I Didn’t Get The Memo

I put this blog on the World Wide Webernet (Perhaps you’ve heard of it? It’s very famous you know.) and asked people to come and chat with me about plus size fashion (it’s very “in” right now) and feeling good about your body, and Health at Every Size.

Some people stopped by and left some comments and I thought, “Yay!” (that was what I thought) “Yay! People are reading me. You like me you really like me.” Or something like that — I forget what my exact thought was but you get the picture.

I tried to be a little controversial and wrote about people who try to bring you down and gave some advice columnesque (I made up that word) tips for how to love the hater and don’t let the bastards get you down.

I offered fashion advice and shopping encouragement for full figured gals who want to shop online. I consider myself a self-taught expert you know.

And now every blogger who blogs about these similar things is talking about some article in Bitch magazine that I won’t even link to because honestly it’s rude crap and poorly written so why would you want to read it anyway?

But I digress. So everyone is writing about how there’s a lot of talk going around about “good” fat people (I think these are fat people who eat vegetables or those with eating disorders who shouldn’t be blamed whether they eat vegetables or not) versus “bad” fat people (I think this is Fatty McFatterson who doesn’t eat veggies but loves candy and watches soap operas all day and therefore is to be blamed for all that fat) and I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON.

I feel like I just walked in to a room full of people just as someone says, “So then the Rabbi said…you think that’s fat, you should see my kreplach! And then everyone bursts out laughing, and a few people are offended (which just means it was a good joke) and I’m standing here poking the person next to me with my elbow whispering, “what did he say?” But the person next to me is too busy wiping tears from her eyes and trying to catch her breath and I never find out what was so funny.

Truth be told I often feel that way.

Is it too much to ask to be one of the blogs included when there’s going to be some mud slinging? Hello?! I’m heeeere. All I ask is that someone send me the memo.

Until I get on the mailing list for insider memos please visit these other blogs because they are very well written and have important, sensible things to say.

On this matter of good fat people versus bad fat people Kate Harding, Unapologetically Fat, Thoughtracer,, and a really great post by babble — please also read the comments on these topics. Very illuminating.

Health is a subject that fires everyone up: What to Eat, What Not to Eat, How to Eat (specifically how to chew and swallow), How to Move our Bodies and How Often, and what it MEANS if we do one thing or another.

Health at Every Size (HAES) and Intuitive Eating (IE) seems to me to be a way out of the morass of self denigrating behaviors. I am learning about both but so far I am happier with my body than I’ve been in a while and I give credit to HAES and IE.

This does not mean that I am insisting that anyone else do it my way or they are wrong. This does not mean that I am going to lecture you in this column. It just means that I might talk about my experiences from time to time because it is my blog after all, and sometimes I will talk about how I feel about my body but mostly I like to talk about shopping.

Please read these blog posts about a very disturbing website operated by Proctor & Gamble, that is practically a How-To Guide for Getting Your Own Eating Disorder that specifically targets young girls. If you are the kind of person who writes letters of protest then I encourage you to visit The F-Word because Rachel has provided information for writing letters. Rachel is an enormously talented writer who speaks calmly in the face of ignorance and hatred. She gives me hope when I can only sputter with outrage. Paul at Big Fat Blog, and the amazing Harriet Brown have also posted beautifully written articles about this truly offensive site.

Please take the time to give these blogs a visit. Thank you.