Tag Archives: size acceptance

California Gov. Health Organization “Photoshops” Kids Picture to Fight Childhood Obesity

Good job California. So you passed Proposition 10 to collect a fifty-cent tax on every pack of cigarettes. You’ve used that money to create First 5 California, also known as the California Children and Families Commission which is:

dedicated to improving the lives of California’s young children and their families through a comprehensive system of education, health services, childcare, and other crucial programs.

And the commission you created with this money, chooses to use those resources to drastically retouch a picture of a little girl to make her look fat for an ad campaign designed to scare parents into limiting the amount of sugar they feed their kids.

Awesome!

Here’s the original photo, next to the retouched version:

First of all, whatever amount of state tax money that was used to do that image retouching is waaaay too much. I could get far better design work than that done on fiverr.com for $5 USD.

Next, I have to ask, why would we spend any amount of state tax money on shaming fat parents and fat kids in the face of the fact it just doesn’t work? In fact study after study shows that stigmatizing and bullying kids about their weight not only fails to create thinner kids, but also tends to trigger more participation in unhealthy behaviors like smoking, drinking, substance abuse, binge eating and other forms of disordered eating.

So why exactly are we spending state tax money to create ads aimed at preventing childhood obesity that are actually more likely to increase levels of childhood obesity while at the same time encouraging our kids to engage in higher levels of destructive behavior?

I’m sure that some of the fear-mongering, hand-wringing, head-shaking folks that created this glorious ad campaign will ask you to “think about the children”. They will cite statistics about childhood obesity and suggest that something must be done to protect the health of these poor kids.

To which I would reply, “Yes. All kids deserve to be healthy. So let’s focus on stuff that does that.” Shaming kids does not make them thinner or healthier. But there are some things we can do. In fact, in honor of First 5, I’ll give you five suggestions:

1. How about making sure kids have a safe place to play?

2. How about reinstating some of the physical education programs that have been cut from schools for lack of budget?

3. How about making sure that kids of all sizes have access to a variety of high-quality, nutritionally dense foods?

4. How about we help fat kids learn to accept and love themselves so that they are more likely to exercise and treat themselves well?

5. How about we add “body size” as a category for school anti-bullying programs.

Sure, these programs would be more difficult than cranking out a basic bus shelter advertisement. And undoubtedly some of these programs would cost more than hiring the world’s worst graphic designer to “fatten up” the image of an innocent kid. But given the fact that some of these programs might, I don’t know, help some kids live healthier lives, maybe we should just fund those instead.

As a final note, the folks at First 5 may find themselves facing some pretty well-organized and powerful opposition. It’s already started in the form of an awesome homemade protest flyer at the site of one of the bus shelters:

But as some folks in Georgia found out, folks can get pretty riled up and do some pretty amazing things when you shame and frighten their children.

So maybe we should take a step back and a deep breath and try again. I’m sure, upon some calm reflection, we can find better ways to promote good health for children of all sizes.

Love,

The Fat Chick

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Dear Dr. Terrible Your Bigotry is Showing…

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Ran across this in my facebook feed today and almost wanted to cry. This tweet from Evolutionary Psychology Professor at NYU & U. New Mexico Dr. Geoffrey Miller is really special. It states:

Dear obese PhD applicants: if you don’t have the willpower to stop eating carbs, you won’t have the willpower to do a dissertation. #truth

Here’s somebody who is at least in theory, well educated and yet he felt that he needed to tweet that absolute garbage. Since the tweet has gone viral, he has taken it down and apologized. But in my opinion, that is way too little and way too late. Plus, I have to say, I find the apology a little bit suspect. Here, let me interpret for you.

Dr. Miller states:

My sincere apologies to all for that idiotic, impulsive, and badly judged tweet. It does not reflect my true views, values, or standards.

Which means, “Oh crap, I could possibly get fired for this. I’d better retract my statement ASAP. I’ll just say I didn’t really mean it. That will work, right?”

Dr. Miller goes on to state:

Obviously my previous tweet does not represent the selection policies of any university, or my own selection criteria.

Which means, “Upon further reflection (or after some very tense phone calls) I realize that some of the folks who were rejected for anything by me or any of the universities at which I teach may be somewhat upset. In fact, they may just sue us into financial oblivion.”

So hey Dr. Miller, here’s my tweet to you:

Nobody believes your stupid and transparently self serving apology. #Find a good lawyer

I can find no excuse for this sort of behavior. None. This guy is supposed to be a teacher. This guy is supposed to be a scientist. And he’s drawing this conclusion based on what evidence? None. He doesn’t like fat people, therefore they are lazy and incapable of doctoral level work. Oh except, not really. He didn’t really mean it.

The fact that this guy clearly gets to make decisions about who gets to apply for a PhD is utterly terrifying to me. And speaking of terrified, I hope that both Professor Prejudice and his university are currently shaking in their shoes. Even if an actual lawsuit from a student who was turned away from the university is not forthcoming, I think might just be the opening breezes of a PR poopmageddon about to go down. In fact, I think there needs to be a social media storm of biblical proportions over this tweet. Do you hear that my dear readers? Let’s start twittering and peeping and let our voices be heard! This is a rare opportunity to talk about bias at the highest levels of our learning institutions. This is an opportunity for us to educate the educators. Let’s get the conversation started and keep it rolling!

Love,

The Fat Chick

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Does this Blog make my Butt Look Big? Why “Fat Talk” may be Bad for your Social Life.

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La, la, la I’m not listening…

“Fat talk” is a bonding ritual that many of us learned at our Mother’s knee. Many of us have participated in fat talk over the years because we felt social pressure to do so. But according to a recent study, moaning about the size of our thighs or asking if our butt looks big, might not be the best move for our social lives.

We’ve long known that fat talk is bad for your self esteem (and the self esteem of those around you). We’ve talked about that in the blog a fair bit. But a recent study led by Alexandra Corning, research associate professor of psychology and director of Notre Dame’s Body Image and Eating Disorder Lab seems to indicate that fat talk may make you less likable to your peers. In the study, college students were shown pictures of noticeably thin and fat women. Each of these pictures depicted women engaged in body talk–either positive body talk or fat talk. Those participating in the study were then asked to rate the women in the photos in a number of dimensions including likability. When the results were tabulated, it seems that women who engaged in “fat talk” were considered less likeable than those who engaged in positive body talk. In fact, according to the study, the fat women who had positive things to say about their bodies were considered the most likeable. This result is very interesting to psychologists who have long thought of fat talk as a way that women “strengthen social bonds”. But the study seems to indicate that women who engage in this behavior may be perceived as less likeable than their peers.

But, and this is a big but*, it’s important to remember this test simply measures personal perception. It doesn’t indicate what is actually happening in a social setting where fat talk is happening or measure anything related to peer pressure. This may explain why many of us may still feel pressured to engage in fat talk even in an environment where we may privately be perceived as less likeable for doing so. And it is only one study.

That said, I am encouraged by the results of this study. I decided long ago to refrain from engaging in fat talk with my friends, family and colleagues. I’ve taken heat for not participating. I’ve been teased for it. But I for one, will choose to believe that I am also secretly liked and respected for my refusal to fat talk. Because believing the best about myself seems to be working pretty well for me so far.

Love,

The Fat Chick

*You see what I did there?

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Stuff that Weighs More Than Me: Haul from the LA River Clean Up

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It’s what you call a win-win situation. You and 3,000 other people gather a big pile of debris (that weighs more than me) and you get to help clean up the river areas in Los Angeles County!

Every year (for the past 24 years) the Friends of the Los Angeles River have coordinated a huge 1-day event known as The Great LA River Cleanup or La Gran Limpieza. This year’s event featured live music, free gifts, raffle prizes and refreshments. The volunteers also had a chance to compare “river treasures” to see who had the wildest or strangest items pulled from the river. Previous highlights included a mini trampoline and a valuable buffalo nickel complete with collecting case.

But aside from the fun and hijinks, the volunteers remove an astonishing amount of detritus, and make the river areas just that much more awesome. Plus, in case you are wondering, this day’s exercise could definitely be called “fitlanthropy“. Here’s the stats:

Collection Period: 3 hours

Volunteers: Over 3,000

Number of collection sites: 15

Total debris removed from the river: Over 25 tons

Conclusion: The Haul from La Gran Limpieza weighs more than me!

Love,

The Fat Chick

P.S. Want to volunteer next year? Click here to learn more about the Friends of the Los Angeles River!

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Stuff that Weighs More than Me: Life-Size X-Wing Fighter Made of Legos

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Okay, take the coolness factor and turn it to “eleven” because this Lego(R) sculpture is “one louder”. This super fun sculpture is an exact 42x scale model of the Lego kit you can buy at your local toy store. What that means is that each 1×1 Lego “peg” of the toy is represented as a 42 by 42 square on the model. This X-wing sculpture is the largest Lego structure ever constructed.

And this thing is HUGE! Created from over 5 million individual Lego bricks, this sculpture required over 17,000 man-hours to complete. Even with the help of 32 master builders that’s still over 4 months of building time.

The sculpture was unveiled yesterday in Times Square complete with light-up engines and speakers playing a pre-recorded loop of battle sounds.. From there it will travel back to Legoland in Southern California. Ready for the stats? Here you go:

Height: 11 feet

Wingspan: 43 feet

Length: 42 feet

Number of bricks: 5.3 million

Weight: 46,000 lbs.

Conclusion: The Life-Sized X-Wing Fighter Made of Lego Bricks Weighs More Than Me!

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Fun with Dick and Jane (and Why Tim doesn’t Exercise)

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See Tim develop an eating disorder…

Oh my God. Where do I even start with this monstrosity? I was going along, minding my own business, eating my breakfast and checking out this wonderful post on Adios Barbie when I ran into this picture linked to by Allison Epstein. And I nearly choked on my Cheerios.(R) Seriously? SERIOUSLY? Look! It’s Fat Shaming with Dick and Jane:

See Dick and Jane and Pat. She Dick and Jane and Pat fat shaming Tim. See Tim. See Tim embody negative fat stereotypes. See Dick and Jane and Pat revel in their thin privilege. See Tim go on a diet. See Tim get slimmer. See Tim get fatter. See Tim get even fatter. See Mom and Dad panic. Panic parents panic! See Tim get a gastric sleeve. See Tim learn about dumping syndrome. See Mom and Dad buy Tim dark colored pants. Dump Tim dump! Oh No! Now Tim smells funny. Isn’t he funny? See Dick and Jane and Pat laugh. See Tim want to die. Die Tim, die…

The thing that really scares me, I mean full-out, ooga-booga, petrifies me, is that there are three organizations that have signed on to this ad. That means at least three, purportedly professional people (and probably more) not only signed off on, but actually paid somebody to create this crap. But that’s okay (they reason) because kids need to get out and play more, right? And research shows, the way to get kids to go outside and play is to shame them, right? Right?

No, no, no, no, no, no, no and how about, no!

Despite the ongoing research that indicates that fat shame does not lead to permanent weight loss, and that fat stigma leads to even less healthy behaviors among kids like disordered eating, binge drinking, and more smoking, various white-coat-wearing idiots feel the need to create ads like this one. Why? Are they trying to create the medical equivalent of this exercise video “accidentally” catching a pooping man on camera? (Is it an accident, or an all-new, low-bar in publicity stunts? Either way, it’s a hits bonanza!) Do they not care that they are harming families and especially children with their stupid ads as long as they fuel parental panic and get lots of clicky poos for their hit counts? Or have they really just not bothered to check any of the literature that shows that fat stigma harms people? Hmmm, evil or simply, criminally irresponsible? Hard to imagine that either are qualities I look for in a medical professional.

What is so sad, is that this ad is likely to make Tim less interested in exercise. And this ambivalence towards exercise may last a lifetime.

But for those of you out there who are still twisting a hankie in your sweaty fingers or running around in circles yelling, “But what do we do?” I have this advice. If you want Tim to exercise:

1. Create emotionally safe places for Tim to play–free from bullying or shaming.

2. Create physically safe places for Tim to play–safe from assault and other crimes.

3. Help Tim reconnect with and feel pride in the body he has right now.

4. Provide safe, well-planned and excellently-executed physical education classes, and

5. Surround Tim with role models for physical fitness that embody all shapes and sizes and abilities–like the amazing Ragen Chastain in this recent video interview from Huffington Post Live.

Seriously people. If you want kids to exercise, give them physically and emotionally safe places to do it, give them proper instruction, provide them with great role models and teach them that exercise is something that we do because we love our bodies.

Then Dick and Jane and Pat and Tim and Sally and everybody can live happily ever after. That is all.

Love,

The Fat Chick

P.S. Want help getting started with exercise? My book and DVD are designed to help beginners to safely and joyfully integrate physical activities into their lives. Enter the code DickAndJane in the discount code box to save $5 off the cover price!

Fashionably Impoverished

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So I ran across THIS story this past week about Charlotte a fashion student in London who dared, DARED to make a plus-sized collection for her graduate project. Unfortunately (but not surprisingly) she received a lot of resistance from her school about her decision to create a plus-sized fashion line and use plus-sized models. At least initially she was told that she couldn’t show her collection in the University’s London showcase. She was told that she would have to source all her own models for her own showcase and create all of her own pattern blocks. All this because she dared to suggest that perhaps some designs should be created for the 50 percent of the female population that can’t wear “straight sizes”. (Hmm, isn’t “straight sizes” an interesting term in itself?)

All of this in the same week that we’ve seen the brouhaha over Abercrombie & Fitch’s CEO, Mike Jeffries and his hateful comment that his clothes are for the “cool kids”, and that he really doesn’t offer plus sizes because he really doesn’t want fat people wearing his clothes. Why does Mike do that? Simple. He says that because he believes it will further endear him to his target market of young, thin, privileged, white kids. And he says that because he really didn’t believe there would be any problem with it. Oh after all the yelling Mr. Jeffries apparently made a half-hearted apology just to keep his name in the papers. To which I say, F-you Mike Jeffries. Oh and please enjoy this special video response to Mr. Jeffries recorded on the streets of my beloved Hollywood…

However you slice it, Mike Jeffries got a publicity bonanza for his brand as a result of this whole thing. And while the surprising backlash probably prompted this apology, the reality is, all publicity is good publicity if they spell your URL correctly and drive traffic to your facebook feed.

But there is an aspect to this whole thing that puzzles me. The scorn of the fashion industry to anyone who wears over a size zero is hardly new. But we’re still climbing out of a worldwide recession. You’d think fashion companies might be a tad more interested in making money. You’d think that they’d want to give a little more attention to the basic principles of supply and demand. And no matter how you slice it, the place where the market is under-served, the place where there is more market share to be got and less competition to fight is in plus-sized fashions. Seriously.

Don’t believe me? Do this experiment. Go to any mall in America. Count the number of clothing stores for women. Now count the number of clothing stores for women that carry plus-sized fashions. Let’s take the Fashion Square Mall in Los Angeles as an example. There are 40 stores that carry women’s clothing. The only two that offer any plus-sized clothing in the store are the two major department stores, Macy’s and Bloomingdales. In both cases, the plus-sized clothing departments are a small fraction of the overall floor space. Two stores at the mall offer plus-sizes via their web sites (J Jill and Forever 21) but not in the stores at this mall. So of the 40 women’s clothing stores in this mall you can try on clothes over a size 14 at two of them. This despite the fact that about half the female population of our country wears a size 14 or over. Now I don’t have an ivy league MBA degree, but even I can figure out that the business opportunity lies with the plus-sized crowd. So why oh why is the university discouraging the amazing Charlotte from creating clothes for the half of the population that is actively crying out for new clothes? In this world of ballooning student loans and massive unemployment, why would they discourage a student from focusing on a market which A) the student has a great passion to serve, and B)The student might actually make some money?

The only answer I can come up with is stigma, pure and simple. Charlotte has expressed pride at graduating and some consternation that she won’t know her final grade for some time. But I for one, would be pretty indifferent to the judgement of any institution that taught me to be fashionably poor.

Love,

The Fat Chick

The Right Now Show 013: Finding the Right Fitness Trainer

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In this episode, Jeanette DePatie AKA The Fat Chick shares some information about finding the right fitness teacher or trainer. She shares a personal story about a really disastrous bout with a personal trainer and gives you practical tips for finding a personal trainer that is just right for you!

By the way, Jeanette also offers personal training both in person and remotely (via Skype). You can learn more on her website right here: http://www.thefatchick.com/The_Fat_Chick/Training.html

If you sign up right away, you can try any of my monthly training packages for only $25. That’s nearly $100 off my most comprehensive plan! So don’t wait.

Love,

The Fat Chick

Stuff that Weighs More than Me: A Mil V-12 Helicopter

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Okay, I think it’s safe to say that pretty much any helicopter weighs more than me. But there are helicopters, my friend, and there are HELICOPTERS. I mean just look at that thing. It’s so big that a regular helicopter nestles like a tiny baby upon it’s ginormous wing. We’re talking HUGE.

The giant flying machine pictured above is actually an Aeroflot Mil V-12 (also known to NATO as a HOMER). It is the largest helicopter that has ever been built. It never went into full scale production and only two prototypes were ever built. The large aircraft was built specifically to carry major missile components and was designed to carry a payload of 30,000 kg. (That’s 66138lb 10.944oz to us English System folks.)

The initial prototype took it’s maiden voyage on July 10, 1968. It achieved a world record, lifting 44,205 kg to a height of 2,255m (7,398 feet). Here’s the stats:

Crew: 6

Height: 12.50 m (41 ft 0 in)

Length: 37.00 m (121 ft 4 in)

Loaded weight: 97,000 kg (213,850 lb)

Maximum takeoff weight: 105,000 kg (231,500 lb)

Conclusion: I don’t think you’d need to lift the armrests to ride in this baby, and the Mil V-12 weighs more than me.

Love,

TFC

Just What the #$%&! am I Supposed to Eat!?!

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So have you seen the article in the New York Times that says it might be okay to eat salt again? It seems some recent research is calling into question the American Heart Association’s recommendation of 1,500 milligrams a salt per day. Now on the one hand, this question is almost moot, because it’s nearly impossible to achieve 1,500 milligrams of salt a day and do things like occasionally eat food that has had any processing, eat out once in a while, or you know, live in the modern world. On the other hand, there are some indications that consuming sodium levels as low as 1,500 milligrams per day might actually be harmful. So it probably does merit a second look.

So according to the article, several recent studies have indicated that a sodium level goal of 2,300 might be better than 1,500 milligrams per day. Some of these studies have even indicated that the 1,500 level might actually be dangerous for some people–potentially increasing risk for heart attack and death. The American Heart Association has fired back suggesting that the more recent research has flaws and that they don’t want to confuse people by giving them the message that a little more salt is okay, because you know, people might then go hog wild and eat lots of salt.

And then, near the end of the article is this little gem:

Although the advice to restrict sodium to 1,500 milligrams a day has been enshrined in dietary guidelines, it never came from research on health outcomes, Dr. Strom said. Instead, it is the lowest sodium consumption can go if a person eats enough food to get sufficient calories and nutrients to live on. As for the 2,300-milligram level, that was the highest sodium levels could go before blood pressure began inching up.

Okay. So the advice that has been cemented in stone, that is inevitably printed on that bad, multi-generation photocopied piece of paper handed to every fat person in the universe by their doctor when they go in for a check up or to get that funny looking mole checked out is based on what now? It’s no wonder that we are confused about what to eat. The competing nutritional studies along with the sensationalist, usually premature reporting is enough to give any potential diner whiplash. Eat margarine! No, eat butter! Eat olive oil. Eat nuts. Eat red meat. Don’t eat red meat. Eat fish. But watch out, most of the fish is full of toxins. Eat dairy. Don’t eat dairy. Eat low fat. Eat low carb. Eat only plant-based foods. Plant-based foods are genetically modified and full of pesticides. OMG. Eat my shorts! It’s no wonder that we are going crazy trying to figure out what on earth to have for lunch every day! Add to that the woeful lack of education among GPs and pediatricians about nutrition and you get the typical photocopied sheet of “black coffee, one piece of wheat toast, and one glass of orange juice” advice.

Now all this is not to say that we shouldn’t be concerned about what we eat. But it is to say that nutrition is a very complicated science. And that while we let the scientists duke it out about exactly how many milligrams of this and percentages of that we should consume, maybe we should simply focus on what foods feel good in our bodies and what tastes delicious. I believe our bodies have wisdom, and that we benefit when we learn to listen to what our bodies have to tell us. It may be hard to hear our “smarty-pants inner-selves” amongst all the screaming about “vitamin this” and “mineral that”. But I for one, plan to make the effort. Oh, and would you please pass the salt?

Love,

The Fat Chick

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