"Passing as Thin" Apparently is Invitation to Fat-Phobic To Share How They Really Feel

So, I went on an OkCupid date last night and it didn't go too well. There are a variety of reasons why I'm not going on a second date (and he's not TOO TOO awful), but one of those reasons is that he's fat-phobic and apparently I've reached a thin enough stage to "pass" as a (if not skinny person), not fat person. Maybe as a fat-identified person, I'm too sensitive, but he had to tell this elaborate story about the indignity of sitting next to a fat person on his last leg of a trip (in 1st class no less--and those seats are way bigger) from Japan. Add insult to injury, dude was not a skinny minny himself--he's probably about 40lbs overweight. It just seemed mean and unnecessary, but it is probably something I'll have to get used to (and at times will be compelled to call people out for and at other times, like a bad first date, just leave alone because I don't want to have to deal with a stranger on the defensive, who will probably just call me a fat bitch for standing up for the fatties...remember, even if I ever achieve "skinny minny" status, women are always great targets for the body-shame/bitch combo by angry dude-bros).

Some converts, like myself, might be compelled to anti-fat tirades because of self-loathing or self-righteousness (I lost weight, why can't everybody?), luckily I'm not one of those people. No matter my size, I'll always be fat-identified and body-diversity promoting. There are so many identity factors that "the man"/the kyriarchy use to divide natural allies, and body acceptance is one of the most powerful, whether its about weight, hair-texture, height, coloring, etc. Only the trim, white man is normative and everybody else is "other," which is bullshit.

So, no second date for dude-bro (he also appears to be a binge drinker and culturally incurious, so those are also valid reasons for not going on date two), but I have a feeling that in my dating life, this will probably just be the first of many "fat people suck" jokes/comments I'll have to get through on my journey to find Mr. Right.

Yes, Imagine That

Models Faces Before Photoshop

Check out this video and article at Jezebel showing the transformation of close-up shots of models used for advertising. I can't embed the video here, but its short and as always, kinda shocking how skewed are media images really are. No one's skin is as smooth and flawless as a Loreal ad, not even a beautiful model's.

Check it out HERE.

Crystal Renn: Expectations

In this video, Crystal Renn discusses her recent weight-loss and failure to "live up to" the plus sized model ideal. When she was in her teens modeling in the "straight-sized" modeling world (aka size 0-4 realm) she suffered from an eating disorder. Then she got healthy and got a "plus sized modeling contract." She's recently lost a bit of weight (not to the extent that takes her back into "straight-sized" modeling, but rather puts her right in-between the modeling sized world).

Bottom line: trying to fit Renn into a modeling box (or any woman) isn't healthy. She's beautiful, she takes great pictures, she's a model...but apparently being a size 8 is too confusing for the industry (or fashion media) to comprehend.

There must be way more size 8 women buying clothes than size 2 women in the real world...mustn't there? Why isn't body diversity taken more seriously in the industry? A diverse group of women modeling clothing for a diverse client base seems to make perfect sense to me.

Biggest Weight Stories of 2010

Since I linked yesterday to Jezebel's Photoshop Hall of Shame gallery, I thought I'd also share this link to their "The Biggest Weight Stories" of 2010. Jezebel does a great job of covering both the social injustices committed against fat folks and a balancing of health-related articles or health-trend pieces. They are very balanced on this--they have a strict anti-body-snarking policy, but they aren't HAES fundamentalists. Most of these articles, we at FFFB linked to or discussed ourselves during 2010, but they all bear re-hashing.

Reading Recommendation: How the Skinny Bitch Discourse Isolates Women

Check out this very thoughtful post a Jezebel: "How the Skinny Bitch Discourse Isolates Women."

Some salient points of interest:

The key change in the past decade around skinniness is the explicit recognition of thinness as a marker not only of status, but of proud isolation from other women.
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It seems likely that this "discourse of female cruelty" works in tandem with the narrative of compulsory individuality to suggest to young women that theirs is a hyper-competitive world where success is a solitary and sexualized pursuit. Whether it's chasing grades or getting guys, even your sisters are nothing more than "frenemies" at best.
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What's new is that rather than seeking to strengthen young women's bonds with each other, the dominant cultural message seems determined to fray them further. The relentless reminder that other girls are mean and manipulative combines with the suggestion that success (good colleges, good boyfriends, good jobs, good praise) is scarcer than ever and requires ever more competitive effort.
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I have a friend, "J" and she is a size 2. When she went to study abroad, her host mother was so offended by how thin she was, she insisted that she take second and third helpings of lunch and dinner. She was able to gain 8lbs after a full semester of rich, plentiful French food. She went home for Christmas, her mother was THRILLED to see that she had gained 8lbs! She lost the weight--over the freakin' holidays! Her metabolism was just too fast to maintain that 8lb weight gain without eating past her level of comfort/satiety on a regular basis. She has had to endure "skinny bitch" joking or not comments most of her life. She is not "a mean girl"--she is lovely and a delight. Perfectionism, extreme self-control, A-type personality, "bitchiness"--these are the stereotypes that characterize the very thin. Lazy, out-of-control, "jolly," ignorant--these are the stereotypes that characterize the fat. No one body type has market-control over laziness or bitchiness. People in all shapes and sizes exhibit personality disorders, as well as kindness, diligence and compassion. The article referenced above does an excellent job of looking at isolation and the alienation of women/girls from one another through body-type ideation. In order for fat-activists and body-acceptance activists to succeed in making the content of our character our markers rather than our body-types, we need to help our very-thin sisters feel included in these discussions. This means avoiding making those "eat a sandwich" jokes and supporting eating disorder victims (even when their own disorders makes them cringe when they see average/fat people). Vive la différence!

Must Read

Check out this article by Jezebel's Tasha Fierce regarding the under-representation of women of color among the recent bevy of plus-sized features in mainstream women's fashion magazines. Its well written, thoughtful and honest. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.

Lane Bryant: Censored?

So, apparently, Fox thought that the above commercial was unsuitable for an ad-buy during American Idol, YET similarly scantily clad Victoria Secret models/commercials have run during the SAME TIME SLOT!

From Lane Bryant's own Blog:

It appears that 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.

ABC refused to show the commercial during “Dancing with the Stars” without restricting our airtime to the final moments of the show. Fox demanded excessive re-edits and rebuffed it three times before relenting to air it during the final 10 minutes of “American Idol,” but only after we threatened to pull the ad buy.

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 during what they call “prime time.”

We knew the ads were sexy, but they are not salacious. Our new commercials represent the sensuality of the curvy woman who has more to show the world than the typical waif-like lingerie model. What we didn’t know was that the networks, which regularly run Victoria’s Secret and Playtex advertising on the very shows from which we’re restricted, would object to a different view of beauty. If Victoria’s Secret and Playtex can run ads at any time during the 9pm to 10pm hour, why is Lane Bryant restricted only to the final 10 minutes?

Discrimination? Yes clearly, but good for business? Probably. Lane Bryant will probably get more buzz from the controversy than the original ad alone would generate, but that doesn't make it right.

Clothing Store Owner Can't Fit Into Her Own Stock!

The Times of London Online has an article up with Belle Robinson, the owner of the boutique clothing store, Jigsaw in London. Its subtitle suggests a message of uplift and support for "normal" sized women: "The chic Jigsaw owner, Belle Robinson, explains why not being sample size is less important than loving your life."

That's great, sample sizes (0's or 2's) are unrealistic and unhealthy for more women (not all, I'm not being a skinny-bitch hater here). Here's the crux of the issue, Jezebel uncovered that Jigsaw only offers sizes up to a UK 14 (US 12) and that Ms. Robinson is a size UK 16 (US 14). Her own boutique doesn't carry clothing that would fit her and yet she's trying to impress upon Times of London readers a message of body self-acceptance? Cognitive dissonance much?

The difficulty finding stylish clothing that respond to many body-types is just the kind of experience that helps to reinforce to women who wear 10's, 12's, 14's, 16's, 18's and gasp beyond the sense of comfort in our own bodies. I am not suggesting that Jigsaw change its business model and become a plus-sized boutique, but about about integrating a few more sizes (say, up to 24?) into your stock. Most certainly, integrate a size 16-18! Seriously, self-hatred sucks--get over it! And please, don't give me your body acceptance speech without first, oh, I don't know--accepting your body and the bodies of women like you into your shop.

Three Models of Varying Sizes: Is this authentic body diversity?

Glamour, or someone, leaked a couple photos via Live Journal from the body-diversity shoot scheduled to don the June cover of said magazine. The models are, from left to right, Victoria’s Secret model Alessandra Ambrosio, the most popular plus-size model Crystal Renn, and Sports Illustrated hottie Brooklyn Decker. Ambrosio is considered a standard model, Renn plus sized and Decker a glamour model or lad-mag (think Maxim) model. Notice that these are pre-photoshopped, so expect Ambrosio's ribs to be smoothed over, Renn's tummy tucked a bit and Decker's hips curved and waist cinched (those are just my predictions based on standard treatment of models, not that any of these women need to be altered!).

So, is this body diversity? Well, there's no women of color, they are all tall and leggy and conventionally beautiful, but they do wear different sizes. I guess its a step, but its still kind of playing on the "oh, Glamour is so special considering women of varying sizes and not just doing all of its shots with sample-size models like Ambrosio." So, it might be a gimmick they get tired of, not a commitment to long-lasting body diversity.

What are your thoughts readers?

Must Read: Eating Diorders Somehow Still Occuring in Fashion Industry

Check out this in-depth article at Jezebel regarding eating disorders, disordered eating and the unsafe working conditions within the fashion industry. Its well written and researched. My favorite quote:

Agencies need to stop telling women like Coco Rocha "We don't want you to be anorexic, we just want you to look it!" Because too many of them are. In any other job, a worker who developed a serious health problem due to the job's conditions would get workers' compensation. Models get, generally speaking, fired. In any other job, if enough workers were developing the same serious health problem due to the job's conditions, there would be an outcry, and the dangerous conditions would be abolished.

I have to say that because this is a female dominated field and it bolsters the illusion of wealth and glamor, there will be few in sympathy with the author, Jezebel's Jenna's, call to model worker rights, health or safety. Much like prostitutes, models are dismissed (though better paid) as doing unnecessary work (unlike, say a coal miner who gets black-lung and deserves protection). Coal miners, prostitutes and models all deserve safe working conditions. All human beings are worthy of dignity and a shared protection under the law.

In addition to protecting the health and safety of models, we need to consider the health and safety of women and girls.

According to a study conducted by the Girl Scouts of America:

"75% rate fashion as "really important." Almost nine out of ten feel pressure to be thin. And celebrities and models influence girls' self-perceptions more than parents or friends. Obviously, conditions need to change within the fashion industry to benefit the models who live and work in an environment that can be hazardous to their health. But with fashion playing such a crucially influential role in the lives of young women, we need change — larger sample sizes, more diversity in magazines and on the runway, a greater focus on health and better eating disorder screening — for the good of all girls.

Interestingly enough, the vast majority of teenagers would also prefer to consume fashion imagery that has not been excessively Photoshopped, and to buy clothes modeled by people who aren't super-skinny. These sound like specific instructions from a key segment of the apparel market — meaning that change would not only be morally admirable, but remunerative as well. The only question, as always, is whether or not the fashion industry is listening."

Christina Hendricks' Photo Altered by NY Times Fashion Editor

This is interesting, after the Golden Globes there was a flap about a New York Times fashion writer who criticized Christina Hendricks dress/body-type. Cathy Horn said, "You don't put a big girl in a big dress. That's rule number one."

Hendricks, of Mad Men fame--disclaimer, its one of my favorite shows and she's a veteran of another favorite show of mine,Firefly--Hendricks is well known for her rockin' bod and bombshell appeal, in addition to her clever delivery of dialogue and the withering look. She is also lauded and shamed for showing off her curves and daring to be glamorous over a size 2.

It turns out that the image of her Golden Globes dress that accompanied Horn's article was actually doctored to be wider--yes, that's right folks photoshop was actually used to make an actress look larger--shockers! Horn claims that it was accidentally distorted, I call bullshit, but whatever.

Hendricks' husband stuck up for his wife, stating:
“I was just upset about the whole Golden Globes dress thing. I thought she looked so gorgeous. And that New York Times blogger saying that… It’s so ridiculous.

“What was nice was seeing the entire internet come after that blogger. That was really cool. It was the first time I saw just a solid block of ‘You’re crazy! What’s wrong with you? You should be ashamed of yourself!’ And honestly, the Gray Lady (New York Times' nickname) should be ashamed of themselves to print a picture like that, that they widened!”

It is nice to see that the majority of posts seemed to criticize the blogger for interpreting Ms. Hendricks body as "a big girl's" body in the first place, prior to revealing the doctored photo--and I"m glad to hear it. But, I think that showing that photos are doctored to malign as well as to create false images of unattainable beauty, deserves more of a discussion. Personally, I'm really liking the present legislation in France that requires advertisers to note in their commercials that the images have been doctored by photoshop (kind of reminds me of alcohol and cigarette ads with the surgeon general's warning on them).

I'd also like to mention that Christina Hendricks is still 99% more beautiful that the vast majority of human beings, and even if her weight is more attainable than the average starlets', constantly comparing oneself to beautiful people probably isn't healthy. As John Donne said, "comparisons are odious." Appreciating beauty, on the other hand, can be a source of delight. So, I will give you a brief gallery of Joan, I mean, Yolanda...I mean Christina in the next post (since Blogspot won't let me put the photos as the end of this one! Grr Argh).

Vintage Beauties: Ann-Margret

Vintage Body Snarking?

Is it just me, or is this vintage photo of Sophia Loren with Jane Mansfield just screaming: "bitch, please?"

Vintage Beauties

I'm going to start a new series "Vintage Beauties" to remind readers that our present view of beauty and ideal body-type is not timeless, let alone universal. If readers can direct me to images of vintage women of color, that would be great. Vintage Beauties will post every Friday.

French Women Do Get Fat???

Oh, NOOOESSSS! Apparently the French are human!!! According to THIS study, French women do get fat!

The article says:

According to a 2009 study published on Tuesday, 15.1 percent of France's women are classed as clinically obese, while a further 26 percent are overweight.

The survey, conducted by TNS Sofres Healthcare and Swiss pharmaceuticals company Roche, also pointed to similar trends among the male population, with 13.9 percent of Frenchmen obese and 38.5 percent overweight.

The world has long marveled at the ability of the French population, and particularly its women, to remain thin in a country famed for its pastries, cheese and wine.

French author Mireille Guilano even published a diet manual in 2004 entitled "French Women Don't Get Fat," praising the eating habits of women who prefer to savour their food calmly and never snack between meals.

But the reality is that over the past 12 years, the average French person has put on 3.1 kg (6.83 lb) and added a further 4.7 cm (1.85 inches) around the waist, the survey showed.

Doctor Marie-Aline Charles, who helped conduct the research, said urban lifestyles were largely to blame.

"Obesity rates have really risen sharply in urban areas where there's a concentration of sedentary jobs, public transport, less need to walk and a much greater availability of food," she told Reuters in a telephone interview.

However, other countries, especially the United States, were faring worse, she said.

"We're currently seeing in France the same levels of obesity as in the United States in the 1970s, so we're about 40 years behind," she said.

Vintage Ad-: Wate-On

I thought that this was interesting. Remember, the pressure to be skinny was not always ideal, even in Hollywood. This actress is endorsing Wate-On, a weight gain supplement to help her add pounds on to a figure deemed too skinny for the early 1960's aesthetic. Of course, we here at FFFB try not to pile on the body-snarking of any shape, skinny bitches included. As always, let's try for our healthiest, whatever your frame tends toward. If that means gaining a few pounds or losing a few pounds, that's up to you. If you currently weigh 250 lbs, aiming for 100lbs is probably not going to be the healthiest for you, but 160lbs might be great. Conversely, if you weight 100lbs, aiming for 135lbs might not be realistic for you either, so think about 120lbs.

Tiana Arrives at Disney World

Princess Tiana from Disney's upcoming film The Princess and the Frog arrived via horse drawn carriage to the Magic Kingdom's Castle this weekend. The movie opens in December and features Disney's first Black Princess, a needed addition to the pantheon of Disney characters.

Now, I think that this princessification of young girls lives is a bit dodgy and fairly essentialist, but regardless I think that little girls of all races and ethnic groups should have media characters who are heroic, spunky, and smart to look up to in age-appropriate films and TV shows. Mulan saves a nation, Pocohontus bridges the divide between two peoples, Cinderella & the Little Mermaid take charge of their lives by disobeying authority (okay, I'm hard pressed to find anything redeeming in Sleeping Beauty or Snow White's stories), Belle sees beyond a monster's mask to glimpse a man striving for redemption. Tiana, it seems from the trailer, will go on an adventure and will be an active participant in the storyline, not a passive Snow White or Sleeping Beauty. So, dear reader, planning to see the movie?

Check out the trailer:

Photoshop of RIDICULOUS

Just as an update to LisaD's post regarding Ralph Lauren's firing of Filippa Hamilton for being "too fat," I'd like to post the crazy photoshopped images of her (above) and another model (below) which are completely non-human looking. So, now Barbie Doll images aren't enough, you have to be a Bratz Doll? With freakishly large heads and stick-thin figures? Great, what's next? It is Halloween season, maybe let's go for the full-fledged skelton-chic? The thing about these images is that they are SOOOOO poorly photoshopped that you can tell how ridiculous and non-representative they are, but the majority of photoshopped images that are marketed to women and teens are a bit more subtle and therefore even more insidiously dangerous to our collective psyches regarding beauty industry standards and reality based beauty (or normalacy). Ralph Lauren will not get a dime from me--not that I could afford or fit into his clothes, but he does household goods (towels, shower curtains) and paint. So, dear reader, if you are fed up by the tryanny of the photoshop wand, consider avoiding RL products or drop them a line HERE.

Splitsville: Madonna and Tracy Anderson

Former BFF's, Madonna and her controversial trainer, Tracy Anderson

So, apparently Madonna and her controversial personal trainer, Tracy Anderson have parted ways. The break-up comes after criticism of the pop icon's highly muscled arms and charges that she has become obsessed with exercise, working out 4-6 hours per day at times. It is also rumored that Madonna was not pleased with the Philippe van den Bossche, former director of her Raising Malawi Charity, leaving the post to join Anderson in New York as her new boyfriend.

Following the break-up, Anderson is now being sued by a former partner, Glynn Barbar, for $1 million dollars. He alleges that she swindled him our of $1 million in initial investments in her business and despite her evident success, she has not returned any of the venture funds to him. In the NY Post article, his English seemed a bit broken, so I hope he has contracts and documentation to back up his claims.

I'm not celebrating the demise of Ms. Anderson's business--and of course she still has her #2 client, Gwyneth Paltrow, at least two studios, and a DVD business. In previous FFFB posts, I've pointed out that Ms. Anderson claims that anybody can look like Madonna, which is patently false and which dismisses the value of body diversity. We've also called Ms. Anderson out for her size 0 perfection worship and the promotion of fitness routines that might fall in the exercise-bulimia category. Its crucial to remember that sometimes these media empires, particularly those that are predicated on flash-in-the-pan exercise fads are sometimes a house of cards. Ms. Anderson's fame and fortune seems to be just that. So, instead of trying to find the right exercise guru to fix our problems, let's all make a commitment to do something reasonable today. Thursday I went to the gym and got on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes (after having taken a mile walk as part of a campus Wellness activity), Friday and Saturday I helped a family member move (that's cardio and toning!), Monday I took a 50 minute walk outdoors, today I take another walk and I'll do a Pilates DVD (its Fall break, so I should be able to squeeze both in).