Liberal Debutante

03 Apr, 2007

The Fat Rant

Posted by: Katie Kish In: Body Image| Feminism| Television

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The mass media’s standard of beauty is based around weight. Remember that cover when Tyra Banks was at 160 lbs - and people were making a HUGE fuss over it? The picture I posted is her talking about a tabloid screaming “She’s so fat!” … where she then did a hilarious little “ya’ll are used to seeing me like this” *stands up straight, sucks in belly, does model pose* “but most of the time, I’m like this” *lets stomach out, slouches shoulders* …very cute… and ps kiss her fat ass.

CNN did a good summary story about the whole deal.

“Fat” isn’t acceptable. Stores aren’t inclusive to women’s bodies. The fashion industry screams “stick figure”… If you’re not a skinny girl - you’re not a pretty girl.

Well, if you’ve got 1/2 a brain you know that’s all bullshit.

Watch this video, The Fat Rant, it’s really great and touches on a lot of things that we should all start accepting. Fat people aren’t slobs. …Some fat people are actually pretty healthy. Girls, if you’re fat don’t shop at Sirens and Le Chat. you’re just setting yourself up for a depressing moment in the dressing room. Ideally these places would change to be inclusive - but that’s probably not going to happen.

So instead we get girls with eating disorders, which I have talked about before.

I’m not even going to attempt to write more about this. My thoughts on the video are that it’s really great. She is a strong and gorgeous woman and I really wish that all other women on the planet would love their bodies the way this girl does instead of normalizing hatred towards ourselves.

6 Responses to "The Fat Rant"

1 | Brother Andy

April 3rd, 2007 at 4:02 pm

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There’s a very fine line to be walked here. Being so ‘fat’ that you fall into the “overweight” (medical term) category is not healthy. Promotion of obesity is not a good thing.
You can’t love your body after your arteries clog up and you die.

All that said. I like the Dove ads I’m seeing around Toronto.

2 | Pseudonym

April 3rd, 2007 at 8:54 pm

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Andy, I hear what you’re saying, but I’m not sure that the line is so fine.The point is that women (and men) come in all shapes and sizes. I think the biggest problem with the fashion/beauty/whatever industry is that it portrays all women as looking essentially the same, not necessarily that the “same” that they happen to choose is a young unhealthy stick figure with airbrushed skin.The wonderful thing about the Dove ads (IMO) is that it celebrates different types of people. One of my personal favourites is a 90-year-old woman. Forget that we’re talking about BMI for a moment. Who has ever portrayed a nonagenerian as beautiful in mainstream advertising before?

3 | Trev

April 7th, 2007 at 1:19 am

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Andy I’m going to agree wtih Pseudonym. The line is not so fine. People are built differently. I, for example, would be considered “morbidly obese” if I were to put myself on the BMI chart. However, I body build and train non stop and happen to be shorter than average so my BMI is extraordinarily high. It’s a very backwards way to measure healthiness.

The dove campaign is quite good.

4 | Katie Kish

April 7th, 2007 at 2:43 am

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Andrew, a lot of people fall into the “overweight” category that are perfectly healthy - that’s what im saying. in 8 more pounds tyra would be considered “unhealthy” to doctors. and just because you’re not over weight doesn’t mean you’re healthy, either.

5 | King

April 7th, 2007 at 4:13 pm

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I think what Andy is trying to point out is that people use these excuses as a way of getting out of being healthy. He’s be stupid to think that everyone who is 180 lbs and 5′5 is actually killing themselves. But too many people use the “fat is okay” or “BMI is bullshit” excuses to be unhealthy.

6 | mo pie

April 19th, 2007 at 6:16 pm

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“I really wish that all other women on the planet would love their bodies the way this girl does instead of normalizing hatred towards ourselves.”

I don’t have anything more profound to say, except amen to that.

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  • Deanna: maybe if someone were to make public their intentions to kill themselves using anorexia, or that they were suicidal because of anorexia, which is ofte
  • boo: *go for it.
  • boo: hay i support you! dont worry about what others have to say..if you want to be ana to make you happy...do for it!

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