Last night I was in rare form (though not really), an ad came on TV and I just started yellin’! I do this from time to time. Like when I watch Food Network Challenges (Ha!) or Hockey or movies where the characters make a dumb move (Always stay in the car!) or even reruns of old shows like X-Files (why do they never shoot the tires out to keep the bad guy from getting away?). But last night there were two commercials that just got me riled up! (I swear a heck of a lot, just to warn ya!)

The first was some sort of exercise game for x-box or something. You wouldn’t have known it at first because it was just a bunch of people talking about going to te gym or getting in shape, staying fit, yadda yadda yadda. When they finally said and showed the game, I was flummoxed! I shouted, “Why couldn’t you just say you don’t have to go to the gym to get in shape? Why couldn’t they say that there’s other ways to get exercise? Why don’t they promote it more positively so it is more attractive to people who aren’t gym rats?!” and then cursed ’em out for a minute or three.

It drove me batty, I tell ya! But it is true; the game isn’t a gym simulator in the least, so why promote it in such a way? I feel they truly lost an opportunity, an audience and most certainly a market share. Yet these idiot marketers are so good at that, right? Had they simply had people saying that they aren’t interested in going to a gym (too expensive, time consuming, boring, gross…) and wanted something more fun and then showed the same people playing/exercising with the game it would have had a much more positive impact! Hello? There are other and far more interesting ways to move your body without stupid gym machines. Ugh!

Not long after this, another commercial did me in! A ridiculous one for a feminine wash product. It had women saying they were terribly concerned about “feminine odor issues.” This one got me truly shouting, “Your vagina doesn’t smell! No one can smell your vagina unless they’re nose-deep into it! Stop freaking women out about their pussies! For fuck’s sake, stop perpetuating vaginal lies and fear!” My husband had questions after my bout of shouts (ooh, good band name!). We discussed the worldwide fear of vaginas. How a lot of women don’t know their anatomy or would even recognize their own vagina.

It drives me bonkers! But then, I too once feared my vagina. Not fear in the murderous sense (oh Maude, could you imagine? My vagina is trying to kill me!), but in the unfamiliar and icky sense and that is bullshit! I find especially when I talk about menstrual cups and all of their magical greatness that a lot of women get are filled with trepidation about it. Even when I mention the fact that the chances of getting TSS (toxic shock syndrome) are practically null!  Or the fact that there’s no waste! Ugh! Don’t get me started on that…

Feminine wash? Okay, I use one, but because it is Ph balanced and I had some semi-traumatic childhood memories involving bar soap and my genitals (ouch!). When my husband asked how I use the wash I explained that I just use it for the outer bits and not inside of any orifice. I am not worried about my pussy’s odor, hardly, and it’s not like it gets dirty in the filthy sense. Also, I don’t want any soap residue happening. However, even when I am without my fave cooter cleanser, just water is totally fine for the most part. It is in the actual vagina, and not the labia or vulva (outer/inner lips),that you should not use products to cleanse. I have often heard  phrase “self cleaning oven” used in regards to why. But basically you have beneficial flora/bacteria that you need intact in order to fight off infections and things. If you throw off that natural balance you could be causing yourself more harm than you know. Yet these companies find new ways all of the time to oppress women.

In regards to yesterday’s post, in case you didn’t catch the comments (usually where all of the real action happens), I asked what we can do to get the positive messages of Fat Acceptance/Body Acceptance and Health At Every Size to the masses. No one had an answer, but these commercials made me realize just how impactful such a message could be. I think the problem with this is simple: Funding! That’s how these silly products get to the public, right? So who could we get to sponsor such an endeavor? Perhaps we could team up with another group of people who are discriminated against?

I would love to hear your thoughts! Or, just because it’s Tellin’ It Tuesday, tell it like it is in comments, even if it’s not about this post.

Thanks for reading & Rock On!

<3
 S

I don’t do Trigger Warnings, but this is all kinds of triggering. So this is a Trigger Warning for pretty much anything and everything relating to diet talk, weight loss and so much more. Ugh! (Also, I swear!)

A&E has a new show called, “Heavy” from the site: A&E’s new docudrama Heavy follows twenty-two individuals facing extreme life-threatening health consequences as a result of their obesity. The one-hour series follows two participants per episode documenting their incredible transformations during a six month treatment program.

(The ad at the top right when I loaded the page was for onestopplus.com, the one at the bottom of the page is from avenue.com, irony much?)

The ad I found in a magazine I subscribe to (Entertainment Weekly) is what made me look it up. The image for the ad seems overly doctored and just weird. A woman standing on a scale blank-faced, staring right at you. Also, the people in the ad/ads aren’t actually from the show, they could be models or CGI, not sure. But it bugged me enough to go online and look it up. The tag line for the series, “Losing is their only hope.” UGH!

“Unlike other weight loss series, “Heavy” is not a competition or stunt, but is rooted in the incredible real life day-to-day journeys of the participants during a lengthy treatment program. In order to most accurately document these multiple weight loss journeys over the course of six months and present them individually in one hour, A&E sought out two different production companies to undertake the lengthy and ambitious filming process. The result is a never-before-seen look at the unique struggles faced by dangerously obese individuals who must learn to live healthier lifestyles and understand the root of their food addictions. Through their day-to-day struggle and the voices of their loved ones, viewers will see first hand the pain and self-doubt associated with a debilitating weight problem.”

This makes me feel ill. I just don’t have the words right now. I won’t discount that some people do have food addictions, and maybe everyone they chose for the series does have one, but not all fats have a fucking food addiction! That’s absurd! Well, except for the simple fact that all living things NEED FOOD!!! WTF?! I have never watched any weight loss series/show. I have seen clips from “Biggest Loser” and decided on my own that it wasn’t for me. And after reading Golda’s interview with BL finalist Kai Hibbard I knew it wasn’t going to “entertain” me, at all. The whole concept sickens me. But I digress…

“In the premiere episode, viewers meet Tom and Jodi, both 37 from Houston, TX, and learn why they are heavy and how they must reverse their lifestyles or die.”

This is what pissed me off most: “Jodi, 5-foot-6 and 363 pounds, is at a critical juncture with her health. Her heaviness prevents her from keeping up with her husband and two children and from her favorite pastime, singing with her brothers in a band.”

What the fucking fuck?! My weight has never stood in the way of keeping up with my husband and our puppy or my love of singing…SINGING! It mentions her fear of suffering another stroke. And this: -Wants to lose the weight to avoid another stroke
Am I wrong here? I thought a stroke was a blood clot in the brain, no? How the hell does weight affect this? If I’m wrong, let me know. I know that individual experiences differ so very greatly, but I just don’t buy any of this.

The Bios page is the worst bit for me. You click on a picture and it gives the “bio” for the person. Only, it’s no bio like I’ve seen, it’s only stats, health problems, limitations and “stakes.” I mean, half of these people, when you read what it is that they want, they just need FA & HAES! One gal, Julia, says “Scared of getting diabetes” under health problems. So, wait…she doesn’t even have any health problems! WTF?!

Look, the ignorance runs deep with this show. It makes me sad and angry. And this anger, this very special kind of anger that cuts right to the heart of my big fat fucking body, it fuels my fat activist flame! It is because of stupid bullshit like this being broadcast to the masses (not sure what the ratings are like for A&E, but it’s more than ten people and that’s too many) that I and so many other fat bloggers/activists work to spread the word, support one another and just be publicly fat and happy, dammit!

Had these people been introduced to Fat Acceptance before being approached by A&E they may have an entirely different outlook on themselves, life and the world all together. I know I do!

So what can we do to spread the word on FA & HAES? How can we let A&E know that this show is bullshit? What else can we do?

I just had the most gorgeous and lovely piece of chocolate (Ritter Sport Milk Chocolate with Butter Biscuit inside it, glorious!) and I am finally, FINALLY, satisfied. You see, lovelies, when I get hormonal before my lady-times (ha-ha! My period for the uninitiated), I want two things: Bread & Chocolate! This last cycle o’ mine I had bought a seemingly nice bar of fancy chocolate at Cost Plus World Market, but when I had a piece it was nothing like what I had imagined. It was less flavorful, there was no body to it’s texture and it left me wanting something else. While choosing this silly choco-bar, I eyed my beloved Ritter Sport, but the price was a bit high for a damned candy bar, so I left it in favor if the on-sale one. Boo! Since then all I wanted was a decent piece of fucking chocolate. And now? I’m satisfied!

I had intended to write a big post today about weight loss ads and their devious and disgusting ways, but this little piece of chocolate loving heaven left me in a better head space and why muck it up with negativity, ya know?

I am sick and tired of hearing or seeing people who clearly want one thing opt for another simply because it appears better/healthier/trendier/fancier/etc. FUCK ALL OF THAT! If you want a piece of Boston Cream Pie, well you won’t be satisfied by a tiny cup of yogurt flavored to taste like it. Just grab yourself some actual BCP and you may just find that you don’t need to eat the whole thing or maybe you do and then you won’t have that craving again. Denying yourself leads to obsession and poor choices or dangerous behaviors (I could have hurt someone had I not indulged in my little choco-fix).

This all goes along with self-care! Listen to your body signals and cues and it’s okay to question them, but don’t deny them! If you want full-fat milk, have a glass! If you want a coke, go for it! Don’t settle for non-fat or diet versions of the real thing if that’s what you want (not to mention the chemicals in these beasties-yeeesh!).

I hear this shit all of the time at my cafe, women (mostly, though there was that one MD, ha-ha!) will order something and then comment about what they really want! Yes, I encourage them to get what they want, but in the end I cannot force anyone to do anything. In my experience my desire for something only grows when I want it and don’t get it. Light freaking quality opaque tights in my size in gorgeously rich colors (and that I can afford, I know, a unicorn!). Ahem. I digress…

Whatever your heart or belly or tongue or brain or body, etc, wants, please do allow yourself that. You’re worth it. <3

I had read a comment on a blog yesterday from someone who said that when they were “heavy” (no weight stated) that they felt sluggish, hindered and just “gross.” And, well, quite frankly this pissed me right off!

We all have days when we aren’t feeling our absolute best, but I’m sick of people saying that weight holds us back from living a life we want. That is utter *bullshit! I’m somewhere between 300 and 340lbs and I don’t feel sluggish or hindered at all! My fat has never kept me from doing anything I wanted to do. NOTHING!!! I have flown all over Europe, walked the many streets of Rome & Paris (honeymoon) and taken a helicopter ride over Maui (only time I was required to buy two seats, based on weight: totally worth it!), worn a bathing suit in Hana, Maui in front of a bunch of surfers and tourists, amusement park rides (okay, one ride I couldn’t go on ’cause I didn’t fit but I secretly didn’t want to go on this one, it looked scary!), I walk and run and play with my puppy…you name it! My fat is my BFF and not my enemy, yo!

And since I’m already talking about what pisses me right off, I am sick of people telling me about their diet or weight loss as though it’s a positive thing. I won’t always rain on their parade with comments like, “You know weight loss is the key indicator of many fatal diseases?” but I have occasionally said, “Oh, I’m sorry for your loss.” And yeah, perhaps this comes across as snarky or mean, but shit, I didn’t ask about your fucking eating habits or ass fluctuations and you certainly have never asked about mine (you totally should though, it will be fun to think of a witty remark just for you). And the people who binge eat for two months solid, basically from Halloween to NYE, only to swear off “bad” food forever come January first. Fuck all of that!

I live each day in my body. I live each day and eat to live. I wake up in the morning and need to fuel my brain and body. I could give a flying leap if ignorant jerks want to judge me based solely on my size. I don’t judge you, please stop judging me! And celebrities and their ridiculous shilling for diet programs?! JUST STOP!!! No one believes you! In a year or two or five when you’ve gained back 20% more than you lost to begin with and you’re depressed and your career is floundering? Well, Oprah won’t be there for you to cry on and to relaunch a new diet program. And don’t come cryin’ to me after the way you trashed the fat! You’re a human with a brain, do the research! Read a damned book! Don’t take any corporation at their word, ever! And stop spreading fucking myths!

Please stop believing every word your doctor says. Your doctor is subsidized by big pharma! And who makes diet pills? Big pharma! Who makes diabetes meds? Two guesses! Who wants us all sick as hell so that they can keep shaking us by our fucking ankles? Big pharma! And I’m sick of it! I am fat and I am healthy and best of all I am mutha-fuckin’ happy! And thanks to FA I have no problem telling someone in my life that I don’t want to hear about their diet or new exercise routine. I make no bones about asking someone, respectfully, to filter me from their LJ when talking about these things. I don’t wanna hear it. If you don’t wanna hear something I have to say, tell me, I’ll filter you or ask why and try to understand your side. No worries! But to prescribe hundreds of millions of people to change all at once for no reason at all (IMHO)…FUCK YOU!

Just had to get this off my chest. Hope you understand. Feel free to gripe away in comments. Thanks! =0)

*I do realize that there are many people in the world with various health and mobility issues where their weight may be a hindrance to them. I am in no way representing anyone but myself here.

I had recently read a post on Tumblr that included the quote, “EATING SUGAR DOES NOT CAUSE DIABETES.  It just doesn’t.  You cannot eat your way to diabetes.” And it blew my ever-loving mind! But then, then I made the mistake of saying that exact quote aloud, to my friends. You can guess what the response was. Sadly, I hadn’t researched it and was given a giant shutdown by my nearest and dearest and with nothing to back myself up, I fell silent. You know that had to be hard for me. Ha! But seriously? Why isn’t this information out there? Why do people believe that fat = diabetes? Because it’s bullshit if you ask me.

Last night my husband and I got into this conversation again and again I explained my side of it and while he admitted he didn’t know much about diabetes (he has an aunt with it, she’s thin), he still held to the myth. In fact he said, “You or I could have it right now and not know!” to me, straight-faced. I was gobsmacked. WTF?! I explained that I know I don’t have it for two reasons: I have been tested every fucking time I walk into a clinic/hospital/doctor’s office simply because they take a look at me and demand the fucking tests (I just know now, no matter what my ailment to fucking fast the night/morning before the appointment). Also, no one on either side of my family has ever had it. Simple as that. My dear husband then pointed to the foods we eat and the foods I grew up with. HELLO? NOT GENETICALLY PREDISPOSED!!! Also, not good enough for him.

I don’t want to start a fucking debate or shit storm here. I honestly, just want the TRUTH! I understand lifestyle and environmental factors vary, but seriously, is everyone at risk? I don’t believe that my fat will suddenly cause me to have diabetes, but it bothers the shit out of me that he thinks it’s possible. UGH! Please, give me information, experiences, links, anything!

Here’s what I’ve found (but still reading through):

http://www.diabetes.org/
http://fa-diab.com/home.html
http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/diabetes_index.html
https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Diabetes

Please do not attack anyone, you will be removed permanently! Use your manners, have some respect for your fellow humans and let us all discuss this openly and honestly, together!

Thanks. Y’all rock! (In case you didn’t know!)