Just read this article: http://tinyurl.com/33aj7n9 and as you can imagine, I have some thoughts! Ha-ha! (The first few comments are actually surprisingly not bad at all, the 1st one is rad).

I don’t even need to mention why the photo is all kinds of wrong, right? Okay, it is wrong because it has stolen this woman’s identity by not allowing her to show her face. It doesn’t address the fact that she has a mobility issue and it is no one’s business weather or not she had this disability before she was whatever size she is currently. Or when this picture was actually taken. For all we know she could be quite happy & healthy. She’s out walking for one thing, not sitting on a couch drinking sugar syrup by the jug! Ahem.

70 Million? I am now wondering what this article is using to classify so many Americans as “obese” (scare quotes!). Is it possibly the BMI (body mass index – more badness on that here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439&sc=fb&cc=fp)? Because that was adjusted a few years ago and because of this, literally over night millions were suddenly considered “obese” by this newer version of the BMI. But they don’t specify so one can only wonder.

They go so far as to ask, “Is anybody listening” to the whole “OMZFATWILLKILLYOU” message. Um, everyone is listening. It’s hard not to hear it. It’s everywhere! We are inundated with the whole fat kills message anytime we leave the house, go online, turn on a t.v., watch a movie, read a magazine, etc…America hates fat, we know this. Yet, we’re all fat? Hmm…We’re a bunch of self-haters, yes?

They say that losing weight isn’t impossible and then include a link to a bunch of their past “success” stories. When you actually read each individual success story, most aren’t about someone who yo-yo dieted or other typical issues with weight loss. It’s mostly, “I stopped drinking soda” or “I started walking.” Nothing shocking. But that doesn’t work for everyone. Nothing works for everyone!

The article specifically mentions minorities and non-college educated people as being the most at risk of “obesity.” Funny, that. It’s not the fat that’s keeping us out of college, it’s the damned tuition (and I didn’t have to go to school to figure that one out)! I grew up very poor. Fresh fruits and veggies were serious treats to us. When we’d go to my grandma’s for dinner on Sundays I always looked forward to her fresh, crisp, green salads! Not candy or ice cream…SALADS! Because my family just couldn’t afford those kinds of foods on a regular basis. We ate generic, yellow boxed things that could provide sufficient nutrients so we wouldn’t fucking starve! And don’t get me started on my free hot lunches at school! We’re talking about lower income groups who simply can’t afford to buy healthier food. Watch the documentary Food Inc. and you’ll understand and see exactly what I mean and why.

I have done just about everything in my power to not look/end up like my birth mother. Genetics, you bastard! I am active and healthy and still have hips that could pass a watermelon (heaven forbid). I ate very healthfully and consciously for a very long time, nothing changed. I gave up soda, my co-workers lost weight, I did not. I became a vegetarian and gained a little weight. Now that my weight has stabilized, and I am broke as fucking hell, I can’t afford all of those gorgeously organic crunchy things I so love and crave. I buy when I can and make do when I can’t. Such is life!

I find it extremely problematic for someone like Michelle Obama (Rich!) to make it her personal mission to rid the country of fat people by 2025 (or whatever she said, sorry, it’s ridiculous and I don’t care). Talk about privileged?! Yes, she’s a minority, but she’s a special kind of upper class minority. I doubt she’s ever had more than an extra five pounds on her frame and seems so driven and confident I doubt even that is true. Not to personally attack her, I find her pleasant and smart and a great role model for the most part, but…obesity? Ugh! *sigh*

There is no one solution. There is no diet plan for the masses. There is no universal success story. I mean, shit! If Oprah can’t do it with all of her wisdom, fortune and fame, what hope do the rest of us have? Huh? Yeah, exactly! I am sick of the mainstream media telling everyone that my fat is going to kill me. My fat is not a damned disease. It’s just fat! I don’t have diabetes, or hypertension or any other fat related illness. I am not doomed. I am not a stereotype!

I don’t believe that the government should be telling us how to live our lives. I do think it should start at the source and go directly to the companies that manufacture all of the over processed foods. And aspartame should once again be classified as a bio-weapon! Diet drinks should simply have less sugar or another natural sweetener. We should not have to fear for our lives with every sip or bite we ingest! We should educate on nutrition, not calories! We should focus on activity, not exercise. We should celebrate life, not loss. I am just so very sick of this old rhetoric. It’s bullshit, but somehow no one seems to know it! Ugh!

Okay, I’m done for now. *steps off soapbox*

Thank you for reading & commenting. You’re amazing!

Hey peeps!
Sorry I’ve been silent the last few days. I’ve been fighting and then succumbing to a big baddie of a head cold. Boo! I’m not one to pop pills, even the OTC kind, so I’ve been sticking it out and had to stay home from work yesterday. Today would have been my usual day off, so no worries, but I’m determined to pop whatever I have to in order to get back to business tomorrow.

All of this staying home stuff hasn’t left me in the best mood, I am just no good home alone. I get antsy! Many reruns of I Love Lucy & Roseanne & Who’s The Boss have been watched. Very different shows! Such different relationships.

For some reason though, as I kept going online to check email/bogs/fb/tweets, something was missing. The usual excitement for the day’s fat-buzz just wasn’t there. Sure, it could be that my favorites and bookmarks are all unaccessible from my husband’s laptop. Or the head cold. Or…Or? I don’t know!

I don’t know what’s missing, but I’m not finding it either. The news even seems blah the last few days. And while I was of course excited to watch the newest episode of HUGE, I dashed to fatshionista.com for Lesley’s reliably fantastic recap and, nothin’!

It doesn’t even seem as sunny out as it should be. I mean, it is warm out and all, but it’s almost hazy. Perhaps my sudden blogging hiatus and foggy head left me without the usual zeal for all things fat. Maybe I’ve OD’d on old sitcoms.

Life doesn’t wrap up it’s own problems in 22 minutes followed by a nice comfy commercial for Pilsbury grands. Ethel isn’t next door, Mona’s not saying anything saucy and the Connor kids aren’t about to spill paint on the old tattered carpet.

I did have a fabulous weekend whilst trying to live in complete denial of this cold. Much lovely time spent with really good friends. The Renegade Craft Fair in SF was fantastic. After all was said and done I wasn’t looking forward to going back to the old grind. That is until I woke up feeling like death warmed over. Then I was grateful for being my own boss and not having to answer to anyone when I decided I needed to stay in bed.

Yet somehow this change of pace screwed up my enthusiasm for everything.  I think that I got so swept up in the LB hubbub last week that I assumed (you know what happens when you do that) the webz would still be a-buzzing with activity. Yet here I am. Nothing new to share or write about. Nothing fat related anyway.

I guess I just havn’t been doing this fat blogging thing long enough to know how to constantly create content for my readers. (I am grateful for each and every one of you by the way!) I will work on this. I love writing and especially feel so loved and a part of the fat acceptance community. I will continue to share my thoughts on things and fight for fat acceptance.

Sometimes though? I wanna write abotu fluffy things or political things or whatever tickles my daily fance. And that’s cool, too, right?

Hope you all have a fab Tuesday.

Cheers!

Last night when I got home, after I walked Sir. Puppenheim, I explained to my husband the whole hubbub over the Lane Bryant tweet and subsequent shit-storm this incurred. His take actually surprised me.

He saw it purely as a corporate giant attempting to tear down an indie option for their customers. As though buying one t-shirt would somehow make us all see that we don’t need LB after all and thus the crumbling of the corporate control/structure of our time would ensure. He said it seemed that if fats can design and sell to each other then what the hell do we need with silly old polyester pushing LB. While I disagree with this theory, I like his take. He also thought that by shaming fats they would buy more clothes. Um, NO! I told him that there is no way that that is a business model. In fact no one depressed or ashamed would go into a mall/store to try on clothes in a fitting room and look in a mirror to buy clothes. Not happening. If anything, the opposite is true. We had a great lengthy discussion on the matter and I appreciated a non-fat & non-web opinion. It’s a rare thing.

Also, I love & heart this post from Lesley of Fatshionista on the matter:

http://www.fatshionista.com/cms/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=69&p=472

I’ve been on Twitter for so long I can’t even remember. The thing is though, it’s sometimes like that friend you suddenly can’t remember why you’re friends with. Yeah, that!

But today? There’s been some fat shaming by Lane Bryant in regards to definatalie’s t-shirt design. It’s complete and utter bullshit that they are asking:

Is this really necessary? We say NO! Share your thoughts! http://ow.ly/2fILH #lanebryant

Wow! A whole company saying NO to one little indie artist’s design? OUCH! For one thing, I LOVE definatalie, her blog and ALL of her designs. She’s so talented and adorable and witty and just fab! I wasn’t going to buy that shirt, I prefer the fancily scrawled “FAT” shirt, but I am VERY tempted to buy the fat arse shirt and stand outside my local LB with a giant grin on my face!

Honestly, I’ve been sick of LB overall for awhile *now. The quality of their clothing has gone down while their pricing seems to keep on creeping up up up! Plus, the styles? You guys, they kinda suck! I used to look forward to payday and quickly turn said paycheck into dust, walking out with those giant LB bags of yore. *sighs* Now? I only buy their bras. Well, one bra in particular. They are the best ever.

Now? I may have to find another store/place to buy my ladies a comfy home. I just don’t feel very good about giving LB more of my hard earned money. Not when they are perfectly okay with fat shaming. Nope! No Thank You!

My response to their tweet:

Notblueatall @lanebryant Yes it’s necessary! Not everyone buys into the old beauty myths. And no pair of pants are going to make my fat ass any less so!

Feel free to follow my tweets and I will do the same. Just wish I was back into tweeting for more positive reasons.

*Also, since moving from a typical LB 26/28 to a straight up in yo face 28/30, seems they don’t want my monies anyway. Neener! Too bad, since this started when I had that old corporate trainer position money in my pockets. Those were the days. Sadly, the LB gals always tried to get me to wear slutty stuff to my very straight-laced corporate office. Ugh!

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???