What’s the Big Fat Deal?
Big Fat Deal began in 2004, when mo pie asked, “Is there a weblog out there that focuses on the portrayal of weight in pop culture? Both positive and negative? Because I think we need one. I think we need one so much that I will start one, if one does not exist.” And so Big Fat Deal was born: a blog to help navigate those murky waters of body image, size, healthiness, hottyness, and Star Jones. In the comments here, we try to define who we are: a body positivity blog that is inclusive to people losing weight and people happy to be whatever weight they happen to be. Here is a manifesto of sorts where I talk about this approach in more detail.
With her collaborator Weetabix, mo pie tries to keep tabs on issues of weight in the media, pop culture, and society. Big Fat Deal is, first and foremost, a community. The thoughtful people who read, comment, and send in tips keep this site going. Here’s a place for you to introduce yourself, if you’d care to. And here is our Flickr photo group–you’re beautiful, you know. Please add your picture. We hope you like it here, you gorgeous thing, you.
mo pie - The link in the comment above points to your WordPress login page, not to the post. Thought you’d like to know so you can fix it!
[...] heros on this issue are mo pie, anne and weetabix over on Big Fat Deal. They have the best news on what is going on these [...]
Hey, I just found this site and am sad that I didn’t find it sooner!
love
First they went after the Communists, and I did not stand up, because I was not a Communist. Then they went after the homosexuals and infirm, and I did not stand up, because I was neither. Then they went after the Jews, and I did not stand up, because I was not a Jew. Then they went after the Catholics, and I did not stand up, because I was Protestant. Finally, they went after me, and there was no one left to stand up for me.
Hello! my name is Mickie aka mickariah and I’ve just recently found your blog and I’ve enjoyed it very much! I particularly love your logo!
I’m starting a fat freedom resource site and I’ve added your blog to my pages blogroll. (This of course in the assumption that you wouldn’t mind.) But, I thought it would be right to ask your permission. The site is still very new and is being updated and added to often. Go, check it out and if you would like me to remove your link, let me know. If I get no response from you I guess I’ll just have to assume I’ve earned your blessing which of course would be quite a thrilling accomplishment for me. Thank you for your time.
M.
Ha! it might be nice if I gave you the link to my site! http://www.mickieblog.com!
I do not know where else to submit this, so here goes:
Please listen to this report http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15912659
aired on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, last weekend. Understand—Scott Simon is usually a fantastic host. I found myself with my jaw agape as I listened to the introduction and report. So I emailed. Here is how our ‘conversation’ went:
“Dear Scott Simon, whom I usually love and admire:
Come on. Could you have sounded more offensive in the Nimoy piece? Going where no man has gone before? Do you not know that more than half of American women are a size 14 or larger? That is not Plus-size model size, which is usually a 10 or 12. Please do not act as if it is newsworthy that a fat woman is happy, has fun, and even (how dare she) locks eyed with the camera. I am so disappointed at how that conversation went–after expressing your surprise at their confidence and even beauty–but all of us fatties are getting our comeuppance–being fat leads to cancer. Whew. What a relief. Fatness is the last acceptable recipients of prejudice. I just didn’t think I would hear it from you and NPR.
Thank you.”
His response (which was rapid—within a half hour of my email)
“Thank you for your note. I thought my introduction made it pretty clear that the women featured in Mr Nimoy’s book are not plus-sized models, not merely Rubenesque, but of several sizes beyond that. We even chanced to use the word obese, which is usually confined to stories about snacking children.
I certainly was not looking to add to or somehow burnish the bigotry with which I know large people have to contend with from society, and I thought that Mr Nimoy was eloquent on that score. But when a significant study comes out the very same week that ties obesity to cancer, it is simply irresponsible to overlook that. We can’t pretend that the study didn’t appear, especially when one of the women of the book died of cancer before publication.
I also think both Mr Nimoy and I noted the health concerns for women, including models, who starve themselves to look a certain way; altering that harm such an image does is one of the reasons he chose to do this book. But when the deadline comes, we are in the news business. At some point, preserving individual sensitivities are less important that recognizing the news.
With thanks,
Scott Simon”
And here is my response:
“Hello, and thank you for your prompt response.
I appreciate what you are saying about the connection between obesity and cancer, but I fail to see how it is related to a book of photos of fat people. If we were showing old photos of celebrities in movies with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths, would you take the time to note how many died of lung cancer?
I guess it saddened me to hear you so shocked that fat women could be perceived as beautiful, and not something to be gawked at like an exhibit at the zoo. Believe me, I am not a “fat power” person. I believe that most overweight women, no matter how much they protest their happiness, would prefer to be a lighter weight. I have seen these photos by Mr. Nimoy. Yes, they are obese, but if you look at statistics, a woman who is 5′8″ and 200 pounds is obese. Did you see last week’s People magazine with Queen Latifah on the cover? She is obese. She is, as she put it, in the 200s. When you use the word obese as a defense, you make it sound as if you are talking about the people who are bedridden and need to be removed from their homes with construction equipment.
The reality is, there are many obese people out there, and many of them are beautiful. There is something innately beautiful in the human form, happy, and dancing. To me, Mr. Nimoy’s book should be generating publicity for something many of us have known to be true for some time.
Thank you. “
And finally, his next email:
“In fact, I think that most every time we have done something about 40’s movie star photos, we’ve noted that having cigarettes dangling from their mouths would be unthinkable in a publicity photo these days.
I don’t know why you are so sure that I sounded shocked that far women could be perceived as beautiful. I am not shocked at all. But I am also not naïve about the fact that books like Mr Nimoy’s are considered unusual; I doubt there are enough for their own section in any bookstore or library. In fact, I gather that this is his point. He didn’t do a book of nudes which includes a few large women, some skinny ones, and several with amputated limbs. He did a book with large women, period. I do think Mr Nimoy’s book is generating the kind of publicity you suggest, and I imagine that our book is helping that along. But to repeat, we simply can’t pretend that the cancer study that appeared this week didn’t appear, especially when one of the women in the book just died of cancer.
With best wishes,
Scott Simon”
What do you all think? Was I PMS (I was) and too harsh on him? What do you think about the set-up and interview? Thanks–I love your site and read it regularly.
[...] am just going to reprint heatherbelly’s comment, because I think it’s worthy of discussion and I’m so glad she shared it! Please listen [...]
[...] am just going to reprint heatherbelly’s comment, because I think it’s worthy of discussion and I’m so glad she shared it! Please listen [...]
I’d like to post some words from Fight Club, because the fight is with acceptance and ourselves. We are at wars with ourselves. Settle the internal struggle. Change your world, Change the world. Just an idea…
And you open the door and you step inside
We’re inside our hearts
Now imagine your pain as a white ball of healing light
That’s right, your pain
The pain itself is a white ball of healing light
I don’t think so
…
You are not your bank account
You are not the clothes you wear
You are not the contents of your wallet
You are not your bowel cancer
You are not your grande latte
You are not the car you drive
You are not your fucking khaki’s
You have to give up, you have to give up
You have to realize that someday you will die
Until you know that, you are useless
I say let me never be complete
I say may I never be content
I say deliver me from Swedish furniture
I say deliver me from clever arts
I say deliver me from clear skin and perfect teeth
I say you have to give up
I say evolve, and let the chips fall where they may
This is your life, this is your life, this is your life, this is your life
Doesn’t get any better than this
This is your life, this is your life, this is your life, this is your life
And it and it’s ending one-minute at a time
You have to give up, you have to give up
I want you to hit me as hard as you can
I want you to hit me as hard as you can
Welcome to Fight Club
If this is your first night, you have to fight
FYI…I don’t know if you guys realized but you have some spam comments above…close to the top.
:-)
ps love the blog!
[...] heros on this issue are mo pie, anne and weetabix over on Big Fat Deal. They have the best news on what is going on these [...]
Just wanted you to know that a friend of mine emailed me that her doctor told her she’s 40 pounds overweight and suggested BYPASS SURGERY. No, I’m not kidding. 40 pounds overweight according to the BMI, a normal 50 year old woman with a normal 50 year old body being told to have drastic, unsafe unsurgery. Hey, unsafe surgery is FAR better to the medical community than a thick abdomen, right? Grrrrrr.
[...] While formulating this post, I have become aware of something called the FA movement. These are people like me, people who are healthy but are not thin. They have taken ownership of the word ‘fat’ and thus, made it less of an insult. Why? Because insulting a person to become better one has never worked. If the person actually makes adjustments to avoid the insults, they usually end up bitter (ex: the Skinny B***h Syndrome). Some of my sites of the moment are Shapely Prose, Celebration of Curves, and Big Fat Deal. [...]
this is a fantastic site. i’m a 30 yo zaftig filipina, living fat in a very, very thin-loving society and it’s taken a toll on me. i am on a very painful journey to body acceptance, but i can’t get out of the starting blocks!
i am so glad to have found this site.
Thought you might find this article “Fired for Being Too Fat?” of interest http://www.krdo.com/Global/story.asp?S=8362936&Call=Email&Format=HTML
I was wondering if you and your readers have any tips for making flying more comfortable for bigger folks. I weigh ~300 pounds and just had a MISERABLE 5 hour flight in economy. Does “economy plus” make a difference? Buy a second seat? HELP!
[...] Big Fat Deal meet-up, hosted by Monique, was a lively session that included mimosas! Big Fat Deal is a “size acceptance” website that [...]
Hello..Just wanted to leave a tip for flying more comfortably on an airplane. I came up with this one myself and it has helped me through very long flights! Bring a jacket with you. Once seated, use your jacket as if it were a blanket, except tuck in the front panels under each arm (tightly)- this will hold your arms in snuggly against your body and you won’t have to worry about taking up the space of the seat next to you. Your jacket will cocoon you and this is excellent for sleeping on long trips! Enjoy!
Here’s a gotcha for you.
I’m a middle aged man, mid-to-late 30’s.
My LDL is in the 80’s, my HDL is above 60, which is considered optimal. My Resting blood-pressure is 123/76, my resting pulse is around 70.
I do 3-4 miles a day on the treadmill, feel great, and can still sprint up four flights of stairs without wheezing too badly at the top.
I’m also pushing 300#. Go figure. I could look better, but generally happy with who I am (until someone comments on it, at which point I can get a little self-concious about it)
The irony is that *I* can’t get health insurance. While some 135# rail-thin guy whose heart is about to give because his BP is 160/100 can.
The world isn’t fair.
I’m completely about fat acceptance. I don’t recommend anyone go under gastric bypass surgery. And i believe that the reason 65% of americans are plus size is because our food is being tainted with chemicals from the drug companies. The same companies who are then selling us weight loss supplements. I think it’s a crock of sh..t. Anyway, i started to eat organic only. And im going to a nutritional response testing councelor in PA. She’s helping me get healthy and feel better. Its more about health to me then about weight issues. I want to be able to feel more energetic. anyway..i highly recommend anyone to do nutritional response testing. I’m feeling much better and it’s only been 3 weeks. Good luck to all of you!
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