5 of a podcast.
She is a college English teacher who likes pop culture, feminism, and good grammar. She lives in the East Bay of northern California with her husband, her parakeets, her stepdog, and a bunch of hippies. She enjoys pie.
All questions, comments, tips, compliments, and free stuff can be directed to piegirl(at)gmail(dotcom).
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Hey mo pie,
I received a catalog a few weeks ago that I wanted to let you know about. It’s for a company called Athleta – they make fitness wear for women. Usually I just toss these magazines in the recycling pile, but I ended up flipping through this one and I’m glad I did. They have a decent selection for plus-sized clothing. I almost did a happy dance when I saw this because I hardly ever see plus-sizes in women’s fitness clothing catalogs (because fat women don’t exercise or hike or take a yoga class or anything).
Anyway, the selection isn’t huge and the sizes don’t go up very high, but it is a step in the right direction.
Here’s the site: http://www.athleta.com/jump.jsp?itemID=0&itemType=HOME_PAGE
They also have a selection of clothing for Tall women too.
I just thought the readers of your blog might be interested.
Thanks,
Lisa
You should check out Bellies are Beautiful.com, it’s a body positive website. I think your readers would really enjoy it, I do! ;)
I’m trying to reach Monique. Have I found her?
Sarah Jessica Parker’s new clothing line, Bitten, goes up to size 22! http://www.bittensjp.com
Check this out:
Mo’Nique’s fabulous show promo and another blog’s commentary:
http://www.stereohyped.com/monique/fat-chance-youll-ever-see-me-in-body-paint-20070711/
Hey mo pie,
I’ve been reading BFD for a few weeks now and thought you might like to see this (or not):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/6935127.stm
I’d be interested in your take on this in light of other posts you’ve written.
Thanks!
-Sarah
Congrats on your NUPTIALS! Update your profile you MARRIED woman YOU!
Any thoughts on Biggest Loser? I personally hate how they promote “fat” stereotypes …i.e. you are fat therefore you MUST eat LOTS of junk food and fast food. Also, I wanted to kick Kim the trainer in the teeth when at the 1st weigh-in she commented “I hate how they have let themselves go”. And don’t even get me started on the product placement — chew “Extra” gum instead of snacking — its the answer to all your URGES to chew. But, the show’s not all bad as it does motivate the contestants to lose weight….I guess.
Hey there — just wanted to thank you for the Booze Cruise shout-out. Your generosity and kind words are much appreciated, and I’m glad to have found your blog, as well. Cheers to you both!
I’m not going to have some reporters pawing through our papers We are the president — Hillary Clinton
MO PIE, HERE IN AUSTRALIA DOVE IS RUNNING THE “CAMPAIGN FOR REAL BEAUTY, DO U GUYS HAVE IT THERE, AND WHAT R UR THOUGHTS, IT’S GROWING HERE AND THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE A GOOD TOPIC 4 UR BLOG, CHEERS, RAVEN XX PS STILL HAVEN’T GOTTEN ROUND TO THE FULL BODY SHOT, BUSY WERKING ON CRAZY LADY PAPER MACHE MOVIE AT THE MOMENT, WILL TRY TO FIT IT IN ON THE WEEKEND, CIAOS AND I LOVE READING YA XX
Hi Mo,
I was flipping around the Internet yesterday and ran across this posting on Diet Blog:
http://www.diet-blog.com/archives/2007/11/01/what_if_art_imitated_life.php
In the comments, people are slamming the figurines but I think they are pretty cool and I’ll be looking for them. Thought you might like to comment???!?!! :)
Lynette
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I’d like to bring this to your attention.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-skinny30nov30,1,6918449.story
I watched the documentary over the weekend (available on BBC-America On Demand), and it’s very interesting.
Thanks for the great blog- I’ve been reading weetabix for years now already :) I also read medical blogs – and stumbled on this:
http://docsontheweb.blogspot.com/2007/12/naked-fat-and-dead.html
Comments?
ok Im panicking a bit that this is the wrong place :) but couldnt find an email and didnt wanna comment this as it would appear I was pimping MY site.
just wanted to say how amazingfantastic you are.
truly.
Linking to you this friday as you trigger the most interesting insightful and lively conversations.
Carla Birnberg
http://www.MizFitOnline.com
Mo, couldn’t figure out how to e-mail you, but I thought you should know that Paul Campos mentioned this blog in his latest piece in the Rocky Mountain News.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/feb/27/campos-the-weight-of-a-cruel-culture/
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Hey, just came across this article on Xanga and knew I should share it with you: http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article3728149.ece
Not only does it show a fat naked woman, but it also contains a brief history of obesity in art.
I’m slightly disturbed, though, by this quote from the article:
At 20 stone she seemed an unlikely choice of muse for an artist, but Freud has spoken of his “predilection towards people of unusual or strange proportions”. Referring to the woman he affectionately calls “Big Sue”, he said that he was “very aware of all kinds of spectacular things to do with her size, like amazing craters and things one’s never seen before”.
Women of the size in Freud’s painting are more common than he’d like to think. And “amazing craters”? Uh, what?
And here’s another one: http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,23527630-5007190,00.html
It’s about a 17-year-old girl who slimmed down from a size 18 to a 14 and as a result has been signed as a plus-size model. The comments after the article are surprisingly positive as far as body size goes.
btw, I’m totally tired and didn’t look over that comment I just submitted. And now I look like I have no grammar or spelling skills. Oh well.
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OK mopie, I’ve got the message.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7404268.stm
This just in: Obese people are the cause of rising fuel prices, rising food prices, and starving children.
From the Associated Press:
LOS ANGELES (AP) — In the impoverished neighborhood of South Los Angeles, fast food is the easiest cuisine to find — and that’s a problem for elected officials who see it as an unhealthy source of calories and cholesterol.
The City Council was poised to vote Tuesday on a moratorium on new fast-food restaurants in a swath of the city where a proliferation of such eateries goes hand-in-hand with obesity.
“Our communities have an extreme shortage of quality foods,” City Councilman Bernard Parks said.
The aim of the yearlong moratorium, which was approved last week in committee, is to give the city time to try to attract restaurants that serve healthier food.
The California Restaurant Association says the moratorium, which could be extended up to two years, is misguided.
Fast food “is the only industry that wants to be in South LA,” said association spokesman Andrew Casana. “Sit-down restaurants don’t want to go in. If they did, they’d be there. This moratorium isn’t going to help them relocate.”
The proposed ban comes at a time when governments of all levels are increasingly viewing menus as a matter of public health. Last Friday, California became the first state in the nation to bar trans fats, which lowers levels of good cholesterol and increases bad cholesterol.
It also comes as the Los Angeles City Council tackles issues beyond safety, schools and streets. The council last week decided to outlaw plastic bags.
Fast-food restaurants have found themselves in the frying pan in a number of cities. Some places, including Carmel-by-the Sea and Calistoga, have barred “formula” restaurants altogether; others have placed a cap on them — Arcata allows a maximum of nine fast-food eateries; others have prohibited the restaurants in certain areas, such as Port Jefferson, N.Y., in its waterfront area.
Most initiatives were designed to preserve a city’s historic character. The Los Angeles bid is one of few that cite residents’ health.
The mounting pressure has caused chains to insert healthier food choices in their menus. McDonalds offers salads and low-fat dressings; Burger King stocks Kids Meals with milk and apple pieces.
That’s why the restaurant industry says it’s unfair to blame them for fat people.
“What’s next — security guards at the door saying ‘You’re overweight, you can’t have a cheeseburger’?” Casana said.
But public health officials say obesity has reached epidemic proportions in low-income areas such as South Los Angeles and diet is the key reason.
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, 30 percent of adults in South Los Angeles area are obese, compared to 19.1 percent for the metropolitan area and 14.1 percent for the affluent westside. Minorities are particularly affected: 28.7 percent of Latinos and 27.7 percent of blacks are obese, compared to 16.6 percent of whites.
Perry says that’s no accident. South LA residents lack healthy food options, including grocery stores, fresh produce markets — and full-service restaurants with wait staff and food prepared to order.
A report by the Community Health Councils found 73 percent of South L.A. restaurants were fast food, compared to 42 percent in West Los Angeles.
If the moratorium is passed, Perry wants to lure restaurateurs and grocery retailers to area.
Rebeca Torres, a South Los Angeles mother of four, said she would welcome more dining choices, even if she had to pay a little more. “They should have better things for children,” she said. “This fast-food really fattens them up.”
Mo…
i think you guys are magical creatures that I want to encrust with rhinestones and stick to the cover of a glittery golden trapper keeper where I keep all my secret dreams and fantasies!
I’m a plus model turned musician…I used to be in the Glamazons and left to start my own original fat pop music revolution called +plushus!!! come over and say hi! grace me with your ‘unique visitor hit’…I’ll be linking to your blog a lot…I hope we meet someday and dance in unison…some dance we learned in our sleep to a song we never heard before but know all the words to!
love
nati
Hi, I wanted to share this group with you. Sirenia features a plus size lead singer who is quite beautiful and gets to wear the nicest clothes. Anyways I thought you might like to do a story about her.
I was really annoyed with the you tube comments on the last link
“Omg so fat and ugly..butterface…” Wtf is a butterface? Anyways they rock and she is excellent!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njPWBTIv9qw&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deK_KXkSLkM&feature=related
Monique,
Looking forward to meeting you this weekend in Chicago. Bring a jacket, it’s supposed to be cold! Ha.
Sheila
http://www.livewell360.com
Monique,
Looking forward to meeting you this weekend in Chicago. Bring a jacket, it’s supposed to be cold! Ha.
Sheila
http://www.livewell360.com
Can you please do a story on the show “Ruby” that is being showing on the Style network? I would like to get your take on it. Thank you!
Hi, I’m 14 & I basically hate everything about myself. I feel like everyone is staring at me and is thinking “Wow, she is so ewww!”. I don’t know what to do anymore. All of my friends say I’m pretty, but I can’t bring myself to believe them. I’m somewhere near 160-165 lbs. usually.I don’t know what to do anymore. I really need some help. If anybody wants to help me, I’d be really happy that you did. Please, help?!(Yes this is on another page, but I really need some answers!)
Hi Mo,
A friend (who is also into FA) and I have started our own blog. If you’d like to check it out…we’re at http://angrygrayrainbows.wordpress.com/
We’re new to the blogging thing, so be kind. But we’d love challenges, thoughts, etc… and you bet I’ll still be stopping by BFD on a regular basis.
Hey, I was wondering if you saw the two day special Oprah had on this week about fat teens? I found the whole thing very upsetting. Not only did she decide to ‘help’ these teens confront their emotional issues on national television, the whole thing was a fat shaming event. It went along with Oprah’s whole focus-on-fat-not-on-health perspective, since all of the teens progress would be judged solely on the amount of weight they lost, not on their overall improvement of health. In fact, it didn’t seem to take a lot of stock on if the teens were healthy or not at all, it was just assumed they weren’t, especially in the first episode.
I think the worst part was when a few of the teens were talking about being teased and it seemed as if Oprah and her guests were saying that the only option to stop their pain was NOT to confront the people causing it, but to lose weight! Like it was their fault they were being teased (“Well, if you weren’t fat to begin with…”) Being an fat teen myself, it really kind of hit me how biased the show was.
I was just wondering if you had seen or heard about it, and if maybe you could write about it and give it your take?
I’ve never blogged or written on a blog and I’d imagine that this is not even the section to post to if I had a question. But since I do not know where to post it and this has really been bothering me, I thought I’d throw it out here and just see what happened.
I am 5’6″ and 112 lbs. I have a small bone structure and a really high metabolism. I have been skinny my whole life, and I am a “ruler body shape” meaning it’s hard for me to gain weight or build muscle, and I have pretty much 0 curves (My chest and my waist are 1 in. apart in their measurements.:( ) and I HATE it.
My best friend is very curvy and has really nice legs and a butt and chest and her body builds really nice muscle when she works out. She says she feels like a hippo, but every time I look at her body, I feel sick to my stomach about my own and would give anything to have some of her curves.
I feel like a 12 yr. old boy. I never wear shorts or anything tight b/c I feel so insecure about how unshapely I am. and I refuse to wear swimsuits. I haven’t even owned a swimsuit since I was 12 years old. (I am 24 now.) There have even been points in my life where people have asked if I have an eating disorder b/c of skinny I am. But I eat at least 3 meals a day (usually more) and often times a lot of junk food. I almost never workout. and I’ve been at the same weight since I was a freshman in highschool.
I know this probably sounds really stupid, but I’ve seriously burst out crying in my car in the middle of the day just thinking about it. From my perspective, it seems like the people with some kind of curves are perceived to be most beautiful. Celebrities for instance, i know they’re typically not overweight but you look at who gets voted for the best body or best legs or best butt, and you will almost never see someone who is built like I am. I know; I’ve done research on it. Also, you see all these women who get chest implants b/c they don’t want to be flat. Because the curves are considered womanly and beautiful and desirable.
Today I typed into my search engine, “can you be skinny and beautiful?” and came across this site. I know that most people are struggling in the reverse direction on here, so maybe this is the wrong place to post this. But, again, I thought I’d try anyway to see if anyone had any perspective on this.
Can you be a 24 year old female who is built like a 12 year old boy and have a beautiful body? It seems impossible b/c you don’t really have much of a body to begin with. I just don’t know what to do or what to think. Maybe someone has thoughts or suggestions?
Alyssa: I’m not a writer but someone who reads the blog, but I hope my words can help.
I do believe that you can be “skinny” and still be beautiful. You can be fat, skinny, in-between, dark, fair, green-eyed, brown-eyed, blonde, red-headed, or pink-headed and be beautiful. Women should realise they’re perfectly fine being themselves.
What the media gives is very cookie-cutter. Yes, curves are desirable, but remember that the way these celebrity women got those curves are unattainable by the majority of us. It’s near impossible to have low body fat while keeping the fat in your mammaries – so there’s no way any of us can do it naturally. There’s also fat women who don’t have big bosoms – it’s all in the genes. A lot of us aren’t the “sought-after” hourglass but an apple or pear shape.
One of my best friends body is similar to yours, albeit shorter (4′ 11″). She often talks about how she hates being skinny – sometimes, I look at her and feel like her bodily discomfort is the same as mine. People think I’m incompetent or “not date material” because of my weight. People underestimate my friend and think she’s easy to push around because she’s so small, when she’s a total firecracker.
If I hate suggestions, I’d tell you to do it in baby steps. Appreciate your body, like what it can do. How you can do so many things with it – ride a bike, go for a swim, read a book, paint a picture. Simple things like that. Realise that what you have is amazing. Realise that the body you have is unique, and the way you want to dress it can be unique too. You can define your own definition of beauty – not let some magazine tell you what you should look like. Working from the inside out.
Doing some exercise can help too. Try to find something that makes you go YAYFUN! – for me, it’s swimming and walking dogs. Start out slow, and do it in moderation. Exercise has been shown to help people with depression – and while I don’t know your medical history, it’s well know that doing some activity is good for you.
Last and not least, don’t focus on the weight. Numbers – whether weight, sizes or inches – don’t dictate whether you are beautiful or not.
<3 Hope it helps :)
(Different Alyssa here)
I just want to second what Kari has written (and she says it much more eloquently than I could).
When it comes to “beautiful” I always think of a time when I was refusing to walk around in a tank top at the beach because I hated my fat arms, so I was wearing layers in the sun in July, and I made a disparaging comment about someone in a bikini and my best friend just turned to me and said, “Well, everyone’s body is sacred and beautiful” which led to a long conversation, and me taking off my jacket.
As for that other aspect of beauty -desirability- again, some advice I received from someone wiser than I, my sister, is that everyone is the physical “ideal” for someone. I know many men who love plus size women and I know many men who adore “ruler” shaped girls.
Alyssa-
it breaks my heart a little to hear you talk about your body that way. i feel like women-not all of us, but a lot of us-have spent so much time hating our bodies because we are told that’s the ‘right’ thing to do. we could be doing so many other things! i’m so sorry you’ve felt so ‘un-beautiful’, because i am sure you are absolutely gorgeous. i really hope you will be able to see that one day.
i hope it will let me post this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFmVj5BXCxM
because i think it’s a great example of how we are each beautiful in our own way, and while we may spend hours and years hating some aspect of ourselves, someone else finds that part of us perfect and enviable.
good luck on your journey!
Hi.
I’m not sure if this is where I can eave something like this, but, here goes:
I’m a 17 teen year old, 5’8″ girl and i weigh almost 250lbs. I try diets, exercise, I’ve even gone so far as to get diet pills. I know it’s ok to be Bigger, but I feel too big. my arms, stomach, & thighs are huge, & they have weird strech marks on them, but I have small breasts compared to my body. How can I see myself as beautiful? I don’t know what to do. I just don’t. I feel so ugly. Even when people tell me I’m cute, I feel ugly. I had a boyfriend dump me because He thought I was too ugly naked to even make love to…I don’t know what to do…I don’t even know what I’m asking for….
I made a documentary about the blessings and curses of being a beautiful woman and learned 2 important things: 1) the definition of “beautiful” in real life is more varied than the definition portrayed by the media. See http://beautydocumentary.com/news.php?extend.10.2. 2) Being physically “beautiful” is not what it’s cracked up to be. See http://beautydocumentary.com/news.php?extend.17.3. All our body image problems are in our heads and the media likes to control what’s in our heads to make money. We need to learn about perceptions in real life rather than in the media.
http://www.citizensugar.com/1522170
That you might be interested in that.
As a guy who has dated a girl of everybody type, i want you to know that you CAN be skinny and beautiful. My former girlfriend,(we broke up on mutual terms and are still friends) was very skinny. 5′,3″, 95lbs. She was a generally small girl. She had a bust of 29A. I found her body very sexy and beautiful. She was also very insecure of about herself, and i spend the entire relationship boosting her ego about how beautiful she was. She was a good religious girl, and we abstained for the 13months we dated. i am proud to this day of my restraint. I was never once trying to “get in her pants.” I was trying to give her the same image of herself that i saw: Beautiful.
thank god that their are others out there like me! for many years i’ve put up with family and friends giving me the ol’ “gosh ur too thin” look ! it wasn’t like i never ate…and they would make comments about that as well..”stop eating so much,or ur eating too many different things, you’ll make yourself sick”! it was a no winn situation for me,so i continued eating and remained my normal 98lbs. but my god as soon as i put on 10lbs. i was accused of being pregnant! thanks guys, and sorry i can’t be as perfect as you. i was always happy, and i think im also pretty, despite like most people.. i have a few flaws. over the years my weight has bounced around in the same range and i know its due to stress, but im happy. im even happier now that i’ve spoken my mind and told many so called friends to take a long look in the mirror and think about some of the things i might say to them (if i was as half as evil a friend as they were to me) ! they’re not happy with themselves, and were to self absorbd trying to fix me just like the rest of the world, and that sucks for us all.. big or little.. we r all beautiful!!! im 38yrs.,and 100lbs full of life,and HAPPY being me! go girl
Is fat now a legal defense? Check out http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TOO_FAT_TO_KILL?SITE=MOCOD&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT
Mo Pie,
I want to thank you for posting a link to our webcomic. Getting to read the comments from that post was really inspiring for us. The whole thing left Genny and I with permanent goofy and deranged smiles plastered on our faces. There may have even been some squealing involved.
Thank you for making our day (week, month, year…)
Does a link really exist between brain tissue and body mass? Or did I just read a bogus report?
The January 2010 issue of Fitness magazine says: “Obese people have 8 percent less brain tissue than those with a normal BMI, new research reveals.” It then quotes a researcher and neurology professor from UCLA: “Once your brain volume decreases by 10 percent, you begin to show symptoms of Alzheimer’s.”
Although the article implies the researcher discovered this link, it provides no citations to published studies.
I’m struggling to wrap my brain around this one. Any thoughts?
I’m rather inclined to think that it’s yet another way of creating fuss around the obesity (bogus) problem. Nowadays, they just seem to come up with increasingly ridiculous ideas to support the moral panic surrounding fat. Fatties causing global warming and fatties killing mittens were some of the most prominent examples this year.
But I can think of one valid point here. Starving does damage to your brain – and this, unlike this statements you’re referring to, has been scientifically proven. So if anything, I’d rather associate this decrease in brain tissue to the constant dieting, especially very low calorie diets, that are so strongly pushed at the “obese” and “overweight”.
Can I beg for Jenfu do put out another list of good plus size clothing websites? She did one a few years ago (I think it was for EW) that rocked my world and I have a tax refund to burn up!
Sure, Punchy, I’ll pass it on!