Sporting my black dress at the Producers Guild Awards
It’s getting close to that time again. The Oscars are nearly upon us and you can’t spit in Hollywood these days without hitting an awards show or two. So it got me thinking. Just how much does that red carpet weigh? Yup, that’s the kind of stuff I think about these days. So I set out on a mission to find out.
First I had to figure out how big the Oscars red carpet is. The answer is, it’s HUGE! Check out this photo from Google maps:
That’s a loooong walk in 4-inch heels. My research tells me that the Oscars red carpet which takes a large chunk of Hollywood Boulevard measures 33 feet wide and over 500 feet long! That’s 16,500 square feet of carpet! Apparently the rental cost on this much red carpet could range between $20,000 and $30,000 once service and maintenance fees are taken into account. (That’s not counting the cleaning bill. And somehow I don’t think renting a Rug Doctor machine from the local grocery store is gonna cut it.)
Estimates for the weight of carpet are all over the map. But the most consistent guess I saw puts the weight at about 5 pounds per square yard. So let’s do the math:
Rug Area (in feet) 16,500
Rug Area (in yards) 1,834
Carpet Weight (in pounds) 9,170
Conclusion while many of the starlets on it may not, the red carpet at the Oscars weighs more than me.
P.S. Be sure to enter your miles or minutes at Fit Fatties Across America before noon today in order to count towards this week’s goals. Let’s get out of Colorado people!
The February newsletter is coming out soon. Don’t miss it, sign up for The Fat Chick Clique today!
In episode 003 of the Right Now show, we explore the new initiative by the Association for Size Diversity And Health (ASDAH) called RESOLVED: addressing weight bias in health care. Jeanette DePatie (AKA The Fat Chick) shares some stories about her journey in healthcare and shares details about the RESOLVED project with the viewers.
For more information about the RESOLVED project, go to the ASDAH website. And to read another story about a truly frightening misdiagnosis of a fat person, click on THIS LINK.
P.S. This marks my 365th blog post! (One whole YEAR of blog posts=YAY!)
Don’t forget to enter your miles in the Fit Fatties Across America page on the Fit Fatties Forum. Let’s see if we can get out of Colorado and a little further down the road!
And if you’d like more information about how to pick a doctor that’s right for you, there’s a whole CHAPTER on that subject in my book The Fat Chick Works Out! You can buy a hard copy or an e-book, whichever you like!
I love the Ellen show. I love the sweet, silly nature of it. I love the dance breaks. I love Ellen’s work to end bullying. So I was so very sad when one of my readers gave me a heads up that Jillian Michaels was going to be interviewed on the Ellen show. Sure enough, the show aired yesterday, and I am so very disappointed. I am so sad that Ellen had professional bully Jillian Michaels on her show for a super soft interview. First, she let Jillian go on and on about how she’s helping people with The Biggest Loser. Please. Who exactly is Jillian helping with that show? Scientific studies have been conducted. One of those studies indicates that people are less likely to exercise after watching The Biggest Loser. So the show discourages exercise. What about weight loss? According to Yoni Freedhoff in his excellent article “When Science Met the Biggest Loser” even former contestants of the show are unlikely to keep the weight off. There are a few, who have since made their body size into a career with lucrative speaking engagements and product endorsements who manage to stay thin. A group of researchers including the show’s own Robert Huizenga have determined that those participating in shows like The Biggest Loser face an extremely significant metabolic slowdown after their weight loss, making it very difficulty and extremely unlikely that participants will maintain their weight loss. Another study cited in Freedhoff’s excellent article indicates that people who watched even a single episode of The Biggest Loser led viewers to “dramatically increase their own hateful and negative biases towards those with obesity”.
So who is Jillian helping? She’s making millions of dollars participating in a show that increases stigma against people of size, makes people less likely to exercise and espouses a weight loss method almost guaranteed to leave participants even larger in the long run.
Next, Jillian went on to complain that her role on the show is taken out of context and that people see her as a “cartoon caricature”. Yet, in this same episode of Ellen, Jillian participates in a segment where she “yells at Ellen” and is in turn yelled at by Sean Hays for not, yelling at Ellen well enough. The clip concludes with Ellen and Sean making sure Jillian is gone and then stuffing popcorn and donuts into their face as quickly as they can. So if Jillian worried about her image as the woman who yells at people a lot, she sure has a funny way of dispelling that image. I think it important to mention the one thing in this clip that is accurate. There are studies that indicate that shaming and bullying people is more likely to produce binge eating and other negative health habits than to encourage healthy habits. So score one for accuracy there. But I don’t think Jillian is misunderstood. She is a professional bully. She makes her living by finding new ways to humiliate and shame fat people. She makes MILLIONS of dollars at it. Misunderstood? I think she’s understood only too well. If by chance there is some shred of decency in her, if she really doesn’t believe in behaving like a cartoon villain, guess what? All she had to do was walk away from the show and not come back. All she had to do was turn down those big fat paychecks. She didn’t. She may use that “I’m helping people” line to make herself feel better, but she isn’t making people feel better. She isn’t making people healthier. What she’s making is money and LOTS of it. What’s not to understand?
Then Jillian went on to a section where she busted some exercise myths. Please. As if Jillian Michaels is somebody we should trust to fill us in on health and fitness. The Biggest Loser is one of the greatest perpetrators of exercise myths on the planet. As I pointed out in two previous posts, just about everything they do on The Biggest Loser goes against solid exercise science. And as was stated previously in this post, science indicates that The Biggest Loser does more harm than good. Either Jillian is in agreement with what happens on The Biggest Loser which demonstrates poor analytical skills, or she’s in disagreement with what happens on The Biggest Loser and participates merely to make a buck. Either way, this is not a person I’m going to turn to for solid advice about health and fitness.
I can’t say I’m disappointed in Jillian. She delivered exactly the kind of nonsense I thought she would. But I am disappointed that Ellen caved to whatever pressure was brought to bear and allowed someone like Jillian Michaels on her show. I’m so sad that Ellen offered yet another media platform to a person who makes her living hurting and humiliating fat people.
By the way, the petition to keep kids off The Biggest Loser is still live. If you haven’t signed yet, you still can. Why not do it Right Now?
If, like me, you were privileged enough to go to A Fatty Affair last weekend, I imagine you are still basking in the afterglow of what can only be called a massively cool rad fatty event. If you didn’t get to go, I’m sorry. But you can still view the clip above to get an idea of just how much awesome and win was experienced by all.
There was singing and dancing. There was talk about sex. There was home-baked yummy desserts. There were hula hoops. There were butt bounces. There was laughing and playing and more fabulous clothes for swapping than you can even imagine.
Kudos go out to Sarah Redman and her entire planning committee for creating such an uplifting, warm and positive event. I can’t wait for next year! Thankfully, Sarah has informed us that they plan on doing even more events in the coming year. If you want to stay on top of all the stuff this great group is cooking up, check out their web site.
This weekend reminded me once again, just how powerful community can be. I think at one time or another all of us feel like we are all alone in our journey towards self acceptance. But there’s no reason to go it alone. In addition to the Fatty Affair folks, there’s the Size Diversity Task Force (who has already collected over 15,000 pages towards the Paper Mache in a Big, Big Way project), ASDAH, The Fat Chick Clique and The Fit Fatties Forum (who have reached the Rockies in their jaunt across the USA). Don’t worry if one particular group is too far away or doesn’t fit your style. There are amazing size acceptance groups everywhere! So don’t try to do it all by yourself. Share or be square!
A friend recently sent me a link to this fabulous video on facebook. Apparently some dancers were looking for some inspiration for their new dance piece. And as they were dancing, 14-month old Ivo wandered in and started doing his thing. The dancers decided to let him lead and the result is the above linked facebook video which is rapidly going viral.
And why is that? He’s not a world celebrated choreographer. He never danced at the Bolshoi or studied with Fosse or Graham. So what is it about this little guy that has made him a facebook phenom at such a tender age?
I admit that I smiled and even giggled a little as I watched this video. Ivo is terribly cute! But I think what attracted me most is the idea that Ivo’s performance perfectly embodies joyful movement. Ivo is not calculating how many fat grams he’s burning or working on his “core”. Ivo is not wondering about calories or carb loading or fast twitch muscle fibers. Nope. Ivo is just dancing because he hears some music and because it feels good and because it’s fun. The fact that all the bigger people joined in is just an extra bonus feature as far as Ivo is concerned. Ivo is dancing because Ivo wants to dance.
I think children have so much to teach us about what joyful movement is and what if feels like. I was inspired by a talk given by the ever-fabulous Deb Burgard at last Saturday’s A Fatty Affair in San Jose (which totally rocked by the way). In her talk, Deb talked about how as an adult, she wants to bring recess back. She asks us to remember how great it felt to hear the bell ring and run outside and jump on the swings or the merry-go-round or teeter-totter. She reminds us of the release that came from just moving our bodies because it felt good, because it was a reprieve from studies and books and because it was fun!
Outside of borrowing a 14-month old kid to teach our fitness classes, I wonder how we can find our way back to this feeling again. Can we just hop on a swing and pump our legs as we taste the sky? Can we feel the whoosh of air going by as we spin on the merry-go-round? Can we respond to an elegant Cello solo by flopping on the floor and kicking our legs in the air?
Look, I’m a fitness professional. Obviously I believe there is a time and a place for integrating exercise science into our workouts. Science can help lead us to exercise and help shape our exercise plans so we can exercise safely and effectively. But I don’t think it’s the science that keeps us exercising. I think it’s the sky tasting, whoop and swoop and kicking that does it. So that’s the challenge I’d like to offer you right now. I’d like to invite you to let Ivo, and your old playground self to inform your next workout. Then, if you like, you could drop me an email or post in the comments to let us know how it went.
Oh my goodness. Once I saw this posted on my friend Kathleen’s wall, I just knew what I was going to use for my Friday blog post this week. I mean it’s got everything! It’s a sculpture, and it’s frozen and it’s made of cow poop! It’s in Russia, and it depicts a king cobra just in time for (wait for it) the Year of the Snake.
And lest you think this is the first of its kind, it appears that the artist, Mikhail Bopposov is a serial scat sculptor. Apparently Mikhail has previously created a poop tank, and a winged serpent to celebrate the Year of the Dragon.
He’s practicing up for next year which will be the Year of the Horse. At least I know that I won’t run out of blog, um, material for a while.
Anyways, here’s the stats (that I could find…)
Subject: King Cobra
Materials: Cow dung (“balbalkh” as it is known in his native Yakut language) contributed from Mikhail’s 17 cows.
Weight: 880 pounds
Conclusion: The world’s largest poo sculpture weighs more than me.
This week on episode 2 of “The Right Now Show with Jeanette DePatie (AKA The Fat Chick) I’ll be talking about a fabulous activism project created by the Size Diversity Task Force (of which I am a proud member). The Size Diversity Task Force is asking folks to “liberate” diet books from thrift shops and rummage sales and donate the pages to the SDTF. The group will then take the pages and use them to create a world-record breaking paper-mache sculpture! You can learn more about it here:
Oh and if you’d like to win extra special bonus points and save the planet while you’re liberating diet books, check out this video created by Julianne Wotasik and Ragen Chastain:
I had so much fun working on this trailer. And I liberated over 1,500 pages for the cause just in one day! It was easy! Thanks so much for your interest in the show. Remember, I’m collecting ideas for future shows so drop me an email at jeanette at thefatchick dot com to let me know what you’d like me to talk about.
And to make sure you don’t miss a single episode of The Right Now! Show, don’t forget to subscribe to this channel.
P.S. Tonight I’ll also be doing a Teleseminar with Anne Cuthbert. You can sign up for free right HERE! I’ll be speaking at 5:00 PM (PST) and I can’t wait to take your questions about how to set up fitness resolutions that won’t leave you sad, sick, injured or dead!
Isn’t it interesting how so many people who have never met us are nevertheless quite sure they know exactly what we want? I have been inspired by a number of amazing posts by fellow HAES experts this week that talk about the notion that no matter what the cost, we all want to be thin.
It all started with Ragen Chastain’s amazing post about the notion of having a “fat brain”. She talks about the various “experts” she’s run into who promise that being fat is simply a state of mind. These experts tell us that if we just get our mind right, we’ll be thin. And I have to state, I’ve run into a fair share of folk who have suggested the same thing to me. I remember sitting through a lecture during one of my fitness certifications where the leaders decided to go off book. They drew a stick person on the board with a hole in the center. They said that fat people eat because they have a hole in their lives that they need to fill with food. They suggested that once these poor fat folks figured out where the “empty spot” was and learned to fill it with something other than food, they would be thin. I wish I could say that I stood up at that moment and asked the leaders where the “hole” was in my fat body, because I sure couldn’t see it. I think I was too angry and freaked out to stand up at that moment. (And in retrospect, maybe asking a fitness instructor to help me find my “hole” wasn’t such a good idea after all. And in light of the proposed medicalized bulimia apparatus a new “hole” may wind up in the future of quite a few fat folk.) I seethed the entire weekend and ultimately wrote a scathingly bad review and called the district supervisor. But the message of these misguided teachers was nevertheless quite clear. I had a fat body because I had a fat brain. And nobody wants a fat brain, right?
Except, I kinda do. Because you know what? Brains are made up of mostly water and fat. And we can argue on and on about the type of fat that is in our brains. But no matter how you slice it, a scrawny, skinny brain is not the very best for thinkin’. I like my fat brain. In fact, I might even want to plump that bad boy up a little. So score 0 for the folks who felt quite confident they could read my chubby little mind.
On to the next cyberbump on this topic, this time delivered by the always amazing Dr. Deah Schwartz. It seems she was pretty upset about the last line found in this article discussing how endocrine disruptors have been shown to cause obesity in mice. The article begins with a picture of two mice–one skinny and one fat and ends with the line, “After all, which mouse would we rather look like?” Clearly the author believes that no one would rather look like the more rotund rodent. Just like nobody could possibly want a fat brain. Except, I’m not so sure. I think the tubby mouse actually looks a little cuter. And since this mouse study seems to indicate that mice who are on a diet seem to be depressed all the time, I think I’d prefer to look like the fluffier little fella.
Look. If you wanna be my lover (or friend or collegue), don’t assume you know what I want. Don’t assume that I am eager to meet your aesthetic standards for the way I look or what I eat or how I hope to be. If you want to know, ask. Then I’ll tell you what I want what I really, really want. The answer just might be something completely different than you originally thought.
Love,
The Fat Chick.
P.S. Tune in to the blog tomorrow for the next episode of my new YouTube show: “Right Now! with Jeanette DePatie (AKA The Fat Chick). And don’t miss the telesummit I”m doing with Anne Cuthbert tomorrow about setting safe, healthy and happy exercise goals. And finally don’t forget to add your minutes and miles to the Fit Fatties Across America form. Help us get all the way to San Jose in time for A Fatty Affair on Saturday! We’ve got 1,300 miles to go, so enter your time and your miles today!
Okay, so the laryngitis has not let up. In fact it’s gotten worse. I included the video above to both approximate the only sound I am capable of making right about now and to achieve the decibel level I wish I could (but absolutely cannot) currently reach. My doctor and my Mom suggest that the best thing I can do to get better is to rest quietly. To which I say, “Oh poop!”
Sigh…
At first my hubby thought it was awesome that he got to talk so much more. Then he thought that my impromptu charades were kind of cute. Now, he’s feeling more like I am–deeply annoyed by the whole thing. There’s nothing like having to find scrap paper and a pen to put an end to small talk. And I’ve had the joy of having to listen in on conference calls and then text somebody to be my voice on the call. All I can say is that as frustrated as I am with being sick, I am deeply grateful for all the help my friends and family have offered me, and for how incredibly gracious people have been about allowing me to reschedule things.
Speaking of gracious and wonderful people, I have to thank the wonderful Anne Cuthbert who has allowed me to switch teleseminar times with her. (Anne is a super classy and extremely wonderful woman!) So now, God and vocal chords-willing, I will be speaking on Thursday, January 24 at 5 PM PST instead of my previously scheduled time. Please show Anne how much you appreciate her being so incredibly accommodating, and check out her seminar tomorrow at 5PM PST. You can register for both seminars HERE.
You also may want to lace up your sneakers for our special Fit Fatties Across America challenge for the week. We’re going to try to make it all the way to San Jose in time for A Fatty Affair this Saturday. We’re already in Colorado, but we have over 1,300 miles to go in order to hit our target. Don’t forget to enter your time or miles in THIS FORM on the Fit Fatties Forum. California here we come!
It is so true, that we seldom truly appreciate things until they are gone. I miss my ability to sing and squawk and make all kinds of noises out there in the world, and am looking forward to an opportunity to do that again soon. In the meantime, I guess I will have to make do with my written words and a video of a death metal squawking rooster.
This weekend I have been battling with a little rhinovirus-related laryngitis. Which is a fancy way of saying the nasty gook from my latest head-cold is making it hard for me to talk. Now anybody who knows me at all, knows that I find shutting up for any length of time a major sacrifice. And my husband has found he practically needs to tape my mouth shut to get me to rest my voice so I can get better.
But the whole thing has made me think a lot about the way that people of size are silenced in our society. As fat people, we’re told that we don’t look healthy enough to run the country. We’re told we are not eligible to run a company because of the way we look. Many of us are not taken as seriously as we like because of the size of our pants. We are patronized. We are discriminated against. And whenever we say anything about it. When we complain about discrimination or unfairness, we’re patted on the head and told to just be quiet.
And many of us have been so hurt and so humiliated for so long, we just quietly sit and take it. We accept second-class citizenship, we sit in silence and we relinquish our power just like that. We stand idly by as fat friends and family members are treated as less than.
Why do we do this? Why do we let others silence our voices? Sometimes I imagine it is because we get tired. Fighting is hard and painful (even if you DON’T read the comments section). But I think the main reason so many of us become silent, is because we secretly or even openly believe the lies that other people tell us about ourselves. We believe we are less capable. We believe we have less to offer. We believe that we don’t have the physical stamina necessary to run the company or run the world.
We will all face times of silence. Whether it is because it is too dangerous to speak, or we are simply to tired to lift our voices, silence will happen. And sometimes silence is golden. The question is, how can we use these times of silence to come back even stronger?
I think we can take that time to remember that we are people of worth. We can recall that each of us has something to say and deserves a space in which to say it. We can also use the quiet times to help other people find their own voices. Then we can find even greater strength in shouting and singing together. And we can take the time to really listen to one another. We can bend down and hear the quiet voices that don’t often take center stage. And we can listen carefully to the loudest voices and hear the true meaning that often lurks between the spoken words.
Yes, from time to time each of us is silent. But we can choose to use those quiet times to gird our loins and warm up our songs so we can roar out into the world once again.
Love,
The Fat Chick
P.S. Tune in to hear my voice TOMORROW on an amazing teleseminar. Click HERE for more info.
And I wanted to make a shout out to all my Fit Fatties Across America out there! This week Saturday is A Fatty Affair in San Jose. Last week we reached Colorado. Help us add another 1300 miles this week to get to San Jose by Saturday! Don’t forget to enter all your minutes/or miles of exercise and help us hit our goal!
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