It all began with a detailed post by SageAutumn on Livejournal about her showering routine, a “how-to on showering as a big girl.”

Drying off water with a towel when you have baby oil on is SUPER easy, all you have to do is pat dry really. But after that, DRY OFF… lay in front of a fan for about five-ten minutes, and let the air get to all your parts. Eagle-spread, bottom in the air, on each side stretched so the fan hits any creases there and your armpits, on your back with your boobs pulled up… kinda like a rotisserre chicken, only moving slower and pausing.

Commenters discuss what works and what doesn’t work for them, then one commenter adds:

And yes, this IS the first time I have entered into a discussion with anyone about big-girl-grooming. Maybe its something one should cover more often, but I don’t know that many other women.

When I read that, I realized that every woman has her own hygiene routine, and it’s true—we don’t really talk about them. The only other woman’s routine I know is my sister’s. She is thin (FWIW), and her routine involves a lot of shaving, a lot of lotion, and some OCD elements. I personally am a big believer in post-shower baby powder (the kind with cornstarch) and my new favorite discovery, scrubby bath gloves. I also use a lot of towels, since I find damp towels creepy. So there you go: I have my own OCD elements.

Anyway, then The Rotund talked about her routine and some of the larger implications:

In any event, I don’t think fat hygiene is all that different from the hygiene practiced by thin people. What I DO think is that many, many, several fat people are so disconnected from their bodies that taking care of them in that kind of way is not a priority – or they activelly don’t believe they are worth the time and effort or they are so disgusted with their own bodies they actively avoid being naked with themselves…

However, it’s an important topic – one of the coded things that people mean when they say fat is “smelly.” And when people have folds of skin, it can increase the chances of your body smelling different from someone else’s body… This sort of thing is super individual. If you sweat more than I do, you might feel a lot more attached to your deodorant, for example. That’s cool. There is not one right way to do any of this. Also: the value of a person is not dependent on their aroma. Even if you do wind up stinky, you are still a valuable and worthwhile person, okay?

It makes for an interesting and worthwhile discussion, with plenty of frank talk about specific issues fat people tend to have in taking care of their bodies. It can make you feel targeted merely to admit that, yeah, you have more flesh than someone else might have, and therefore need a different care routine. But if living with other women has taught me anything, it’s that we’re all pretty individual and “weird” about our own personal routines. (Suddenly I’m flashing back to Charlotte from Sex and the City, examining her pores for an hour per night in a magnifying mirror.) So what are your thoughts on hygiene? And what’s your routine?

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Personal, Question, TV | 53 Comments »

1. Some reviews of Huge! Or as The Frisky put it, “Fat People Were On TV And, Whaddya Know, The World Didn’t End.”

• Entertainment Weekly
• L.A. Times
• ABC News
• MTV
• STLToday
• New York Times
• The Frisky

2. An awesome 18-year-old spent a month following Seventeen magazine dictates and blogging about it, calling it the Seventeen Magazine Project. Her intent was to draw more attention to the media’s ridiculous perception of women and teens and what they want, and are supposed to want. And now she’s decided to get even louder, putting together a community project called “Hey mainstream media.”

To participate in this project, all that you have to do is take a picture of yourself holding a sign with words finishing the statement, “Hey mainstream media! I am….”

Anyone can participate in this project. That is, anyone that at some point has felt misrepresented by or excluded from mainstream media. This project is NOT just for teens. Are you a black woman? Maybe you’re more than just a sassy best friend character. A straight man? Maybe you’re interested in more than just pictures of naked women. Unlike media, this project does not exclude or alienate any demographic.

You can add photos directly to the Flickr pool to participate. http://www.flickr.com/groups/heymainstreammedia/

3. The headline in this NYT article says it all: Plus-Size Revelation: Bigger Women Have Cash Too.

Corseted into a size 18 white denim dress, wearing heels that made her about 6-foot-2, Gwen DeVoe, a former model and fashion-show producer, stepped onto a runway in Manhattan this week and made a pitch to retailers for the plus-size woman.

Those stores that don’t carry bigger sizes? “Shame on you, baby, shame on you,” Ms. DeVoe said. “Every curvy girl that has a dollar is willing to spend that dollar.”

So retailers are realizing.

Just now? Just now they’re realizing? It feels like they’ve been realizing and poised to take on the plus-size market for about as long as I have been alive. Hey, maybe one day it’ll be a nice, ordinary fact, and not “news.”

4. A little late, but I just ran into this: Full-Figured Fashion Week happened, and it sounds like it was awesome. Sponsorship was up (7 sponsors last year, 35 this year!). My favorite part: how New York Magazine wistfully notes that everyone had a very swell time.

It’s a shame Full Figured Fashion Week has to be so separate from New York’s main Fashion Week. It’s also too bad the main Fashion Week doesn’t have model competitions or fun award ceremonies and a vibe that’s not life-or-death.

Posted by jenfu

Filed under: Cold Hard Cash, Fashion, Fat Positive, Gabby Sidibe, Huge, Magazines, Media, TV | 5 Comments »

One of our most commented posts ever is the “how do strangers treat you?” post linked in the sidebar. It’s been two years, and we keep getting responses that are so thoughtful and represent such a range of experience. I wanted to post some of the recent ones.

First, Becky is mocked in front of her children by a group of men. I think this has happened to all fat women at one time or another:

I just had the most horrible experience. I am 39 and very overweight. I took my children 15 and 11 out for a lovely night out on the town. As i was walking with them 4 gentleman (not) starting laughing and made crude comments out loud so my children and i could hear with regard to my weight. I am so humiliated not just for me but for my children. WHY do these ugly people think its ok to make fun of overweight people like we have no feelings. I know i am fat. My kids know i am fat. Why is it so funny and what do they get out of humilating me and my children?

Anita shares from the unique perspective of a swinger:
Read more…

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Fatism, Feminism, Meta, Question, Sex & Romance | 17 Comments »

When we talked about Huge, a lot of people said they might watch it, so I figured I’d open up a discussion thread for the show! If you’re watching it (or if you watched it already), let us know what you thought!

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Celebrities, Huge, Nikki Blonsky, Tidbit, TV | 23 Comments »

Thanks to Ian (who I’ve been begging to take me to the Harry Potter theme park) and @GinandPopcorn for alerting me to this story: some guests are being turned away from the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride for being unable to fit in the seats.

Universal seems to have anticipated this issue, stationing staff “wizards” and test-seats along the line and at the entrance to Forbidden Journey. Riders test their ability to fit in the seats, as well as the restraint (which must click three times to be deemed safe and for the potential rider to be allowed into the attraction).

Harry Potter fan Jeff Guillaume, who was turned away from the ride, has a good collection of follow-up posts and commentary here.

A lot of the debate I’ve seen is focused on safety, and rightly so. Many rides at many parks around the world use a single-bar restraint system (“lap bars”) for a row of people. One larger passenger will cause the bar to lock much higher than the waists/legs/laps of the smaller guests, presenting a safety and comfort issue.

But that is not the case on single passenger restraint systems, which most modern rides, including Forbidden Journey, employ. These are the over-the-shoulder harnesses or lap bars that lock in place differently for each passenger.

It’s strange to me, because I’ve never had any issues with any of the rides at Disneyland, and they have a whole range of restraint systems, all of which I can fit in with no problem. And I’ve been to Disneyland dozens of times, as well as Disney World in Florida and Eurodisney. I can’t think of a single time my weight was an issue in terms of me enjoying the rides.

I am a huge (HA HA GET IT) Harry Potter fan, and I have been dying to go to the new theme park. But there are only three rides in the theme park, and only one of them is the “signature” ride of the whole park. If the main attraction won’t accommodate fat people, and I might be turned away while I’m waiting in line… why would I want to spend all that money on a vacation that would end in embarrassment and shame and disappointment? I can stay home and be disappointed just the same. And I am.

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Fatism, Harry Potter, Kids | 42 Comments »

An email from the awesome Jezebella (with the subject line above):

I just had to share this Kermit Ruffins video with y’all. When was the last time you saw a pure-D big girl dancing in the background of a music video? I love her joyous dancing – it’s not pornified or anything, just happy fun dancing. I always tell plus-size women up north who are looking for a fat-friendly dating world, they should move down South because Southern men are not all about stick figures.

Anyhoo, I don’t know who this dancer is, but watching her shimmyshake just makes me happy:

I realize it’s approximately, oh, six months too early for this. But it’s half-Christmas! Today! Right now! And the gulf states could use a little love.

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Feel Good Friday, Music, Video | 8 Comments »

1. Stella Ellis, of BettyConfidential.com, put together a story all about how to stay hot when you’re hot (via Shine). It’s a beauty and fashion round-up that’s got a ton of gorgeous dresses I covet, and some very cheering words about being comfortable in your skin and whatever you put on it.

The important thing is that we accept ourselves. When we accept ourselves, the rest of the world will too. Or they won’t – but that will be their problem. Throughout my entire life, I have been a full figured woman. I will never be a size 0, 4, or even a 10, but that does not stop me from looking my best, like Amber Riley from Glee. As the weather heats up, I grab the opportunity to wear sexy clothing, break out my great summer accessories, and flaunt my full hourglass-and-a-half figure in yet another season.

 2. Gabi of Young, Fat, and Fabulous is a finalist in MTV’s Twitter Jockey contest!

As much as I love fashion, I also love social media and popular culture; this is an amazing opportunity, and I truly need all of your support! How great would it be if there was a fashionable, body-positive plus size girl working in mainstream media (and MTV at that)? Plus, if I win, I can guarantee A LOT more outfit posts…can you imagine my wardrobe if I actually had steady income? Man.

The main thing I need you guys to do is FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY (my username is @gabifresh). There will be a series of challenges and you will have to follow me there in order to help! The more followers and interaction I have with you guys, the better. Secondly, PLEASE help spread the word and tell your friends to follow me. Post on your blogs, facebook, twitter pages, youtube channels, or anything else you can think of.

I’m not entirely sure what a “Twitter jockey” is (back in my day, MTV ran videos! And we liked it!), but I know I love the idea of Gabi winning. Go, Gabi, go! Jockey the hell out of that Twitter!

3. Via Salon’s Broadsheet: This is beautiful, very cool, and nerdy, but it also appeals to my sense of comedy: a pin-up calendar featuring ladies so skinny, they’re all bones. Literally. IS THIS WHAT YOU WANT, AMERICA?

Japanese manufacturer Eizo has put together pictorials of 12 skeletons showing off their fibulas, tailbones and rib cages in classic car model poses — and, damn, these skele-girls got femurs for daaays.

4. Fashionista covers a British retailer with a major gimmick for their new swimwear campaign: All of their models are totally unPhotoshopped.  Which sounds awesome–except it’s not like they’re dragging regular women out of bed and throwing them head-first and uncombed into bikinis:

It’s a bit of a stretch to suggest that showcasing clothes on already perfect bodies will make the rest of us any more comfortable with the idea of buying THAT bikini. As in all of the highly hyped makeup-free magazine features we’ve seen (and Britney and Demi’s ‘before’ ad shots), the model is still meticulously made up, lit, styled, toned, etc.
Still, we have to applaud any move that challenges industry-wide assumptions and spurs on conversation.

I think I feel pretty much the same—I still struggle with the idea that these are perfect bodies to which we ought to aspire (obviously a flawed and troubling assumption), but I love that these are real women, not  creepily “perfected” lies forced upon us by a fashion hivemind! Viva la revolucion! In my heart, it’s hope that it’s a start.

Posted by jenfu

Filed under: Advertising, Advocacy, Celebrities, Fashion, Fat Positive, Humor, International, Media, Photoshop | 2 Comments »

It seems we can’t go a month without talking about Meme Roth, but she’s a bit of a media fruit fly and never seems to stop buzzing around the blogosphere. This time, BFD Reader Leslie alerts us that she popped up on the Penn and Teller show “Bullshit!” during a segment investigating fast food. Leslie writes

I was watching it last night and was having a ball! Meme Roth talks a lot of shit in it and the one who speaks, Penn? I forget. Was going off on her! It was pretty good even if at the end (it) kind of stereotypes.

Ms Roth’s argument is that fast food is bad because fat people eat it and it gives them flaccid genitalia. Or maybe the free clip (available after the jump) is edited in an unflattering way to make her sound a little unhinged.

Penn and Teller have a history of tilting at society’s windmills and this is not the first time they’ve been skeptical of the so-called Obesity Epidemic. In their first season, an episode was dedicated to explaining why most diets are major scams (bit of trivia: that episode features longtime diet and WLS blogger Robyn Anderson aka Bitchypoo).

Has anyone seen this episode yet? I’d be curious to hear the rest of Penn’s takedown and also get into the stereotyping that Leslie mentioned. I’m a little afraid of watching this, quite honestly, because like Mopie feels for Ricky Gervais, I have a HUGE weird crush on Penn Jillette and want to believe that someday he will fall madly in love with me. I don’t know if I can handle another Alton Brown-esque denouement.*

Read more…

Posted by Weetabix

Filed under: Advocacy, Celebrities, TV, Video | 13 Comments »

Jenfu sends along a link to bad weight loss advice for women. Such as laugh off the pounds, or chew gum for an hour, or this:

“Try an almond stacked on top of a dried apricot — it tastes like a cookie. Really.”

Um… no. I’m not exactly a foodologist, but I’m pretty sure that this snack would taste like a nut on top of a dried piece of fruit.

Sometimes we get so inundated with this kind of ridiculous advice that we need a reality check. Yes, it’s ridiculous to drink hot lemon water instead of eating. I mean, come on! What are we, Cheerios?

“Sometimes I add a teaspoon of sand.”

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Food, Glee, Humor, Tidbit, TV, Video, Weight Loss | 15 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 does and doesn’t constitute ”real women”. That the bulk of it is a marketing strategy – Dove’s Campaign For Real Beauty, which sold a lot of fake-tanner, is a case in point – appears to have flown over most people’s heads….

In the majority of cases, ”real” is code for ”average” or ”normal”, but perhaps more insidiously, ”anything but skinny”. As Dye’s response has demonstrated, women who – whether by luck or long hours in the gym – more closely resemble media ideals of beauty are not considered ”real”. Slim women such as [model Jennifer] Hawkins are not allowed to be positive body image role models because their bodies don’t look like most women’s.

Thin women are often in a position of privilege, particularly thin white women, and we can’t ignore that. However, the whole “eat a sandwich, I’m a real woman!” dialogue is damaging in its own way. It keeps women running after and policing each other in a little circle of body obsession, while men get to go off and run the world. And that’s why it has to stop.

Thanks to Jenfu for the link!

Posted by mo pie

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

Here’s an email that I got from BFDiva Mary! She found a very cool statue out in the wild:

So, a long while back – I am hoping it was one year, but fear it may be two! – you had a bit of a series on BFD about fat women in art – Venus of Willendorf and others. And since then, I’ve wanted to send you this statue, in the FDR Post Office in Manhattan, at 53rd and 3rd. She’s placed next to the escalator, so it’s hard to get a good picture of her – and this one is from my cell. She’s called “The Big Woman”, and is made of rough pieces patted together into the shape you see.

I love her. She is the big woman, and she’s one of the only female bodies I’ve ever seen that I feel some connection with – the shape reminds me of my own, in terms of certain contours. I don’t know what the artist thought or felt about calling her the “Big Woman”, but it makes me feel she is proud and fierce, and every time I go to the Post Office, she makes me happy. So, I, er, just wanted t o share.

Thanks for the investigative journalism, Mary! Has anyone else seen any good fat art lately?

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Art, Feel Good Friday, Guest Post, Question | 7 Comments »

image via TIME newsfeed

Sometimes, the internet is a rough place–read the comments on almost any high-trafficked news article or blog post or photo, and you run into a vile world of small-minded prejudice and casual hate and discrimination and nasty, slimy minds that seem like they would be best locked away in the dark. So sometimes, I like to remind myself that the world is not all terrible, and the internet is not only for fat-bashing and bad grammar.

For instance: a little while back, a group of Metafilter posters banded together and to literally rescue two very young Russian women from what was probably a white slavery ring.

This past week,  Post Secret showed a postcard from a suicidal illegal alien, musing over her upcoming suicide. The Post Secret readership came together almost immediately:

Within 24 hours, nearly 20,000 people had signed up for a Facebook group titled “please don’t jump,” which was later linked beneath the secret on the Post Secret blog, linking in thousands of supportive comments. On the group’s page, sympathetic users posted comments ranging from simply “I want you here” to “If I knew when you’d be at the bridge, I’d drive all the way from Ohio to meet you there, and hold you until you changed your mind.”

I hope the postcard writer saw this. It’s almost enough to make you believe in people.

Posted by jenfu

Filed under: Feel Good Friday | 4 Comments »

1. We talked about April Flores, the plus-size pinup and adult film star awhile back. She’s in the news again, criticizing the ridiculous American Apparel for their sizing prejudices, and talking about her work, body confidence, and fat prejudice. As if you needed more evidence that she’s both gorgeous and awesome.

I now know that confidence and being a happy, positive person plays a more important role in attraction than body size alone. My main motivation for doing erotic work is to make the statement that fat women can express their sexuality and be sexual beings. I am challenge the norms of what is considered beautiful and sexy. I want people to examine their own ideas of what they consider appealing. For many people beauty does not just come in a size 0.

In related news, this is a very funny take on American Apparel’s “not our demographic” bullshit.

2. Holy crap you guys, it’s the solution we’ve all been waiting for! I love Allie Brosh and her finely tuned sense of the ridiculous.

The Weasel Belt is a revolutionary new product that uses the wonders of weasels to whittle your waist!  Was that egregious alliteration annoying? You bet it was!

Anyway, the Weasel Belt works by attaching a cage-like structure to your abdomen and then releasing several live, rabid weasels into the enclosure.  You don’t even have to do anything!  You just sit there and let the weasels gnaw your love handles away!

3. Speaking of weasels, Julien MacDonald has gone on record with his foot in his mouth, which must have taken some serious flexibility. He says plus-size models aren’t taken seriously, and shouldn’t win a modeling competition. Because he’s an ass.

“There were no plus-size models,” Macdonald reportedly said of [Britain’s Next Top Model].

“This is a serious show. You can’t have a plus-size girl winning — it makes it a joke.

“It’s not fair on them — you’re setting them up for a fall. I know what would happen to them. They are looked down on.”

Because maybe, way too often, still, even after all the “celebration of ‘real women'” fooferah going on in the popular media, plus size models are usually not included in modeling competitions and taken as seriously as smaller-sized models, maybe? WEIRD. Shut up, Julien. Can I call you Julien? Too bad.

4. This was very cool—an interview with a plus-size fashion stylist. She’s got some old chestnuts about “creating proportion” and fear of “adding bulk” and whatnot (maybe she should have a long conversation with the deeply fabulous chestnut-roasting Beth Ditto), but she also has some interesting things to say about the industry, fashion, and even getting into the business.

I hope that as a stylist I can contribute to the plus size fashion industry as an educator, role model, and mentor. I truly enjoy connecting to real women all over the country and helping them feel great about themselves by offering them a fresh perspective on plus fashion and style. I have found my niche with the plus industry and I hope to continue partnering with plus related companies, designers, and industry leaders to reach out to society and media and showcase curvy women in a positive, flattering way.

5. This made me happy. You need something beautiful to hang in your house, and remind you that the female body has been worshipped for millennia? Check out this print.

Posted by jenfu

Filed under: Advocacy, Art, Beth Ditto, Celebrities, Comics, Fashion, Fat Positive, Fatism, Humor, Media | 11 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 health? ‘I’m not ideal, but if this is what the average man in the UK looks like, then people can draw their own conclusions,’ says Jose. ‘Most of my mates look more like me than David Beckham.’
Susan says: ‘I hope women will look at me and realise that the stick-thin models they see in magazines aren’t the norm. I am average and proud of that.’

My least favorite part is that the article devolves into OMG OBESITY CRISIS and OMG AVERAGE IS SO FAT NOW!!11!! Shock horror! Except that they look, you know. Perfectly average.

*I did question the fact that they selected two white people. It seems problematic to default to white = average. Wouldn’t a truly “average” person be mixed race?

Posted by mo pie

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

It’s summertime, and the living’s easy. And our Barbie series continues with this e-mail from Blair!

I was wondering if you would consider doing an entry about swimsuits for plus sizes. I really enjoy your fashion entries. I’m not really a fashion girl myself, but I’m always looking for entries about basics like jeans, etc.

[At Lands End,] they generally have a great selection of plus sized swimwear, but this year I’m STILL not finding what I need.

In my “old” age (31–I don’t really think I’m old but I guess I’m not 19 anymore) and after two babies, I’m looking to camouflage a hanging stomach that I’m not too crazy about. My skin has never been that elastic and I guess this is what two pregnancies will do.

Just generally speaking I wonder what kind of swimsuits other people are rocking and where they are finding them.

My most recent bathing suits are from Lands End, and I do really like them! They have crazy spandex fabric and their suits have names like “Tummy Control” which is just gross, but they also have a huge variety in their plus-size category: shorts and skirts and halters and two-pieces and all that good stuff.

(Oh dear, I just saw you can sort the bathing suit choices according to “Anxiety Zones.” Oh my god, JUST GO SWIMMING! Or lay in a deck chair and read The Princess Diaries. Nobody cares about your “Anxiety Zones” but you!)

I do have to say, “slenderizing” this and “control” that notwithstanding, one thing I really love about Lands End is they have swimsuits, like this one, in Mastectomy and Plus Size Mastectomy categories; I think that inclusiveness is just awesome. But, they’re pricey, and they make me think about Anxiety Zones, and they don’t seem have plus-sized sparkly bikinis.

Suggestions?

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Fashion | 18 Comments »

I’ve read a couple of articles in the past few days about Tracy Morgan “unofficially” becoming a spokesman for NutriSystem, because he’s lost 10 pounds on their program, reportedly.

His diet entails “whatever I can eat” on NutriSystem, which is also favored by Tori Spelling, Marie Osmond and Boy Meet’s World Danielle Fishel. “Corn Flakes, Cheerios, Rasin Brand, they have nutrition bars that are delicious,” he says. “I have them in my house.”

It would make sense if we found out he was being paid, as one columnist speculated, since A) a celebrity can afford way better prepackaged food, if not a personal chef; and B) why would a savvy celebrity be a free spokesperson for a product that so many other celebrities have cashed in on?

But I wasn’t going to post about that, as it seems only marginally shady. However, this article, sent in by Ilse, tells a NutriSystem story that is way shady.

Talkmaster Dan Patrick explained why he left ESPN during his XM Radio show Friday.

According to Patrick, the network honchos wanted him to go on NutriSystem and lose weight with other talking heads like Mike Golic and Chris Berman. When the 6-3 Patrick protested he was happy with his weight of 205 pounds, a bigwig pulled him aside and said, ”We want you to gain 25 pounds, then lose it on NutriSystem.”

Patrick said thanks but no thanks, and walked away from the network.

One of the other ESPN talking heads, Mike Golic, apparently took the deal, since he has lost 51 pounds so far on NutriSystem. However, he admitted some of the food is “awful” and the portions are small.

TMZ: What’s the worst?
Golic: Some of the dinners.
TMZ: Is it all microwavable?
Golic: Yeah, it’s all like that.
TMZ: You can’t survive on that. No wonder you lose weight.
Golic: Yeah, and you know what, the portions are small.

I’m not suggesting a link to Tracy Morgan because I have no idea what’s going on there, but in the case of these ESPN anchors, they were apparently pressured to gain weight (probably moving them artificially above their natural set points) and then lose it by eating “awful” food and pretending NutriSystem is an awesome diet. Ilse points out it’s also setting these guys up “for a lifetime of yo-yo dieting.”

What a scam.

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Celebrities, Diet Talk, TV, Weight Loss | 19 Comments »

If you’ve been reading for a while, you know of my conflicted feelings about Ricky Gervais. But, the problem is, he keeps hating on fat people and making it more and more difficult for me to love him. (I have the same issue with Joel McHale on The Soup. I love his shows—especially Community—and I love him, but every time The Soup does a fat joke, I cringe.) Especially since the fat hate is now also misogynistic fat hate, according to my delightful correspondent Sheila (bolding mine):

Wanted to write you last month after I saw Ricky Gervais live — most of the show was amazing, but he did a solid 15 minutes of fat jokes that were just horrifying and they were all — ALL — aimed at fat women. He’s newly buff and living it up, which, you know, bully for him and all, but I sat there and tried not to cry for that portion of the show, and then listened to him explain how he wouldn’t apologize for making jokes like that b/c comedy was supposed to be edgy and push people. All I could think was truly edgy fare needn’t be explained as such, and since when the fuck are fat jokes “dangerous” and “taboo”? Sort of smacked of David Brent waxing on to the doc crew about his “comedy.” Was offended and made me sad.

Anyway, knew you were an Office fan, so I went home and looked up what you’d written about it, which made me feel lots better, knowing I wasn’t the only conflicted Gervais fan out there.

Sheila also discussed this with her friend, Entertainment Weekly PopWatch blogger Mandi Bierly, and this theme found its way into a recent interview Bierly did with Brooke Elliott and Margaret Cho, both of whom are on Drop Dead Diva. That interview is here, and it’s a really interesting read, and Bierly brings up Ricky Gervais, the Eat Less shirts, and plenty of other topics.

Margaret Cho on Ricky Gervais:

I haven’t seen it, but I always think he’s funny. The fact about his humor is that in his comedy, people always say that he’s fat. So it’s interesting, he’s the one who’s been hurt by it, too, a lot. So I wonder what that means… In any case, as a comedian, I could never make fun of it because I almost killed myself so many times as a younger woman. I took so many diet pills. I have a heart murmur because I took Fen-Phen in the ’90s. I have permanent damage to my body because I wanted to be thin. That desire to have a smaller body, to take up less space in the world, was so important to me that I don’t remember most of my twenties. I didn’t appreciate the young woman that I was, or my young beauty, because I was so obsessed with the fact that I felt fat. It’s never good to add to anybody else’s suffering.

Brooke Elliott on her character in Drop Dead Diva (a formerly thin model who ends up in the body of a plus-size lawyer):

I think the show treats this character with so much dignity and respect. That’s why this show’s so popular. She’s a beautiful woman, and it treats her like a beautiful woman. She’s got all these guys fighting over her. There’s so much drama in her romantic life. She feels beautiful, she is beautiful, it’s just about taking somebody [the real Jane] who formerly considered herself invisible and making her visible. Deb’s never been invisible, she doesn’t know how to be. So when she’s in Jane’s body, she knows how to be visible. That’s what this is about: Somebody becoming visible to themselves and to the world, which is powerful.

And finally, a recommendation!

Speaking of beautiful, confident big women on TV: you prob. know about this since you’re hip to the Brit coms, but if you haven’t watched, you MUST MUST MUST see Gavin and Stacey. BBC America is currently showing series three, but the first two are available on DVD. The title characters are the least interesting, actually. The two writers, Ruth Jones and James Corden, play the supporting characters and are fantastic. Ruth is a gorgeous voluptuous woman (also, she plays the bartender in Daffyd’s pub in Little Britain, if you’ve ever seen that). Hilarious, amazing cast, great writing.

I have actually never seen Gavin and Stacey but my friend Eliza loves it, and she has great taste, so I’ve been meaning to check it out. Thanks for the e-mail, and the recommendation, Sheila! And thanks for the interview, Mandi, it was a terrific read.

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Celebrities, Drop Dead Diva, Fatism, Feminism, Guest Post, Humor, Magazines, Ricky Gervais, The Office, TV | 12 Comments »

1. April catches grief because she doesn’t want to follow someone’s weight-loss diary on Facebook.

I’ve already “hidden” posts on my news feed from folks who seem to think that a running litany of everything they ate/didn’t eat wanted to eat/didn’t want to eat or weight they lost/gained inexplicably was the utmost in fascinating conversation… Yesterday this… was not possible when a woman actively messaged me to ask why I hadn’t joined (or “liked”? I’m not sure which) the page she’d set up to log all her Weight Loss Adventures.

2. Do plus-sized women need a separate social networking site? (And if so, why is it not called Fatbook?) Via Jenfu.

Women who are a size 12 or above make up 60% of the population. It seems odd to treat them as though they’re an odd minority who need their own special site when they’re pretty clearly the majority. I just kind of feel like there should be enough of a place for plus sized women in the mainsteam discussion that this sould be unecessary – but maybe that’s not the case. And if it’s not, then the mainstream discussion is really failing.

3. Feminist Does Not Mean “Strong Woman” by my new girlcrush Tasha Fierce. If Meg Whitman, Carly Fiorina, and Sarah Palin unsettle you, you aren’t alone.

These women are part of a new wave of conservative feminism, which apparently views women’s advancement in the workplace and politics to be the most important tenet of actual feminism. Basically, these conservative feminist leaders have decided that the advancement of women to the upper echelons of business — something they have already achieved — is what feminism should really be about… By opposing ideas like subsidized child care, access to birth control, and legal abortion, these women will actually make things worse for any homemaker not privileged by race and wealth.

4. You can buy your own airline seatbelt extender if you would rather not ask for one. Via the Fatcast podcast! Featuring Marianne Kirby and Leslie Kinzel!

5. And finally, from @TweetsOfOld, an excerpt from a Missouri newspaper in 1878:

A 13 months-old boy tips the scales at 100 pounds. The parents intend to exhibit him to the public.

As you do. Happy Thursday, everyone!

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Feminism, Links, Old Timey, Politics, Weight Loss | 5 Comments »

A few days ago, I had never heard of Huge, but it occurred to me that we hadn’t heard from Nikki Blonsky in a while. Lo and behold, IMDB informed me that she (and Glee’s Ashley Fink) were starring in a new show on ABC Family called Huge. Here’s the description from Wikipedia:

Huge is an upcoming ABC Family network television series based on [the] young-adult novel of the same name by Sasha Paley. The hour-long drama series revolves around seven teens sent to a summer weight-loss camp called Wellness Canyon. Savannah Dooley and Winnie Holzman (creator of My So-Called Life and scriptwriter for Wicked) wrote the pilot. The series has been described as Glee meets Ugly Betty.

Well, I haven’t read the young adult novel (anyone?) but my first thought is that’s quite a pedigree. The descriptions of the characters on Wikipedia are interesting too: there’s apparently a clique of “thinner” girls, indicating a pecking order based on weight. I’m hoping the emphasis will be on those interpersonal relationships rather than any kind of “transformations” ala The Biggest Loser. But I guess we’ll see on June 28, when the series premieres.

But has Huge been using Photoshop to make Nikki Blonsky look huger? That’s the question asked in an email from Eve C.:

While reading the July issue of O Magazine, I came across a print ad for the show. There is a picture of Ms Blonsky in a swimsuit, and damned if it doesn’t look as though the pic has been photo shopped in order to make Ms Blonsky look larger than she actually is. It’s bad enough that women are photo-shopped to be thinner, but I’d like to know the reasoning behind making the star of the show look bigger.

I’m unable to forward the pic to you in the email, but the ad is on page 39 of “O”, and I’m sure other magazines are running it.

I found the picture that Eve is writing about, and it appears at the top of the post. But here for comparison’s sake is a photo taken of Blonsky at the Young Hollywood Awards last month, next to the swimsuit photo. To me, honestly, they look pretty plausibly the same basic shape. What do you think? And are you planning to watch the show?

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Biggest Loser, Celebrities, Glee, Magazines, Nikki Blonsky, Photoshop, Question, TV | 22 Comments »

This nasty piece of Fatism in the Wild comes from Portland, Oregon. Rose sent in her story, including a picture of the insulting note that was left on her sister’s car. I can’t believe anyone would write a note like this based on someone happening to legally park, one time, in front of their house. But maybe if she were thinner, or had a nicer car, she’d be allowed to park there!

Bolding, and vague feeling of pissed-off nausea, mine.

I am sharing this in the hope you will post it in your blog.

My sister, a person of size, was spending the weekend with me. She legally parked on the street across from my house because she’d come from that direction.

She & I later went out for a walk and she found this hateful note on her car from my neighbor across the street, whom I’ve never spoken to. I’ll note that hers was the only car parked on the street (either side) for 3 whole blocks, and there was easily room for another 5 cars in these people’s driveway. Plus there’s the little detail that she was parked legally on a public street.

Here’s what the note says:
To the idiot owner of the green Pontiac:
I realize that you’re probably too busy stuffing your face to care, but we are a busy house, car-wise. We have 4 cars, an office that sees clients here, and a new baby. When you park your P.O.S. car in the center of our house, you get in our way. This is valuable parking space for us, so move your car further forward to under the treee, or across the street where are all weekend long. I figured that a fatty like you would want to park as close as possible to your destination anyway! Please keep your car away from in front of our house, or we will block you every time you park there. K? thanks!

Needless to say my sister was completely mortified by this rudeness, and we were both perplexed why she was being criticized for both being too fat and parking farther away than necessary. I hope I can shame and embarrass them the way they shamed and embarrassed my sister.

The note itself is after the jump. Has this ever happened to you? How would you react? Is there anything Rose and her sister can do to feel better? And how big of a jackass is this person, seriously?
Read more…

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Fatism | 70 Comments »

It’s Feel Good Friday, so how about some topless plus-size models? Follow this link! NSFW! (And thanks to Laurie for the link!)

For its June 2010 issue, French Marie Claire has gone curvy with editorials featuring plus-size models in lingerie and swimsuits à la française–that’s right, only bottoms, no tops!

Of course, these are all models, so “plus-size” is like a size 10. I personally took a counterbalancing stroll through some wonderful recent pieces at Adipositivity. Mostly NSFW. Except this one, which I love. And this one!

It made me want to take my own half-naked pictures, even if I wouldn’t necessarily post them on the Internet for the world to see. But there’s so much beauty in all types of bodies. It really is lovely to be reminded of that.

Happy Friday!

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Art, Fat Positive, Feel Good Friday, International, Magazines, NSFW, Personal, Sex & Romance, Tidbit | 11 Comments »

The folks at Urban Outfitters (those owl-pushers) are now selling a shirt with the words “Eat Less” scrawled across the front—modeled, of course, by a very thin model. And it is pissing people off. People like Stephanie Hayes:

It’s just mean, scary and damaging to all the poor innocent girls who ALREADY feel like Shamu incarnate because their legs don’t look like whats-her-nuts on Gossip Girl. Can you imagine? You’re walking through the mall, pulling your ill-advised American Eagle shorties out of your wedge and wishing you hadn’t cut your bangs, all while sizing up the nearby cookie cafe for sweet refuge from inadequacy. All of a sudden, Waif McKnobbleknees strolls out of Urban Outfitters wearing THIS hanging off her collarbone, glaring at you with her sunken eyes. She might as well wear a sandwich board that says, “HEY, FATTIES! Y’ALL LOOK LIKE HELL! LOLZ!”

A couple of points: one, of course, it’s beautiful and normal and lovely to be waif-like or to have knobby knees, and it does not automatically mean you have an eating disorder, but you should still not wear this T-shirt. Two, this shirt is being criticized as “pro-ana.” Is it?

The disingenuous description on the Urban Outfitters website is:

Eat less or more or however much you’d like in this seriously soft knit tee cut long and topped with a v-neck.

And in case you’re curious, they come in extra-small, small, medium, or large. So, what do you think the message of the shirt is? Are you offended by it?

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Advertising, Eating Disorders, Fashion, Fatism, Humor | 43 Comments »

1. We all know I get ridiculous PR spam, but a real doozy landed in my mailbox yesterday, featuring the top five “Flabulous Celebrity Love Handle Offenders” who can fix their “offensive” love handles with a Spanx-type product that we should all run out and buy too! (Don’t worry, I wouldn’t dream of mentioning the stupid product, so I guess this is a links roundup without a link.)

Who were these “flabulous” celebrities? Beyonce, Jessica Simpson, Britney, Kirstie Alley, and Snooki. I mean, seriously. Did you doubt they would all be women? Plus, they sent me some accompanying photos showing the offenses, and they all looked like this. Where’s the “love handles” on Beyonce? Not that there’s anything wrong with “love handles,” Jesus. At least they have a cute name.

2. Okay, here’s a link, and it’s a good one: the “obesity stigma” is not actually helpful. Well, no effing duh. Which is basically what The Well-Rounded Mama says:

I suppose I should be grateful that someone is taking time to disprove the kinds of lame claims that more stigma is needed, not less. On the flip side, though, is that while they are concerned about the negative effects of obesity stigma on fat people, the big concern is that this stigma gets in the way of obesity intervention efforts…

But at least they are saying something against obesity stigma and countering the usual nonsense out there. It just amazes me that some idiots can actually believe that obesity stigma is really an effective tool for health improvement.

3. Another good one: obesity ills are “a myth” according to an Ohio State University study, via Big Fat Blog.

“There is a myth going on. Our findings show being overweight is no different from being what we believe is a healthy weight and this is across a person’s entire lifespan. For college-age adults, this should help them realize that they don’t have to worry so much if they have a BMI of 27 or 28. Some young people with these BMIs feel like, ‘I’m going to have all these problems, I need to try 50 different diets.’ And what is all that stress and dieting doing to your body? Probably more damage than the extra 15 pounds is.”

4. I ran across a Listmania list on Amazon today called “Large-size heroines and more.” Leonard Nimoy, The Gossip, and Nikki Blonsky are all represented, as are some projects I’d never heard of, such as an anthology called Such A Pretty Face…

Each tale has a plus-sized heroine or hero, ranging from a mermaid to a fairy-tale princess.

As well as a guide for plus-sized brides, some Fat Studies readers, and a UK series called Fat Friends.

I can’t vouch for level of empowerment each thing on the list has–for instance, I know Queen Sized was problematic, and there’s a weight loss memoir on there from someone named Michelle McManus, who won Pop Idol in the UK–but there were enough interesting things listed that I figured I’d pass it along.

5. Finally, 340 (and counting) blogs have been added to the comprehensive Fierce Freethinking Fatties Feed, and there are sub-feeds like Fat Acceptance, Fatshion, and Political Allies. (And other sub-feeds that do allow diet talk, so click those with caution.) If you want to find some new reading material or to add your blog to one of those feeds, check it out. Thanks for the heads up, Shannon!

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Advocacy, Art, Beth Ditto, Beyonce, Books, Britney Spears, Celebrities, Crystal Renn, Fat Positive, Fatism, Feminism, Health, International, Jessica Simpson, Kirstie Alley, Links, Music, Nikki Blonsky, Science, TV | 8 Comments »

the set
Originally uploaded by mo pie

The Bitch magazine blog has a post up by Rachel McCarthy James examining fatness on my favorite show (at least the first few seasons), The Office.

It’s an interesting read focusing on three main characters: Phyllis, Kevin, and Stanley. (As well as an excuse for me to link to this picture of me on the Office set. I considered linking the vending machine one but it’s less recognizable, no?)

Quotes ahoy!

Phyllis (who we did a post about in 2006):

At the intersection of sizeism and sexism exists Phyllis Vance. Phyllis is active and healthy–she was a cheerleader and plays basketball and runs with the rest of The Office… Phyllis is framed as attractive, happily married to Bob Vance (Vance Refrigeration). She is sexual and seems to like her body a great deal; in season six, she refers to her breasts proudly, has a quickie with Bob in a bathroom, and brags about flirting with men in bars…

Phyllis does not reflect any of the stereotypes ascribed to older fat women. Phyllis is coquettish, not matronly. She is bossy and ambitious, not jolly. She is self-satisfied, not ashamed of herself. She is Phyllis Vance, and she’s happy to be that.

Kevin:

[H]e’s constantly shown to have cartoonish eating habits, sometimes forcing him into caricature and buffoonery. In one episode, the staff makes bets on the abilities and tendencies of other characters. Whereas talkative Kelly tells about her Netflix queue in infinitesimal detail, fat Kevin stuff M&Ms in his mouth. It’s not explicitly “haha look at the fatty”, and it’s somewhat absurd. But, it’s associating fatness with gluttony in a problematic way.

Stanley:

But unlike the other two fat series regulars, he is visibly unhealthy, having repeatedly voiced health concerns and experiencing coronary arrest, and avoiding activity (though he is sometimes physical). However, the show does not make a rhetorical point of connecting his fatness to his health problem beyond Michael being an ass about it, and showing him focusing on stress reduction rather than drastic changes in eating habits. Again, it’s important that while Stanley is unhealthy, two other fat characters have few to no health issues.

Overall:

The Office is not a radical critique of dieting and weight-loss culture. It centralizes size-privileged people, and reinforces some problematic norms. But The Office does exist within the context of a media culture that frequently erases and usually stereotypes folks of size. By having a variety of well-developed, individual fat characters who do not conform to harmful norms and stereotypes, and by portraying weight-loss culture as harmful and problematic, The Office is sending a valuable and subversive message to its viewing audience.

That’s what she said!

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: The Office, TV | 9 Comments »

We’ve talked about Mike and Molly before; apparently it’s been picked up, and will air on CBS on Mondays. From Linda Holmes at NPR:

I am not lying, that this sentence is in the press release: “For Mike and Molly, thanks to their mutual love of pie and the desire to resist it, finding each other may have been worth the ‘weight.'”

I will give you a moment to recover. I am sorry that sentence happened to all of us.

And once you’ve recovered, here’s more:

Police officer Mike Biggs knows his way around the Streets—and the donut shop. As a cop, Mike’s not scared of anything—except dating, so he’s joined Overeaters Anonymous® to lose those extra pounds and gain some much-needed confidence. When he meets Molly at a meeting, the attraction is immediate, and suddenly Mike is excited about the prospect of a new life. But now he must find the willpower to give up his beloved junk food for the apple of his eye.

That ® makes me nervous. And there’s a video! Via Big Fat Blog.

Posted by mo pie

Filed under: Mike & Molly, TV, Video | 10 Comments »