ACTS OF FASHION TERRORISM- THE BLESSEDLY VOLUPTOUS MANIFESTO
After my shopping excursion last week in Hollywood, land of the anorexic, overaerobicized, and surgically augmented and reduced, I decided the we are well past the point of dialogue. The Gandhi-MLK approach of quiet disobedience is obviously not effective and it is high time for violent revolt.
The fashion industry is self-delusional and refuses to accept that no, not everyone is skinny, not everyone CAN become skinny and not everyone WANTS to be skinny.
They do not want to hear it and they want to put the non-skinny, which is everyone over a size 10 regardless of height, into fashion and social apartheid, forever banned to the plus-size stores such as Lame Bryant with the repulsive, low-quality offerings, or to the plus-size departments at stores, far away from the sight of others over by the china, or the linen departments.
And I have decided to lead a movement in manner of radical anarchists to force them to listen to what we really want. The same clothes and same choices as for our less common skinny counterparts. On the same floors and on the same racks. In the same luxury fabrics. With the same construction details. Just freaking bigger.
So this is my Radical Fashion Manifesto for the Blessedly Voluptuous:
1) We shall surreptitiously take clothing in sizes 4 and below where it rightfully belongs: The Juniors and Children's Departments. Put all size 0's you can find behind the size 6 children's. No one will be able to tell the difference.
2) Take clothes from the women's department and quietly place them in the racks on the main floors right where they belong. Leave notes pinned on or in the pockets of the clothing that read: "This was an act of fashion revolution. Size discrimination will no longer be tolerated"
3) Go to upscale clothing retailers. If they do not have your size speak up and call the store manager.
4) Write letters to everyone. The retail stores, the manufacturers, the media, the designers, the big fashion and luxury conglomerates. Tell them you want the same clothes they make for the thin women, on the same racks. NOW.
5) Be happy. Be healthy. DO NOT LET ANYONE BELITTLE OR BULLY YOU. NOT MEN. NOT THE GOVERNMENT. NOT YOUR FAMILY AND NOT YOUR DOCTOR. IF THEY TRY, DON'T COWER. PUT THEM IN THEIR PLACE.
6) If they do not have an item you want in your size take the closest size that you can squeeze in even if it is ill fitting. Buy it ( even if you return it later). Take polaroids and digital photos of you in the garment. Send them to the designer and post them prominently on the internet.
7) If a sales person says that they do not have something in your size in a dismissive tone IMMEDIATELY CALL THE STORE MANAGER. Follow-up the complaint with the retailer's headquarters.
8) Be visible. Very visible. Dress nicely, look confident, go out. Go to the nicest, most expensive stores in town. Buy something. Even a little something. Perfume, a lipstick, earrings. If they don't know we exist and if they think we don't care, WHY THE HELL SHOULD THEY?
9) Complain, complain , complain!
10) Write letters to the editors of fashion magazines. I know my medium and big girl sisters are good writers. Write away my pretties! ... Flood those desks and tell them about wanting to see beautiful women YOUR SIZE in clothes you can actually FIT IN!!! Tell them that if you wanted to look at children you would be subscribing or buying PARENTING, NOT VOGUE OR ELLE.
11) Buy high end luxury goods at the stores and online.
12) Take the clothes from the plus-department and try them on at the REGULAR WOMEN's DRESSING ROOM. Call in a skinny sales woman and ask her how it looks. Engage her and tell her you want the same clothes as in the small sizes. A shopping trip is a proselytizing OPPORTUNITY. We need to act with zeal and courage.
13) Call customer service lines often and freely. Call e-luxury. Call net-a-porter. Call Target. Call Nordstrom. Call everyone. Tell them how you feel and what you want.
14) Call THE PLUS SIZE RETAILERS AND CATALOGUE ISSUERS. TELL THEM YOU WANT TO SEE PLUS SIZE WOMEN WEARING THE CLOTHES. NOT SIZE 6 CHICKS.
15) Associate yourself STRONGLY with designers that do not want to be associated with larger women.
16) Buy something from that designer that will work (just ask me) and wear it. Take pictures. Post them everywhere. Tell everyone WHO you are wearing. Eventually they will give up and prefer to see it when it fits well.
17) If you find nothing but unattractive clothing at the plus section of stores complain. Tell them about good, fashionable plus designer lines like Svoboda and Anna Scholtz.
18) Be vocal
19) Go places. Clubs. Museums. Bars. Restaurants. Look beautiful. Turn all the eyes and get ALL THE MEN.
20) BE BEAUTIFUL. IF YOU BELIEVE IT, EVERYONE WILL.
GO MY BEAUTIES. GO MAKE ME PROUD. IT IS TIME FOR THE REVOLUTION TO SWEEP THE WORLD. THE TIME FOR ADVOCACY HAS PASSED AND THE TIME FOR SWIFT ACTION HAS COME.
VIVE LA REVOLUTION!!!!!!
Signed
The Golden Sea Cow, Sub-Commander of the Golden Sea Cow Commando.
After my shopping excursion last week in Hollywood, land of the anorexic, overaerobicized, and surgically augmented and reduced, I decided the we are well past the point of dialogue. The Gandhi-MLK approach of quiet disobedience is obviously not effective and it is high time for violent revolt.
The fashion industry is self-delusional and refuses to accept that no, not everyone is skinny, not everyone CAN become skinny and not everyone WANTS to be skinny.
They do not want to hear it and they want to put the non-skinny, which is everyone over a size 10 regardless of height, into fashion and social apartheid, forever banned to the plus-size stores such as Lame Bryant with the repulsive, low-quality offerings, or to the plus-size departments at stores, far away from the sight of others over by the china, or the linen departments.
And I have decided to lead a movement in manner of radical anarchists to force them to listen to what we really want. The same clothes and same choices as for our less common skinny counterparts. On the same floors and on the same racks. In the same luxury fabrics. With the same construction details. Just freaking bigger.
So this is my Radical Fashion Manifesto for the Blessedly Voluptuous:
1) We shall surreptitiously take clothing in sizes 4 and below where it rightfully belongs: The Juniors and Children's Departments. Put all size 0's you can find behind the size 6 children's. No one will be able to tell the difference.
2) Take clothes from the women's department and quietly place them in the racks on the main floors right where they belong. Leave notes pinned on or in the pockets of the clothing that read: "This was an act of fashion revolution. Size discrimination will no longer be tolerated"
3) Go to upscale clothing retailers. If they do not have your size speak up and call the store manager.
4) Write letters to everyone. The retail stores, the manufacturers, the media, the designers, the big fashion and luxury conglomerates. Tell them you want the same clothes they make for the thin women, on the same racks. NOW.
5) Be happy. Be healthy. DO NOT LET ANYONE BELITTLE OR BULLY YOU. NOT MEN. NOT THE GOVERNMENT. NOT YOUR FAMILY AND NOT YOUR DOCTOR. IF THEY TRY, DON'T COWER. PUT THEM IN THEIR PLACE.
6) If they do not have an item you want in your size take the closest size that you can squeeze in even if it is ill fitting. Buy it ( even if you return it later). Take polaroids and digital photos of you in the garment. Send them to the designer and post them prominently on the internet.
7) If a sales person says that they do not have something in your size in a dismissive tone IMMEDIATELY CALL THE STORE MANAGER. Follow-up the complaint with the retailer's headquarters.
8) Be visible. Very visible. Dress nicely, look confident, go out. Go to the nicest, most expensive stores in town. Buy something. Even a little something. Perfume, a lipstick, earrings. If they don't know we exist and if they think we don't care, WHY THE HELL SHOULD THEY?
9) Complain, complain , complain!
10) Write letters to the editors of fashion magazines. I know my medium and big girl sisters are good writers. Write away my pretties! ... Flood those desks and tell them about wanting to see beautiful women YOUR SIZE in clothes you can actually FIT IN!!! Tell them that if you wanted to look at children you would be subscribing or buying PARENTING, NOT VOGUE OR ELLE.
11) Buy high end luxury goods at the stores and online.
12) Take the clothes from the plus-department and try them on at the REGULAR WOMEN's DRESSING ROOM. Call in a skinny sales woman and ask her how it looks. Engage her and tell her you want the same clothes as in the small sizes. A shopping trip is a proselytizing OPPORTUNITY. We need to act with zeal and courage.
13) Call customer service lines often and freely. Call e-luxury. Call net-a-porter. Call Target. Call Nordstrom. Call everyone. Tell them how you feel and what you want.
14) Call THE PLUS SIZE RETAILERS AND CATALOGUE ISSUERS. TELL THEM YOU WANT TO SEE PLUS SIZE WOMEN WEARING THE CLOTHES. NOT SIZE 6 CHICKS.
15) Associate yourself STRONGLY with designers that do not want to be associated with larger women.
16) Buy something from that designer that will work (just ask me) and wear it. Take pictures. Post them everywhere. Tell everyone WHO you are wearing. Eventually they will give up and prefer to see it when it fits well.
17) If you find nothing but unattractive clothing at the plus section of stores complain. Tell them about good, fashionable plus designer lines like Svoboda and Anna Scholtz.
18) Be vocal
19) Go places. Clubs. Museums. Bars. Restaurants. Look beautiful. Turn all the eyes and get ALL THE MEN.
20) BE BEAUTIFUL. IF YOU BELIEVE IT, EVERYONE WILL.
GO MY BEAUTIES. GO MAKE ME PROUD. IT IS TIME FOR THE REVOLUTION TO SWEEP THE WORLD. THE TIME FOR ADVOCACY HAS PASSED AND THE TIME FOR SWIFT ACTION HAS COME.
VIVE LA REVOLUTION!!!!!!
Signed
The Golden Sea Cow, Sub-Commander of the Golden Sea Cow Commando.
June 13, 2009 |
the golden sea cow
the golden sea cow
This was a pitch as part of a show that airs in Australia that reviews and analizes the Advertising industry.
The brief was to sell "fat pride". This ad caused enormous controversy and was not allowed to be aired on the show by the network not our broadcasting authority.
A website was set up for viewing. http://antiprejudicead.net/landing.asp
I think it is offensive and actually trivializes the issuse.
What do you think?
The brief was to sell "fat pride". This ad caused enormous controversy and was not allowed to be aired on the show by the network not our broadcasting authority.
A website was set up for viewing. http://antiprejudicead.net/landing.asp
I think it is offensive and actually trivializes the issuse.
What do you think?
May 17, 2009 |
Lisa
Lisa
I hate how whenever a fat girl gets a compliment about the way she looks it's always followed by "Have you lost weight?". Like that's the only way in which you can look good.
"You look really good! Have you lost weight?" Always with that air of surprise
"No, actually I haven't, and don't I look fucking fantastic?" is my suggested response
"You look really good! Have you lost weight?" Always with that air of surprise
"No, actually I haven't, and don't I look fucking fantastic?" is my suggested response
May 6, 2009 |
Silvertongue
Silvertongue
When I was 10--more than 30 years ago--I was already off the charts for a girl's height/weight. At 5'8" I was too tall and I was fat too. Being a teenager was hard and I topped out at just under 6' and 120 kg. But this is a good tale, because that is where I have stayed for the last 30+ years.
I learned in school that size could be valuable in sport, and so I played those sports that could use me and gained the confidence to persist at ones I was not so good at. I came from a family of walkers, and learned that traveling by foot is pleasurable and that cars are for long journeys only.
Growing up in a not terribly affluent family I learned that good nutritious food was possible by buying the fresh food on sale and learning to cook anything. I also learned to cultivate my own garden to have really fresh vegetables at very low cost for at least part of the year. As a result I still eat a high fiber, low refined sugar diet, and am greatly unhappy when I don't.
And the last thing I learned from my mother was to talk back to my doctor and not accept their wisdom as absolute. She had been nearly killed by a doctor who was certain (during the oh so enlightened 1970s) that she was merely neurotic, and she passed on her distrust to me. I see my doctor annually, but I also point out the inconsistency between her reliance on BMI even as she tells me that it is not reliable for heavily muscled individuals who play sport. My challenge to whatever doctor I visit is match my pace during a one-hour elliptical workout, or a one-hour road-bike ride, or one-hour of x-country skiing and I will listen to you.
In my life I have never dieted, although I will admit to keeping an eye on portion sizes. I rarely eat any refined foods. I enjoy the odd drink or cocktail. I work-out regularly not because I need to be perfect, but because my body enjoys it.
I am 5'11 1/2" and weigh around 270 pounds (122 kg). I lost 20 pounds once due to illness and didn't manage to lost a full clothes size--I am one big girl with broad shoulders from swimming, muscled legs from lifting weights and cycling, and a powerful set of core muscles--last time I went to the gym I leg-pressed 280 lb.
My body and its strength despite injuries and age is one of my true sources of pleasure in life. I like my curves, I don't care that my breasts are saggier than they once were--I saw my grandmother as an old woman and I know where they're heading. I can't be bothered with make-up or nonsense, and while I love fashion it can't imagine a body like mine so I am mercifully spared spending lots of money on it. And, dammit, I am gorgeous, not least because I am intelligent and have a keen sense of humor.
I can't remember the point at which I learned to listen to my body, but it tells me what it needs, and I am grateful that I come from a family that passed on valuable cooking and gardening skills that have sustained me through my adult life and spared me from the messages about what a girl should be like.
I learned in school that size could be valuable in sport, and so I played those sports that could use me and gained the confidence to persist at ones I was not so good at. I came from a family of walkers, and learned that traveling by foot is pleasurable and that cars are for long journeys only.
Growing up in a not terribly affluent family I learned that good nutritious food was possible by buying the fresh food on sale and learning to cook anything. I also learned to cultivate my own garden to have really fresh vegetables at very low cost for at least part of the year. As a result I still eat a high fiber, low refined sugar diet, and am greatly unhappy when I don't.
And the last thing I learned from my mother was to talk back to my doctor and not accept their wisdom as absolute. She had been nearly killed by a doctor who was certain (during the oh so enlightened 1970s) that she was merely neurotic, and she passed on her distrust to me. I see my doctor annually, but I also point out the inconsistency between her reliance on BMI even as she tells me that it is not reliable for heavily muscled individuals who play sport. My challenge to whatever doctor I visit is match my pace during a one-hour elliptical workout, or a one-hour road-bike ride, or one-hour of x-country skiing and I will listen to you.
In my life I have never dieted, although I will admit to keeping an eye on portion sizes. I rarely eat any refined foods. I enjoy the odd drink or cocktail. I work-out regularly not because I need to be perfect, but because my body enjoys it.
I am 5'11 1/2" and weigh around 270 pounds (122 kg). I lost 20 pounds once due to illness and didn't manage to lost a full clothes size--I am one big girl with broad shoulders from swimming, muscled legs from lifting weights and cycling, and a powerful set of core muscles--last time I went to the gym I leg-pressed 280 lb.
My body and its strength despite injuries and age is one of my true sources of pleasure in life. I like my curves, I don't care that my breasts are saggier than they once were--I saw my grandmother as an old woman and I know where they're heading. I can't be bothered with make-up or nonsense, and while I love fashion it can't imagine a body like mine so I am mercifully spared spending lots of money on it. And, dammit, I am gorgeous, not least because I am intelligent and have a keen sense of humor.
I can't remember the point at which I learned to listen to my body, but it tells me what it needs, and I am grateful that I come from a family that passed on valuable cooking and gardening skills that have sustained me through my adult life and spared me from the messages about what a girl should be like.
April 14, 2009 |
Big Girl
Big Girl
Previous post: Where do I find Penn and Teller's BS obesity "epidemic" episode? Please post reply here on anybody. Thanks!!
April 7, 2009 |
Kathryn
Kathryn
Hello there,
First, I must admit at times I think the modern women's liberation front is a bit silly. I like traditional values where the woman stays in the house and takes care of her family. However, when I came across your website I was very excited that something was going on to discuss the disgusting amount of pressure put on women today. I have struggled with an eating disorder and disordered thinking for nigh on five years (thankfully I have gotten much better over the last few months and have not been tempted to relapse) and so it really does my heart good to see the work you and your peers are doing to help younger and future generations from falling victim to what I did. Thank you so much for your hard work.
Now, the reason I am writing is because today while I was checking my email I noticed on of the "news" articles mentioned that the "hourglass" shape was no longer desirable. I was surprised by this because from an anthropological standpoint the hourglass shape has always been desirable and has been the icon for a woman on every continent for hundreds of years (besides our own Western societies just recently I suppose.) The website (which I will include so you can read it) went on to say that the hourglass shape was unhealthy and that the "ideal" body shape was one where the chest, waist, and hip ratio was relatively the same (they called it the "rectangle".) Well I just about fell out of my chair. Isn't this new wonder shape the one we most associate with men? Didn't we get rid of this thinking in the 1920's? They actually had the audacity to say that those with the rectangle shape are, "physically stronger, more competitive and better able to withstand stress than other women due to higher levels of testosterone and stress-managing cortisol, both of which can cause weight gain in the abdomen." (I quoted that verbatim from the website.) It seems to me that what they are describing as the perfect shape for women is what is most common in men. High levels of testosterone, physically stronger, and more competitive? They have got to be kidding!
They went on to describe how the other body shapes (hourglass, apple, and pear) are unhealthy for various reasons and that more women should strive for this rectangle shape. The pear shape, which is my body shape, "may be more likely to develop eating disorders in an effort to achieve what society values as ideal -- narrow hips and slender legs." Darn right! I shouldn't have to tell you what the correct way to solve the problem is instead of their suggestion to work out the upper body to balance out the fat storage in the lower body. In their description of the hourglass shape, they mention having high estrogen levels and the ability to get pregnant easily as if they were something negative. Has the whole world gone crazy? The people who are saying all these things are apparently scientists; or, that's what they want you to believe. I've had a huge problem with the health"care" industry and their obsession with body shape and weight. After watching Penn & Teller's BS! episode on the obesity "epidemic" I'm thoroughly convinced that no one in that line of work has the common person's interest in mind.
I could go on forever on this subject, so I will end with the link and your own opinion on it. I hope it helps your endeavors a little, or is at the very list a little more fodder for you personally.
First, I must admit at times I think the modern women's liberation front is a bit silly. I like traditional values where the woman stays in the house and takes care of her family. However, when I came across your website I was very excited that something was going on to discuss the disgusting amount of pressure put on women today. I have struggled with an eating disorder and disordered thinking for nigh on five years (thankfully I have gotten much better over the last few months and have not been tempted to relapse) and so it really does my heart good to see the work you and your peers are doing to help younger and future generations from falling victim to what I did. Thank you so much for your hard work.
Now, the reason I am writing is because today while I was checking my email I noticed on of the "news" articles mentioned that the "hourglass" shape was no longer desirable. I was surprised by this because from an anthropological standpoint the hourglass shape has always been desirable and has been the icon for a woman on every continent for hundreds of years (besides our own Western societies just recently I suppose.) The website (which I will include so you can read it) went on to say that the hourglass shape was unhealthy and that the "ideal" body shape was one where the chest, waist, and hip ratio was relatively the same (they called it the "rectangle".) Well I just about fell out of my chair. Isn't this new wonder shape the one we most associate with men? Didn't we get rid of this thinking in the 1920's? They actually had the audacity to say that those with the rectangle shape are, "physically stronger, more competitive and better able to withstand stress than other women due to higher levels of testosterone and stress-managing cortisol, both of which can cause weight gain in the abdomen." (I quoted that verbatim from the website.) It seems to me that what they are describing as the perfect shape for women is what is most common in men. High levels of testosterone, physically stronger, and more competitive? They have got to be kidding!
They went on to describe how the other body shapes (hourglass, apple, and pear) are unhealthy for various reasons and that more women should strive for this rectangle shape. The pear shape, which is my body shape, "may be more likely to develop eating disorders in an effort to achieve what society values as ideal -- narrow hips and slender legs." Darn right! I shouldn't have to tell you what the correct way to solve the problem is instead of their suggestion to work out the upper body to balance out the fat storage in the lower body. In their description of the hourglass shape, they mention having high estrogen levels and the ability to get pregnant easily as if they were something negative. Has the whole world gone crazy? The people who are saying all these things are apparently scientists; or, that's what they want you to believe. I've had a huge problem with the health"care" industry and their obsession with body shape and weight. After watching Penn & Teller's BS! episode on the obesity "epidemic" I'm thoroughly convinced that no one in that line of work has the common person's interest in mind.
I could go on forever on this subject, so I will end with the link and your own opinion on it. I hope it helps your endeavors a little, or is at the very list a little more fodder for you personally.
March 23, 2009 |
anybody supported on email
anybody supported on email
Hello there,
First, I must admit at times I think the modern women's liberation front is a bit silly. I like traditional values where the woman stays in the house and takes care of her family. However, when I came across your website I was very excited that something was going on to discuss the disgusting amount of pressure put on women today. I have struggled with an eating disorder and disordered thinking for nigh on five years (thankfully I have gotten much better over the last few months and have not been tempted to relapse) and so it really does my heart good to see the work you and your peers are doing to help younger and future generations from falling victim to what I did. Thank you so much for your hard work.
Now, the reason I am writing is because today while I was checking my email I noticed on of the "news" articles mentioned that the "hourglass" shape was no longer desirable. I was surprised by this because from an anthropological standpoint the hourglass shape has always been desirable and has been the icon for a woman on every continent for hundreds of years (besides our own Western societies just recently I suppose.) The website (which I will include so you can read it) went on to say that the hourglass shape was unhealthy and that the "ideal" body shape was one where the chest, waist, and hip ratio was relatively the same (they called it the "rectangle".) Well I just about fell out of my chair. Isn't this new wonder shape the one we most associate with men? Didn't we get rid of this thinking in the 1920's? They actually had the audacity to say that those with the rectangle shape are, "physically stronger, more competitive and better able to withstand stress than other women due to higher levels of testosterone and stress-managing cortisol, both of which can cause weight gain in the abdomen." (I quoted that verbatim from the website.) It seems to me that what they are describing as the perfect shape for women is what is most common in men. High levels of testosterone, physically stronger, and more competitive? They have got to be kidding!
They went on to describe how the other body shapes (hourglass, apple, and pear) are unhealthy for various reasons and that more women should strive for this rectangle shape. The pear shape, which is my body shape, "may be more likely to develop eating disorders in an effort to achieve what society values as ideal -- narrow hips and slender legs." Darn right! I shouldn't have to tell you what the correct way to solve the problem is instead of their suggestion to work out the upper body to balance out the fat storage in the lower body. In their description of the hourglass shape, they mention having high estrogen levels and the ability to get pregnant easily as if they were something negative. Has the whole world gone crazy? The people who are saying all these things are apparently scientists; or, that's what they want you to believe. I've had a huge problem with the health"care" industry and their obsession with body shape and weight. After watching Penn & Teller's BS! episode on the obesity "epidemic" I'm thoroughly convinced that no one in that line of work has the common person's interest in mind.
I could go on forever on this subject, so I will end with the link and your own opinion on it. I hope it helps your endeavors a little, or is at the very list a little more fodder for you personally.
First, I must admit at times I think the modern women's liberation front is a bit silly. I like traditional values where the woman stays in the house and takes care of her family. However, when I came across your website I was very excited that something was going on to discuss the disgusting amount of pressure put on women today. I have struggled with an eating disorder and disordered thinking for nigh on five years (thankfully I have gotten much better over the last few months and have not been tempted to relapse) and so it really does my heart good to see the work you and your peers are doing to help younger and future generations from falling victim to what I did. Thank you so much for your hard work.
Now, the reason I am writing is because today while I was checking my email I noticed on of the "news" articles mentioned that the "hourglass" shape was no longer desirable. I was surprised by this because from an anthropological standpoint the hourglass shape has always been desirable and has been the icon for a woman on every continent for hundreds of years (besides our own Western societies just recently I suppose.) The website (which I will include so you can read it) went on to say that the hourglass shape was unhealthy and that the "ideal" body shape was one where the chest, waist, and hip ratio was relatively the same (they called it the "rectangle".) Well I just about fell out of my chair. Isn't this new wonder shape the one we most associate with men? Didn't we get rid of this thinking in the 1920's? They actually had the audacity to say that those with the rectangle shape are, "physically stronger, more competitive and better able to withstand stress than other women due to higher levels of testosterone and stress-managing cortisol, both of which can cause weight gain in the abdomen." (I quoted that verbatim from the website.) It seems to me that what they are describing as the perfect shape for women is what is most common in men. High levels of testosterone, physically stronger, and more competitive? They have got to be kidding!
They went on to describe how the other body shapes (hourglass, apple, and pear) are unhealthy for various reasons and that more women should strive for this rectangle shape. The pear shape, which is my body shape, "may be more likely to develop eating disorders in an effort to achieve what society values as ideal -- narrow hips and slender legs." Darn right! I shouldn't have to tell you what the correct way to solve the problem is instead of their suggestion to work out the upper body to balance out the fat storage in the lower body. In their description of the hourglass shape, they mention having high estrogen levels and the ability to get pregnant easily as if they were something negative. Has the whole world gone crazy? The people who are saying all these things are apparently scientists; or, that's what they want you to believe. I've had a huge problem with the health"care" industry and their obsession with body shape and weight. After watching Penn & Teller's BS! episode on the obesity "epidemic" I'm thoroughly convinced that no one in that line of work has the common person's interest in mind.
I could go on forever on this subject, so I will end with the link and your own opinion on it. I hope it helps your endeavors a little, or is at the very list a little more fodder for you personally.
March 23, 2009 |
anybody supported on email
anybody supported on email
Dear anybody,
Brilliant initiative! I'm thrilled to find you - mostly for my daughters who
at 10 and 7 talk about being fat, despite my being the author of The
Spectacular Modern Woman, a book which theorises and historicises how
visuality became such a disproportionate part of feminine identity.
Brilliant initiative! I'm thrilled to find you - mostly for my daughters who
at 10 and 7 talk about being fat, despite my being the author of The
Spectacular Modern Woman, a book which theorises and historicises how
visuality became such a disproportionate part of feminine identity.
March 11, 2009 |
Liz on email
Liz on email
I just want to say I am completely behind the cause. I hate the sexualisation of women that is taking place especially in relation to very young women. We don’t seem to have moved on much since the 16th century, women wore boned tight corsets then but now they are undergoing invasive procedures as though they are the ‘norm’. And for what ? No-one likes the way they look anyway ! We earn less than men but will buy ANYTHING that promises us youth or a slim figure or whatever and we spend huge a huge amount of our life on grooming which keeps a lot of us in the poor house. Can we not break this chain ? Can we not help ourselves ? I could go on but will spare you. I would like to part of this, I cannot ‘back it’ single handedly per se but want to support the cause.
March 8, 2009 |
email sent to anybody.org
email sent to anybody.org
Wow. Bodies has transformed my mindset overnignt. Thank you, Susie Orbach, for your intelligence and compassion.
I am 56 years old and have spent 40 years really, really suffering and trying to be thin with a 5' 9" broadshouldered, long legged body of Irish descent. I've done all those diets, oh yes. Weight Watchers x 3. Atkins x 3. Slimming World for the past year. (It is one of the saner eating plans around). Lost 3 stone, 4 stone, 2 stone, etc. etc., and yet have ended up heavier than I was when I first went to Weight Watchers age 26. If only I could be 14 stone again!!!!!
Isn't it sad when we look at photographs from past decades and say to ourselves - but I wasn't so very fat!! I wasn't ugly - in fact, I was quite pretty!! Heartbreaking, as the previous author comments, to think of the decades of happiness lost because of this dreadful pressure to change our bodies or look like our thin friends.
I will visit this site regularly for the support I need. I know it won't happen overnight, but I can feel a little spark of defiance deep inside.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I am 56 years old and have spent 40 years really, really suffering and trying to be thin with a 5' 9" broadshouldered, long legged body of Irish descent. I've done all those diets, oh yes. Weight Watchers x 3. Atkins x 3. Slimming World for the past year. (It is one of the saner eating plans around). Lost 3 stone, 4 stone, 2 stone, etc. etc., and yet have ended up heavier than I was when I first went to Weight Watchers age 26. If only I could be 14 stone again!!!!!
Isn't it sad when we look at photographs from past decades and say to ourselves - but I wasn't so very fat!! I wasn't ugly - in fact, I was quite pretty!! Heartbreaking, as the previous author comments, to think of the decades of happiness lost because of this dreadful pressure to change our bodies or look like our thin friends.
I will visit this site regularly for the support I need. I know it won't happen overnight, but I can feel a little spark of defiance deep inside.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
February 28, 2009 |
Patricia
Patricia
During the summer of 2006, I went to a UNIFEM event that focused on the issue of violence against women worldwide. The panel of experts discussed numerous forms of violence against women, including all of the ones you would expect—female genital mutilation, trafficking, honor killings, etc.
One, however, really caught my attention: international activists now categorize the western ideal of beauty a form of violence against women.
This phenomenon of a skinny ideal has created so many health concerns, and so many women have died from eating disorders and cosmetic procedures, that this ideal is indeed a form of violence against women.
The best part though, is that this ideal will persist only so long as those of us living in this culture consider it valid. As Westerners, let's reject these notions. Let's talk to our friends and family and encourage them to reject them, too. Let's tell all of the women in our lives just how irrelevant their beauty is to the human being they are. Let's take this collective energy of self-doubt and turn it into a positive. Let's exercise for fun. Let's stop categorizing some foods as "bad" because they're fatty. Let's love ourselves better, ladies.
Think about it on a very personal level: How much time out of every day do we spend thinking about our bodies? Our bellies, thighs, jiggly upper arms? What if we spent that time instead thinking about politics, about our friends, our careers, about issues bigger than ourselves?
What if we just decide to stop caring about the shape of our bodies and focus instead on how healthy we are? The fantastic Susie Orbach makes an excellent point in her book, On Eating: if we eat whatever we want whenever we want, taste every mouthful, and stop when we're full, our bodies will be shaped exactly the way nature intended – a shape that will be different for everyone.
Join me in this – start noticing how much time you spend focusing on your body and then start morphing that time spent into something positive like volunteering, writing, going kayaking with fun girlfriends, engaging in politics. Let's do it, ladies. Let's not waste our impressive brainpower on such an insignificant aspect of ourselves. Starting right now.
With love from a woman who finds you beautiful just as you are – but more importantly finds that beauty irrelevant because you're fantastic no matter what your package happens to look like.
XOXOXOXO
Jenna
http://chitikuko.blogspot.com/
Jenna DiCocco, J.D.
One, however, really caught my attention: international activists now categorize the western ideal of beauty a form of violence against women.
This phenomenon of a skinny ideal has created so many health concerns, and so many women have died from eating disorders and cosmetic procedures, that this ideal is indeed a form of violence against women.
The best part though, is that this ideal will persist only so long as those of us living in this culture consider it valid. As Westerners, let's reject these notions. Let's talk to our friends and family and encourage them to reject them, too. Let's tell all of the women in our lives just how irrelevant their beauty is to the human being they are. Let's take this collective energy of self-doubt and turn it into a positive. Let's exercise for fun. Let's stop categorizing some foods as "bad" because they're fatty. Let's love ourselves better, ladies.
Think about it on a very personal level: How much time out of every day do we spend thinking about our bodies? Our bellies, thighs, jiggly upper arms? What if we spent that time instead thinking about politics, about our friends, our careers, about issues bigger than ourselves?
What if we just decide to stop caring about the shape of our bodies and focus instead on how healthy we are? The fantastic Susie Orbach makes an excellent point in her book, On Eating: if we eat whatever we want whenever we want, taste every mouthful, and stop when we're full, our bodies will be shaped exactly the way nature intended – a shape that will be different for everyone.
Join me in this – start noticing how much time you spend focusing on your body and then start morphing that time spent into something positive like volunteering, writing, going kayaking with fun girlfriends, engaging in politics. Let's do it, ladies. Let's not waste our impressive brainpower on such an insignificant aspect of ourselves. Starting right now.
With love from a woman who finds you beautiful just as you are – but more importantly finds that beauty irrelevant because you're fantastic no matter what your package happens to look like.
XOXOXOXO
Jenna
http://chitikuko.blogspot.com/
Jenna DiCocco, J.D.
October 16, 2008 |
Jenna DiCocco, J.D.
Jenna DiCocco, J.D.
I understand that you are trying to promote healthier body image and that skinny doesnt equal beautiful and that looking skeletal is not attractive, but it must be considered from the other perspective. I'm 17 and weigh only 106 lbs. I have been called anorexic or stick insect in the street by random strangers. I have had many friends and family members tell me that they think I have an eating disorder, but, even though my bmi is technically underweight, i eat a healthy balanced diet and have not at any point TRIED to become slimmer. I want to be normal sized. I want to be curvy and attractive. I want to be able to shop in real stores instead of the kids section, because nowhere in the uk stocks beneath a size 6. It's hard for the skinny girls too!
August 31, 2008 |
Siania
Siania
Eating disorders are on the rise and it’s well-known that dieting has a lot to do with this rise. There’s oodles of evidence for it - which you’ll have to research yourself if you’re interested, but it’s easy if you just type ‘dieting and eating disorders’ into a search engine. Evidence includes the parallel rise of enforced body dissatisfaction and the advice to diet with rising instances of anorexia and bulimia and binge eating disorder. Also, countries that haven’t been exposed to Western culture and dieting have extremely low to non existent levels of eating disorders. There’s more, though, much, much more.
Anyway, while looking up the statistics for eating disorders in the UK for something I was writing, I noticed – not for the first time – that the way eating disorders are classified excludes obesity and overweight. It’s very strange. It always stands out to me but it seems to be accepted as normal that even a scientific or medical trial paper can separate the two. It’s the perfect example of a sleight of hand that Derren Brown would be proud of, except that it pulls the wool over everyone’s eyes and blinds everyone to the obvious truth in favour of a belief that helps the diet industry to earn millions, but which destroys the quality of life for millions of ordinary people.
Bulimia, anorexia, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating are all classified as eating disorders with various theories about their cause, including the pathological need for control, the anaesthetising of past trauma and abuse etc, but the main driver for these disorders is well-known to be high levels of body dissatisfaction and chronic addiction to dieting.
The physical effects of eating disorders such as anorexia’s extreme weight loss are taken as a side-effect of a psychological disorder and although shocking, as the physical side effects are, anorexics are never blamed for being severely underweight and they are treated as if they suffer from a mental illness.
Where eating disorders are shown in a sympathetic light and sufferers are largely described as victims, those who are obese and overweight are linked with greed, weakness and lack of self discipline. Obesity is given a class all of its own and overweight people are given a diet sheet and told to control their overeating by self discipline and shown that they are thought of as weak and greedy and lacking in self respect. The message is: if you don’t respect yourself enough to stop overeating, then how do you expect anyone else to respect you?
Overeaters take this on board and struggle their whole lives trying to follow this advice when in fact their problem is as much of an eating disorder as any anorexic or bulimic. In fact, just like weight loss is the physical symptom of anorexia, so weight gain is the physical symptom of compulsive overeating and binge eating disorder – AND the direct cause, as has been established, is body dissatisfaction and the drive towards chronic dieting!
The compulsion to overeat, driven by dieting, is in fact the basic foundation of all eating disorders. Anorexics are compulsive overeaters whose different neuroses and needs drive them to starve themselves and the overweight and obese are compulsive overeaters whose needs drive them to overeat! It’s exactly the same disease. But because of the current prejudice against obesity one is given treatment that, although largely ineffective, is at least sympathetic, and the other is treated by blame, humiliation and given directions to follow a solution that is actually the known direct cause of the problem itself.
THIS is the reason why obesity seems to be on the rise and why everyone is running about like headless chickens worrying about the cost to the NHS and where we’ll be in 2010 when so many more people are predicted to be overweight. This is why our kids no longer grow out of their puppy fat.
It's also the reason why you are sitting there thinking 'I don't suffer from an eating disorder, I just need to be able to stick to a diet,' and then going on to lose control of what you put in your mouth, day in, day out, obsessing and worrying about it and letting it destroy your quality of life.
Many things are truly bizarre about our culture, but this has got to be one of the most unbelievable of all.
Anyway, while looking up the statistics for eating disorders in the UK for something I was writing, I noticed – not for the first time – that the way eating disorders are classified excludes obesity and overweight. It’s very strange. It always stands out to me but it seems to be accepted as normal that even a scientific or medical trial paper can separate the two. It’s the perfect example of a sleight of hand that Derren Brown would be proud of, except that it pulls the wool over everyone’s eyes and blinds everyone to the obvious truth in favour of a belief that helps the diet industry to earn millions, but which destroys the quality of life for millions of ordinary people.
Bulimia, anorexia, binge eating disorder, compulsive overeating are all classified as eating disorders with various theories about their cause, including the pathological need for control, the anaesthetising of past trauma and abuse etc, but the main driver for these disorders is well-known to be high levels of body dissatisfaction and chronic addiction to dieting.
The physical effects of eating disorders such as anorexia’s extreme weight loss are taken as a side-effect of a psychological disorder and although shocking, as the physical side effects are, anorexics are never blamed for being severely underweight and they are treated as if they suffer from a mental illness.
Where eating disorders are shown in a sympathetic light and sufferers are largely described as victims, those who are obese and overweight are linked with greed, weakness and lack of self discipline. Obesity is given a class all of its own and overweight people are given a diet sheet and told to control their overeating by self discipline and shown that they are thought of as weak and greedy and lacking in self respect. The message is: if you don’t respect yourself enough to stop overeating, then how do you expect anyone else to respect you?
Overeaters take this on board and struggle their whole lives trying to follow this advice when in fact their problem is as much of an eating disorder as any anorexic or bulimic. In fact, just like weight loss is the physical symptom of anorexia, so weight gain is the physical symptom of compulsive overeating and binge eating disorder – AND the direct cause, as has been established, is body dissatisfaction and the drive towards chronic dieting!
The compulsion to overeat, driven by dieting, is in fact the basic foundation of all eating disorders. Anorexics are compulsive overeaters whose different neuroses and needs drive them to starve themselves and the overweight and obese are compulsive overeaters whose needs drive them to overeat! It’s exactly the same disease. But because of the current prejudice against obesity one is given treatment that, although largely ineffective, is at least sympathetic, and the other is treated by blame, humiliation and given directions to follow a solution that is actually the known direct cause of the problem itself.
THIS is the reason why obesity seems to be on the rise and why everyone is running about like headless chickens worrying about the cost to the NHS and where we’ll be in 2010 when so many more people are predicted to be overweight. This is why our kids no longer grow out of their puppy fat.
It's also the reason why you are sitting there thinking 'I don't suffer from an eating disorder, I just need to be able to stick to a diet,' and then going on to lose control of what you put in your mouth, day in, day out, obsessing and worrying about it and letting it destroy your quality of life.
Many things are truly bizarre about our culture, but this has got to be one of the most unbelievable of all.
April 15, 2008 |
Sue Thomason
Sue Thomason
I'm 5'7" and 9 stone, but until recently I had a boyfriend who made me feel horribly fat and ugly. He'd criticize me in small ways, like say "Shouldn't you be skinnier since you're vegeterian?" Or "All my last girlfriends were skinny"
He would say other things I don't want to repeat but he made me feel like I was ugly and didn't deserve to live.
I now relalise I am beautiful and a lovely person, and I shouldn't let a guy make me feel like I'm not cause he thinks I'm a bit chubby, which I'm not. If he had loved me he wouldn't have cared! This website has helped me regain my confidence.
I've learnt my lesson and I hope other people out there won't make the same mistake as I did.
He would say other things I don't want to repeat but he made me feel like I was ugly and didn't deserve to live.
I now relalise I am beautiful and a lovely person, and I shouldn't let a guy make me feel like I'm not cause he thinks I'm a bit chubby, which I'm not. If he had loved me he wouldn't have cared! This website has helped me regain my confidence.
I've learnt my lesson and I hope other people out there won't make the same mistake as I did.
March 20, 2008 |
Average Girl
Average Girl
dear Anybody,
i think that people should stop worrying about how others think about themself..have a confidence yourself at least and not to worry about it because your body is your body and u can not take what comes out of peoples mouth. you should be ok as long as your body is healthy and thats only what should matter to you by now..
i mean i know all of you are not the only ones that is having problems with body images.
all im saying is at least check this website out
you'll will learn great things about it....
i think that people should stop worrying about how others think about themself..have a confidence yourself at least and not to worry about it because your body is your body and u can not take what comes out of peoples mouth. you should be ok as long as your body is healthy and thats only what should matter to you by now..
i mean i know all of you are not the only ones that is having problems with body images.
all im saying is at least check this website out
you'll will learn great things about it....
February 1, 2008 |
samira
samira
January 15, 2008 |
elise slater
elise slater
****Stopping the fashion industry from setting an over-thin model before young women****
-By Michael Bell
Accident and illness happen in this world and the pain has to be borne, but I think we have a right to be very angry when we see the health of perfectly healthy young women being ruined by eating disorders set up by images marketed by the Fashion Industry. We've all seen cases.
What can we do about it? Like too many industries, the Fashion Industry is very good at wriggling out of regulation. A broad charge has been levelled against it, that it puts before young women an image of a the desirable body shape which it too thin, and women spoil their health by dieting-down to that body-shape. So the fashion industry has responded by making a loud fuss about going through the motions of dealing with a small part of the problem, with the suggestion that this amounts to dealing with the problem as a whole.
The fashion industry's diversionary tactic is to say that is it is looking after the health of the models. This is a real part of the problem: a very few models have died of over-slimming, and actual models are a very small a number of women. Even so it is obviously going to be an enforcement nightmare to go round and actually examine the models, weigh them, ask about their eating habits, periods, etc and keep this information up to date. How effective can this be? But this doesn't address the problem, the "Fashion Industry", so called, only controls catwalk images, it cannot control the large number of adverts and articles about fashion. And beyond that, the health of models is a very small part of the problem: the real problem is the very much larger number of women in the general public who have a false image of female beauty set before them.
And this brings out the important point. The commercially important output, the output that does the harm to women at large, is the photos, this is where our control must be.
What should we control? Once again the Fashion Industry suggests something unworkable. They say "Women are all sorts of different shapes and sizes, we cannot deny a naturally thin woman a career as a model just because she is thin."
This is a wrecking suggestion. Rather than set an individual limit, we can state an average standard which must be complied with, and set it in terms of height-to-weight ratio. This can easily be done by taking measurement of the photos. Computerised photogrammetry can now take an image and instantly work out the measurements and calculate height-to-width ratio. It must all be done by ratio; height cannot be calculated from the top of the head because it is hidden by hair, the distance between eyes, nose, ear or some other top marker and some lower marker, eg knee or ankle, can used to find the height - there are plenty of tables for making that calculation, waist width is obvious, and the width of legs and arms could be measured if we want to make a stand on it.
We can easily cope with the fact that women vary, it is well documented in medical biometry, with a full statistical apparatus of standard deviations and suchlike statistical parameters. This allows us both to accept women with a range of builds - and to say when the normal range of builds has been exceeded. Many commercial, industrial and legal standards are enforced in similar terms.
So, what should the standard be? I suggest it should be along the lines of "In a series of 200 images, women shall appear no more than 0.5 standard deviation thinner than population average for that age".
This standard should imposed by law on the publishers of magazines, newspapers, films and TV for pictures which are not "news" - obviously we can't impose this standard on photos of women who have done something newsworthy. Editors have to be obey the law on many things and this would be a very small additional burden.
-By Michael Bell
Accident and illness happen in this world and the pain has to be borne, but I think we have a right to be very angry when we see the health of perfectly healthy young women being ruined by eating disorders set up by images marketed by the Fashion Industry. We've all seen cases.
What can we do about it? Like too many industries, the Fashion Industry is very good at wriggling out of regulation. A broad charge has been levelled against it, that it puts before young women an image of a the desirable body shape which it too thin, and women spoil their health by dieting-down to that body-shape. So the fashion industry has responded by making a loud fuss about going through the motions of dealing with a small part of the problem, with the suggestion that this amounts to dealing with the problem as a whole.
The fashion industry's diversionary tactic is to say that is it is looking after the health of the models. This is a real part of the problem: a very few models have died of over-slimming, and actual models are a very small a number of women. Even so it is obviously going to be an enforcement nightmare to go round and actually examine the models, weigh them, ask about their eating habits, periods, etc and keep this information up to date. How effective can this be? But this doesn't address the problem, the "Fashion Industry", so called, only controls catwalk images, it cannot control the large number of adverts and articles about fashion. And beyond that, the health of models is a very small part of the problem: the real problem is the very much larger number of women in the general public who have a false image of female beauty set before them.
And this brings out the important point. The commercially important output, the output that does the harm to women at large, is the photos, this is where our control must be.
What should we control? Once again the Fashion Industry suggests something unworkable. They say "Women are all sorts of different shapes and sizes, we cannot deny a naturally thin woman a career as a model just because she is thin."
This is a wrecking suggestion. Rather than set an individual limit, we can state an average standard which must be complied with, and set it in terms of height-to-weight ratio. This can easily be done by taking measurement of the photos. Computerised photogrammetry can now take an image and instantly work out the measurements and calculate height-to-width ratio. It must all be done by ratio; height cannot be calculated from the top of the head because it is hidden by hair, the distance between eyes, nose, ear or some other top marker and some lower marker, eg knee or ankle, can used to find the height - there are plenty of tables for making that calculation, waist width is obvious, and the width of legs and arms could be measured if we want to make a stand on it.
We can easily cope with the fact that women vary, it is well documented in medical biometry, with a full statistical apparatus of standard deviations and suchlike statistical parameters. This allows us both to accept women with a range of builds - and to say when the normal range of builds has been exceeded. Many commercial, industrial and legal standards are enforced in similar terms.
So, what should the standard be? I suggest it should be along the lines of "In a series of 200 images, women shall appear no more than 0.5 standard deviation thinner than population average for that age".
This standard should imposed by law on the publishers of magazines, newspapers, films and TV for pictures which are not "news" - obviously we can't impose this standard on photos of women who have done something newsworthy. Editors have to be obey the law on many things and this would be a very small additional burden.
October 31, 2007 |
Michael Bell on email
Michael Bell on email
As a member of anybody who gets to check the web stats for this website I must say the number of people who type in 'porn' and the like who get directied to our website is great (due to our anti-porn article).... lets hope they are reading on once they click here!
x elise
x elise
October 31, 2007 |
anybody
anybody
from an email sent to AnyBody...
'I love your site. I feel so discouraged daily about the way society
portrays the perfect woman. My best friend recently congratulated me
when I told her I hadn't eaten much in the past few days, due to the
heat making me sick. Another friend goes weeks at a time without eating
and wears a shirt that reads "Anorexia is Phat!" My mother passed away
from taking several types of diet pills, at the far too young age of 34.
All of this makes me so sick I want to start a rally involving Janis
Joplin on the loudspeaker and bras being thrown into a fire. I just wish
women of all ages would realize that they are beautiful, regardless, and
that if you want to lose weight or work out or anything of the like, do
it because it's going to make you feel healthier or genuinely happier,
not because you want to look like someone else. I know that working out
makes me feel great and not care about my love handles and stretch
marks, but I had to get to a point that I was doing it for me and no one
else.
I genuinely appreciate your site and hope that more young women (and
women of all ages) can stumble across it and that it reaches them and
helps them to realize that they're beautiful; always have been always
will be.'
'I love your site. I feel so discouraged daily about the way society
portrays the perfect woman. My best friend recently congratulated me
when I told her I hadn't eaten much in the past few days, due to the
heat making me sick. Another friend goes weeks at a time without eating
and wears a shirt that reads "Anorexia is Phat!" My mother passed away
from taking several types of diet pills, at the far too young age of 34.
All of this makes me so sick I want to start a rally involving Janis
Joplin on the loudspeaker and bras being thrown into a fire. I just wish
women of all ages would realize that they are beautiful, regardless, and
that if you want to lose weight or work out or anything of the like, do
it because it's going to make you feel healthier or genuinely happier,
not because you want to look like someone else. I know that working out
makes me feel great and not care about my love handles and stretch
marks, but I had to get to a point that I was doing it for me and no one
else.
I genuinely appreciate your site and hope that more young women (and
women of all ages) can stumble across it and that it reaches them and
helps them to realize that they're beautiful; always have been always
will be.'
August 26, 2007 |
anybody
anybody
11) Buy high end luxury goods at the stores and online.
I'm not sure this is the most empowering message to women who may not be able to afford to do so. I'm also not sure why we would want to validate these 'high end' industries by buying from them. Surely in our fight to have clothing and images available for and of all different types of women, we should try to take down the system that allows only a tiny minority of women to be 'entitled' and the rest to feel like they don't deserve it because of their socioeconimic status.
When we examine this oppression of women let's look at sexism of course, but also class, race, sexuality and all the others!