Instead of the usual “stuff I wanna buy but can’t or will never afford” type of wish list, I’ve decided there is a more important list for me and my fat ass today:

1. I wish all fats could travel in comfort regardless of the mode of transportation they choose. No weight limits or any other type of restrictions. No embarrassment. No shame. No dirty looks. None of it! And seriously, someone solve the airplane seat thing already! You’ll be rich!
2. I wish that all fashion designers would make clothing for all sizes. Seriously? What is the hold up?! Is our money not green enough for ya? I mean, it’s just bad business. Get on this!!!
3. I wish that all shoes came in different widths. Humans have varying sizes and widths of feet and we should not have to scour the internet to find a pair that is a.) comfortable b.) fits my foot and c.) affordable! YO!
4. I wish that sizing in general would be more uniform. When you’re a fatty looking for fatshions, it’s hard enough to find the actual garment measurements, let alone figuring out what size is which for every damned company! Even fats only clothing lines can be mega-wonky. Try some European style sizing where the number actually reflects the measurements!!!
5. I wish that I could walk into a Nordstrom or Macy’s or Sephora or MAC or any upscale-ish store and be treated like I’m literally made of money. Just once I’d like to look up at a sales girl and not see her looking down her nose at me with disdain. I do have money from time to time but I shall not be padding your commission today. Or how about this radical idea: Treat Everyone The Same & With Respect!!!
6. I wish that height & weight were added to every discrimination law in every state in every country in the world. PERIOD!
7. I wish I could tell every child that they are wonderful and worth every bit of effort under the stars. I wish I could look them all in the eye and tell them they are beautiful and loved. Especially the fat kids!
8. I wish that there was one big fat universal all over the world health care system. It would cover anyone at any time regardless of everything and only the truly selfless & passionate would become doctors and they would be well paid and highly regarded.
9. I wish that people would brag about losing attitude and negativity over pounds. We should reward each other for being more positive. People who talk badly about themselves would be encouraged to love themselves.
   
10. I wish that the diet industry would make a huge (ha-ha) press release to announce their great failure & shame for lying to the entire world. They must pay back a percentage of money to anyone who has tried their programs/etc and apologize to them. People would use the word diet appropriately from then on.
    
11. I wish that talent was the new thin! Creativity the new black! And positivity the new everything!
12. I wish that everyone could say the word FAT with a smile and forget words like “obese” & “morbid” & “overweight” and any other euphemism for FAT!  It would forever be used as a descriptor and little else.
13. I wish that fat characters were portrayed in every movie, show, play, musical, comedy troupe (you name it!) with a real sense of respect/honesty/reality.
    
14. I wish that whole, healthful & nutritious foods were available to everyone, regardless of class, status, geography or other restrictions.
15. I wish that all fats could leave the house with their head held high and without a worry or fear of harassment or shame.

What would be on YOUR Big Fat Wish List???

Last night on my long drive home from work, I was listening to KPFA (as per my usual) and heard a report where they were talking about food banks and pantries and how the face of poverty is changing. The middle class is dwindling right into poverty and how we’re not prepared for this major change. There is an ordinance up for vote in Los Angeles that would make it easier for local business to donate foods that are still good without threat of legal repercussions. Basically, the food and safety regulations currently in place do not allow for this because of set time guidelines or other guidelines that dictate how long a certain food may be kept/stored/served. This is why grocery stores often have to throw out perfectly good food, if they didn’t they could be sued for a number of reasons. This new ordinance would cost the state/city/fed zero dollars and actually cut waste that would otherwise head straight to our landfills.

Well, all of this got me thinking about that changing “face of poverty” and an idea/image popped into my head that made me catch my breath, think and just feel pretty sick overall. I also think it’s a real thing and could happen and well, LA isn’t exactly the fat friendliest place on earth, but…

Can you imagine a fat standing in line for food at a food bank or soup kitchen? Would they be harassed? Would they be refused? I cannot imagine. I don’t know what it is like to have to rely on said food banks and pantries, but I am happy as hell that they are out there to help people who are food insecure. I had never heard that turn of phrase either: food insecure. I get what it means, but never heard it that way before. I mean, when I was a kid, I was just poor. My family never went on well fare or received food stamps, but we probably would have qualified and probably should have. Luckily we were often helped/supported by my grandma.

What about the mom trying to feed her kids? Is she going to be more reluctant because of her size? Doesn’t she work hard enough? Man, I just can’t fathom it. You know? But there are assholes out there who just make it their life’s mission to be a dick to any and all that they possibly can.

My thoughts, love and hope go with you!

If you’d like to hear the broadcast I heard yesterday:

Two Great Documentaries with one Severely Important Message:

Where does our food come from?

The first, “King Corn” centers around two guys who rent an acre of land in Iowa to grow corn and to follow where it goes once if leaves their little acre. They soon find out that there is a lot more to being a corn farmer than they realized. Specifically, government subsidies. In the end they lost money on their crop, but with the government subsidy were able to break even (or close to it).

I was personally surprised to find out that most of the corn grown in the USA is not immediately edible and in fact tastes terrible! It goes from fresh off the farm to what seems to be an endless journey into food processing. What I took from this movie is that corn is everything in this country. It’s in everything we eat, everything we buy and use and it controls so much of the economy and marketplace that it will make you step back and think about your own choices as a consumer. The other startling thing I learned from the film was about cows and feed lots. Holy crap! Look, I’m no naive ninny, but weren’t we always told that corn fed cows were healthier or something? Well, it’s all lies!  They talk to farmers and experts and it turns out cows were never meant to eat corn. They were meant to only eat grass. DUH! So what you get are very ill cows that grow so fast (to get to market/slaughter faster) on such a poor diet that they can’t even walk by the time they are “ready” to be sold for slaughter. *barfs* Luckily in this doc, you’re spared the more gruesome images that this brings to mind.

“Food Inc.” follows these same lines about food overall and where it comes from. But it also gives a lot more facts and statistics that will leave you in a state of shock and awe! If you’re not rethinking your own diet let alone our entire country’s then you may need to check your pulse!  This doc seems to focus a lot more on the animals in our giant food industry and how they are treated and the industry’s demands on farmers. What we see in the grocery store with names and images referencing old family farms are once again, ALL LIES!!!

It also points out the incredible power each and every one of us holds when it comes to our buying choices. Every meal, every dollar and every change are ruled by us, the consumer! It became clear to me when reps from Walmart explained the reasoning behind Walmart going Organic, the customer wants it! WOW! A giant company listening to it’s customers? Yep! They have no choice after all. If you know what you want and they don’t have it you’ll simply go elsewhere and they get it!

I highly recommend both of these films (and the order in which I present them to you) to everyone in the world! I feel that we as a nation have been kept in the dark about where our food comes from and what is and isn’t “healthy.” We turn a blind eye to things like the biggest slaughter house in the world and their labor practices. Our government subsidizes these companies to gain control over a global market. Even if this is no surprise to you, I ask that you still give these a shot. Especially, “Food Inc.”  because it really does give facts that I hadn’t seen or heard before. When it comes to obesity, diabetes and everything in between and surrounding what we eat, I think that it is our responsibility to learn as much as we can and make more conscious decisions in our daily lives.

You can watch both Streaming on Netflix’s “watch instantly” section. And please, spread the word!!!

(article found here: http://www.stylelist.com/2010/04/21/lane-bryant-says-abc-fox-censored-plus-size-lingerie-ad/?icid=main|main|dl3|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stylelist.com%2F2010%2F04%2F21%2Flane-bryant-says-abc-fox-censored-plus-size-lingerie-ad%2F)

It’s true! A double standard like no other it seems.

“ABC and Fox have made the decision to define beauty for you by denying our new, groundbreaking Cacique commercial from airing freely on their networks,” Lane Bryant says.

“Yes, these are the same networks that have scantily clad housewives so desperate they seduce every man on the block — and don’t forget Bart Simpson, who has shown us the moon more often than NASA, all in what they call ‘family hour.’

Well, see for yourself what these networks thought you shouldn’t see: