Entries Tagged 'Advocacy' ↓

If You Can’t Trust Macaroni Grill, Who Can You Trust?

I’m suspicious, in general, of nutrition information provided by restaurants. The lowfat ice cream cone at McDonald’s is supposedly 150 calories, but I’ve had them hand me a cone that was piled so high with swirls that it was about to tip over, the dairy equivalent of a game of Jenga. I know full [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “If You Can’t Trust Macaroni Grill, Who Can You Trust?”, url: “http://www.bfdblog.com/2008/07/31/if-you-cant-trust-macaroni-grill-who-can-you-trust/” });

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Fat Princess

fat princessOriginally uploaded by mo pie
The furor over the game “Fat Princess” has finally hit the mainstream media, and its long past time I wrote about it here. After all, back in those halcyon days when I had spare time, I used to play video games; these days, my husband and one of my best [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Fat Princess”, url: “http://www.bfdblog.com/2008/07/29/fat-princess/” });

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Best Links Ever

I read blogs daily, and bookmark a lot of links for you guys, but don’t always manage to write about everything. So this week I’m going to try a little links roundup… in case you missed it.
First up, Fatly Yours, about the idea that size-acceptance blogs are just “fat people sitting around making excuses”:
I [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Best Links Ever”, url: “http://www.bfdblog.com/2008/07/18/best-links-ever/” });

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Post-Pro-Ana

You’ve probably heard of pro-ana groups online. They’re pro-anorexia groups where people, mostly young girls, of course, go to share their sources of “thinspiration” and talk about their strategies for ingesting the bare minimum of calories. Well now there’s We Bite Back, a post-pro-ana group dedicated to helping and supporting people who are recovering [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Post-Pro-Ana”, url: “http://www.bfdblog.com/2008/07/15/post-pro-ana/” });

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The Airbrushipation Of Mimi

mariah photoshop Originally uploaded by mo pie
At this point we’re used to magazines airbrushing or misrepresenting cover photos with ironically juxtaposed headlines. But that doesn’t mean we should stop pointing it out! This week’s victim is Mariah Carey, on the cover of Elle next to [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “The Airbrushipation Of Mimi”, url: “http://www.bfdblog.com/2008/07/09/the-airbrushipation-of-mimi/” });

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How Do Girls Develop Body Image?

A study released yesterday attempts to answer that important question, dividing adolescent girls into groups like “Jocks,” “Burnouts,” and “Alternatives,” and discovering that their peer groups are the most important deciding factor. From the press release:
The central theme of the study is that peer groups of teenage girls best determine their attitude towards their [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “How Do Girls Develop Body Image?”, url: “http://www.bfdblog.com/2008/07/02/how-do-girls-develop-body-image/” });

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The Fat Experience Project

You have most likely already heard about The Fat Experience Project, but it’s worthwhile enough to hear about one more time!
One day, FF and I talked about the fact that we were fat. It was a surprising conversation. I had never talked to another fat person about being fat. We kept it light. We talked [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “The Fat Experience Project”, url: “http://www.bfdblog.com/2008/06/26/the-fat-experience-project/” });

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Fat Rant III

The end is the best part. Go, Joy!
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12-Year-Old Asks What She’s “Doing Wrong”

We’ve helped a 21-year-old, a 16-year-old, and a 14-year-old. Now we have a 12-year-old, and we have a tough job ahead of us. You see, she isn’t looking for body image advice. She went to the site hello i am fat (funny blog title; sad search term) because she wants to be skinny like [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “12-Year-Old Asks What She’s “Doing Wrong””, url: “http://www.bfdblog.com/2008/06/06/12-year-old-asks-what-shes-doing-wrong/” });

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Fat People Cause Famine

It was only a matter of time before fat people were being blamed for people who are starving, as if we could send all our Big Macs and Oreo cookies directly to them.
UN food agency chief Jacques Diouf said today that billions of dollars are being wasted on feeding obese people in the West while [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Fat People Cause Famine”, url: “http://www.bfdblog.com/2008/06/04/fat-people-cause-famine/” });

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I Believe The Bratz Dolls Are Our Future

In the spirit of Michael Apted’s Up series, a documentary is following the lives of children born in the year 2000 until they’re 20. Obviously, here and now, they’re around seven years old, giving us a glimpse into the lives of the millennial generation. Here’s the part that struck me especially:
These seven year old [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “I Believe The Bratz Dolls Are Our Future”, url: “http://www.bfdblog.com/2008/05/13/i-believe-the-bratz-dolls-are-our-future/” });

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The Vain Van

Originally uploaded by mo pie
The Vain Van by Emily Duffy was at the Maker Faire this year, and I took a picture of it for you! The back asks “I look fat? By whose measure?” and one side asks “Who profits from your self-loathing?” The other side says “Vanity, thy [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “The Vain Van”, url: “http://www.bfdblog.com/2008/05/09/the-vain-van/” });

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What Am I Missing?

Mel sent along this article, a Chicago Tribune piece about making obesity discrimination illegal. It was an interesting read, particularly because I found myself having a couple of “what the hell?” moments as I was reading it—which made me look forward all the more to discussing it with you guys.
[A]s a fat woman, I don’t [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “What Am I Missing?”, url: “http://www.bfdblog.com/2008/04/29/what-am-i-missing/” });

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Understanding Weight Loss

Phat Science has had some interesting posts this week, and I particularly wanted to talk about yesterday’s post, where La Wade looked at some of the science surrounding so-called “permanent” weight loss, and the factors that contribute to it. These factors seem to include certain dietary and exercise habits, online support, time in front of [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Understanding Weight Loss”, url: “http://www.bfdblog.com/2008/04/24/understanding-weight-loss/” });

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“I Love My Body, And I’m Not Perfect”

This Video took alot of courage and I HOPE that other girls seek some comfort in this. It’s dedicated to any girl who’s ever felt fat, felt ugly or felt stupid for being herself. For all the girls who’ve ever starved, purged, or cut themselves. For every girl who’s ever felt a failure [...]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: ““I Love My Body, And I’m Not Perfect””, url: “http://www.bfdblog.com/2008/04/23/i-love-my-body-and-im-not-perfect/” });

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A Fate Worse Than Fat

And now for the bad news. I’m posting a link to this article not to bring down the room, but to get the message out there yet again: demonizing fat and fat people is a BAD IDEA that can seriously skew our ideas about self-worth. Just ask the women who participated in the studies [...]

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Responses To “Never Been Kissed”

Do you ever feel like you can change the world? You responded to Ambular’s e-mail with so many amazing ideas and so much intelligence and so much support. Here’s a response from Lowdown Panda, which made me feel proud even though I’m just the conduit here. And then came Ambular’s response in the comments:
Having [...]

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21 And Never Been Kissed

First, there was the 14-year-old who wanted to know how to feel beautiful. Then, the 16-year-old athlete dealing with bulimia. Here’s another e-mail from a young woman (this time she’s 21) looking for some support and help from Big Fat Deal. Bolding mine.
So I really don’t know how to start this e-mail. [...]

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You’re Fat, Ugly, Slutty And Dumb (And So Am I)

First, a slight meta note: I’m having some back-end issues with the blog, so posting may be a little spotty this week as I try to clear it up. In the meantime, I’ve been sitting on this article that inky sent me while I was out of town; it’s by local writer Violet [...]

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Teenage Bulimic Asks Us For Help

Here’s the e-mail I got today (bolding mine):
I guess I don’t really know how to start this, other than I just read the blog about the 14 year old with a bad self image, and it gave me the courage to say something too. I’m 16 years old, and I am bulimic. It doesn’t matter [...]

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Fat And Diabetic (No Relation)

Our guest post today comes from the delightful Sara, who writes in with a question for all our readers:
I am fat. I have diabetes. The two are in no way related to one another. Interesting how that works, huh? I have type 1 diabetes, so my pancreas is going to be [...]

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The Body Image Project

Like the Movies recently liked to the Body Image Project, describing it as a blog “where people anonymously write in about their perceptions of and struggles with body image.”
Age 17
In middle school I remember being happy. No one talked about their weight or their body. I am now in high school and the girls [...]

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Is Mo’Nique Getting Weight Loss Surgery?

There is a rumor going around that Mo’Nique, author of Skinny Women Are Evil, is having weight loss surgery. Even though it’s just a rumor, I think the responses to this news are really interesting.
Once again at this point it’s just a rumor, but if proven to be true it will amount to yet [...]

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Word Usements

Language is power. Which is why this Utne Reader story is so fascinating.
[T]he language we use to describe fat people smacks of race, class, and gender stereotypes. More euphemistic words for fat are used to describe those in higher-paying professions… [A] Google search for “portly” resulted in descriptions of doctors, lawyers, and professors, but rarely [...]

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The Big Ballet

the big ballet Originally uploaded by mo pie
In the comments, msruth mentioned Russia’s “Big Ballet” and on her advice, I went to go take a look and read all about them.
The Big Ballet is a troupe of dancers from Russia who weigh a minimum [...]

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The Big Ballet

the big ballet Originally uploaded by mo pie
In the comments, msruth mentioned Russia’s “Big Ballet” and on her advice, I went to go take a look and read all about them.
The Big Ballet is a troupe of dancers from Russia who weigh a minimum [...]

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La Blog

My friend La Wade, the BFD commenter and obesity researcher you all love to debate with, has started her own blog about fat and science called Phat Science. The first few posts are chock full of interesting topics for discussion, including artificial sweeteners, yo-yo dieting, and how to decide whether or not to believe [...]

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The Snappy Comeback

Manolo for the Big Girl linked to an awesome snappy comeback story from Dancing Down the Moon that will warm the heart of any fat person who has found themselves in the embarrassing position of having someone say something mean about their size in public. That was kind of a convoluted sentence, but… well, [...]

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Fat Woman = Pig

big fat ad Originally uploaded by mo pie
A PETA protest as reported on Perez Hilton, sent in by Donna. (The larger size may be NSFW; hopefully this small version is okay.)
I have no words.
 Bookmark at:StumbleUpon | Digg | Del.icio.us | Dzone | Newsvine | Spurl [...]

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On Etsy, You’re Not Too Fat For Fashion

This article urges sellers on Etsy.com to be more “size-friendly.” In case you don’t know what Etsy is, it’s an incredibly cool site that allows artists and crafty people to sell their wares directly to the world.
(My trick this Christmas was to think about things that people liked, and then type appropriate keywords [...]

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Hello New York!

Nels has alerted us to an event taking place in New York tomorrow, a conference called “Fat is Contagious: Political Fat Queer Visibility and Action in the Age of the “Obesity Epidemic.’” The conferece is $30 at the door, fatures Marilyn Wann of Fat!So? as they keynote speaker, and will be followed by a [...]

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Now With Hyphen!

The “fat-osphere” (punctuating that is getting more complicated by the minute) is in a Chicago local weekly called RedEye (with Kate Harding on the cover). Here’s a link to the article:
A negative body image, on which some weight-loss programs try to capitalize, can be a barrier to engaging in healthy behavior, [Sarah Catanese] said. “I [...]

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Resolution Success and the Evils of Sugar (Episode 101)

Flickr user Size8Jeans is smart; She’s enjoying a sugar-free Mojito! Send us your pictures at LLVLCPhotos@discoflight.com and you might end up here!
Welcome back to a new year and a new season of the Internet’s most original and best low-carb podcast, “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore!”
As we greet a new year, Jimmy [...]

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I’ll Have An Obese Latte, Please

As a follow up to our post about Starbucks and their new “skinny” drinks, one barista refuses to use the new terminology, in part because it is not PC.
It is politically incorrect. Should we start calling drinks with 2% or whole milk and regular syrups “Fat” or “Obese?” Consider what customers on line waiting for [...]

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My Humps: The Body Peace Project

Seventeen has launched the Body Peace Project, “aimed at changing the way young girls view their bodies.” Three celebrities have signed on: Fergie, Brittany Snow, and Ashlee Simpson. According to IMDB news:
The trio want teenagers to stop obsessing about the shape of their bodies. Editor in Chief Ann Shoket launches the year-long project [...]

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Thanks, Kate

Do you have The Fantasy of Being Thin?:
I’ve written several times about how I spent ages in the cognitive dissonance phase, thinking it made perfect sense that the OBESITY CRISIS hype was way overblown, and even if it weren’t, dieting doesn’t work anyway — but still wanting to lose weight, still feeling like I, personally, [...]

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Problem, Solutions

You may have heard about Dan Savage’s recent column about the man who has stopped being sexually attracted to his fat wife (perhaps you read The F Word’s take on it)? In case you haven’t, here is the question in question.
My wife’s skin is a mess, she has dietary issues that cause gnarly gas, she [...]

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Rachel Interviews Gina Kolata

The fancy new redisigned The F-Word has an interview up today with Gina Kolata, author of Rethinking Thin.
In Rethinking Thin, you contend that the diet industry often only succeeds in fattening the pocketbooks of a multi-billion dieting industry, while hopeful dieters lose only money. Why then do so many Americans continue to buy in [...]

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The Good Doctor

There’s a new blog in town called First, Do No Harm: Real Stories of Fat Prejudice in Health Care. They’re soliciting your stories, so if you have any fat prejudice stories, now you know where to send them. Here’s a sample:
She gave me a 30 minute lecture about people “your size” and how it was [...]

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NPR and Nimoy

I am just going to reprint heatherbelly’s comment, because I think it’s worthy of discussion and I’m so glad she shared it!
Please listen to this report aired on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday, last weekend. Understand—Scott Simon is usually a fantastic host. I found myself with my jaw agape as I listened to the introduction and [...]

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Magazines For Low-Carb… Where Are They? (Episode 98)

Welcome to the 98th episode of the Internet’s most respected low-carb podcast, “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore!”
Today, our host Jimmy Moore takes a look at the past, present and future of magazines supportive of a healthy, carb-controlled diet. Where are they and will we ever see other low-carb magazine in [...]

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Bless Me, Fatty

Another find from the referral logs; a “confession” of “fat sins.” As a girl who was raised Catholic, the format really struck a chord. I love the idea of getting absolution for your fat sins. (That’s what happens when you confess, right?)
I’m one of the slobs conservatives talk about who buys a 12-count box [...]

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You’re So Pretty

beautiful sunday Originally uploaded by mo pie
I love this pool. I just want to go through each one of the pictures and exclaim over your beauty. I check the pool several times a day to see if anyone has added a picture. More [...]

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What Beautiful Looks Like

Here’s another liberating thought:
So what would it look like to be beautiful today? That’s a hard question for most girls and women. The quick response would usually entail adjectives such as taller, thinner, blonder, straighter teeth, wider eyes, smaller nose, or a myriad of other physical features.
What if you looked in a mirror and saw [...]

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The Bad Fat Brothers Need a Spanking (Episode 93)

Introducing Sat and Trans: The Bad Fat Brothers. They are the AHA’s latest anti-fat propaganda monkeys!
Hello and welcome to the internet’s longest running and best beloved low-carb podcast; The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show With Jimmy Moore!

In this week’s first episode, Jimmy introduces you to the perfectly awful Sat and Trans: The Bad Fat Brothers. [...]

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Headless Fatties Fight Back

yes, that is Weetabix’s wig Originally uploaded by mo pie
Here is a starting point for you; a thought- provoking examination of what the “obesity crisis” looks like, what real overweight people look like, and whether those images do, in fact, match up with the photos of [...]

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Imagine a World Where Carbs are Evil and Fat is Respected By The FDA (Episode 91)

Hello and welcome to the ninety-first episode of the Internet’s most frequently listened to low-carb podcast–“The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show With Jimmy Moore!” Remember, four out of five gastroenterologists recommend this podcast to their clients who chew gum (or something like that!).
This week, our host Jimmy Moore asks you to envision a utopian society [...]

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Childhood Rape Linked To Obesity

There’s no way really to put a positive spin or a clever title on this bit of research, which shows a link between childhood rape and obesity in women.
Researchers surveyed about 2,500 men and women aged 21 and found 7.5 % had had intercourse against their will before the age of 16. While the [...]

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To Whom It May Concern

So there’s this guy sitting back and apparently trying to decide how he should personally police fat people. He’s come up with the idea of handing out some kind of ticket.
What we probably need is a stand[ard] letter ( fre[e]ly downloadable) you can give to fat people ( especially work mates, mates [...]

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Pretty, Fat

A provocative comment today, from veduna, on our past post about chubbygirl27.
The thing about chubbygirl27 is that she’s one of those really good-looking chubby girls, and she knows it. She doesn’t really represent the plain overweight women who, but for their size, would receive some attention but combined with their unspectacular looks, are completely looked [...]

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