Rosie & The Fatties: Representin’?
Not just a fabulous band name (hey wanna start a band?!), but last night I watched the new Rosie O’Donnell show on OWN. Okay, well, I taped it and watched it later. I cannot stand commercials. Can ya blame me? Anyway, I was watching and right in her opening monologue/stand-up she mentioned “fatties” and then said, “I mean that in a loving way” and I have to say, I’m not sure how anyone else took it, but I love it! Rosie is representin’ without shame! Woo Hoo!
Okay, specific quote to come here…
She’s talking about how she had to have a microphone (with a stand, as she gestures) for her monologue/stand-up at the beginning of the show, because she’s been a stand-up comedian since she was sixteen years old and now she’s forty-nine and all and she sees Jimmy Fallon and Jay Leno and kind of makes hand gestures like they would. She mentions not knowing what to do with her hands and so she had to have the microphone.
“I like to have the mic, too, so I won’t do that chubby person shirt pull. Are you familiar with this? Anybody? All of the plus sized people, all of the fatties like me, and I mean that in a loving way…We do this (grabs front of shirt with pinchy fingers and pulls) I don’t even realize I do it, but I do it a lot. I watch myself –Why? Why do we do this? Is there such a big difference …it’s like this, oh no no not appealing, but this way Oh she’s Pippa Middleton look at her she is so svelte and fantastic. Just pull the hell out of…I don’t think Diane von Fürstenberg design for that, I dunno.”
And just like that…she’s a self-accepting fatty! I love it! I mean, it can’t be fake, right? I hope it’s not. In fact, I’m considering writing her a letter. I am not yet sure what I want to say, but I appreciate the fact that she’s okay even saying the word “fatties” let alone associating herself with it AND saying it’s in a “loving way.” She later said when asked by an audience member about what she’s proudest of she said of course her kids, “that and the fact that I’m not wearing Spanx right now. I’m very proud of that. Because I had to stand up to my wardrobe terrorist, who insisted I wear Spanx. Are you familiar with these? They’re horrible. They’re a torture device. I’m sure they use them at Guantanamo. I don’t k now what the hell–”
That’s right! She fought to not wear Spanx! How rad is that? Well, I think it’s pretty rad. You so rarely hear about people not wanting to wear these things let alone question what the point of them even is. I love it. I love her, I have a good feeling about the show. Mind you, it didn’t hurt me one bit that her first guest was Russell Brand. He’s delightful. I am fascinated by him. Not in an obsessive way, no I save that for other blokes for sure, but I enjoy him. I haven’t seen “Arthur” or even “Get Him to The Greek” but I just like him. I found the conversation between him and Rosie to be cute and funny, if not a bit stiff. It was live after all, so perhaps nerves?
So, what should I write to Rosie? I’d love your suggestions! What were your thoughts on her first episode?
I say send her a link to this article.
Either that or send her a mash note for publicly reviling Spanx.
Twistie: Not a bad idea, lady. Thank you.
I think it’s a great idea to write to Rosie, just to let her know that her message was heard and appreciated and hopefully she keeps up her size support. I didn’t see her first episode, but I can totally identify with her shirt-pull comment. I used to do that a lot when I wore button-down cotton shirts, especially with my big tum. Since moving on to cotton knit tops, I don’t do the shirt-pull so much, since I find it happens more with button-down shirts. If I do a shirt pull these days, it’s usually to pull my shirt down in the back because it’s riding up over my bum when I’m sitting at my desk or sitting in the car.
Get Him To the Greek was pretty funny, but the original Arthur movie with Dudley Moore was a fixture in my childhood, so I’d never sully it by seeing an awful remake, even with Brand in it. That said, Russell Brand is a pretty good guy in my estimation. I think his work at overcoming his drug addiction really humbled him and brought him down to earth a little. His wife Katy Perry is from my hometown, and from the way Katy tells the story of how they met, she totally hit on him first and went after him, not the other way around. He apparently loved it enough to marry her, which is a good sign of a secure guy, if he can accept a woman coming on to him and doesn’t find it “too masculine.” He also said some very kind words about Amy Winehouse after her untimely death and proved himself to be a stand-up guy while a lot of other people were trashing her.
thirtiesgirl: Oh yes, I love how they met and I think they’re a fab couple. Thanks.