Posts Tagged ‘fat rights’
Acknowledge the Good
I have a friend who won’t shop at Lane Bryant because the large size mannequins in the stores aren’t big enough. She feels that they should use mannequins that are three different sizes of large because that would be more representative of their customers.
I can see her point and I agree but, I still celebrate that Lane Bryant uses mannequins that are significantly larger than ones seen in any other store and I will still shop there. Their styles are even getting cuter! I want to show other stores that carry clothes for fuller figures that people will shop there if they feel represented. I believe that it is important to acknowledge the good and then more good will come.
Not too long ago I posted a Dove ad and praised the company for promoting body positive and age positive imagery. I received a few angry comments (some I refused to post) by people who felt that the company still doesn’t do enough and that until all the ads for all products owned by Dove’s parent company, and its subsidiaries, use the same marketing then there is nothing to be happy about and people should boycott. Well, I guess you can’t please everybody.
I am not a pacifist. I’m a challenger. I speak up and butt heads. I don’t just have opinions, I have loud opinions and I make sure people know what I think. My viewpoint on this has nothing to do with avoiding a fight because there is little I enjoy more than a heated debate. But to complain that a move in the direction of what you want is not enough, and then to suggest a boycott, is not working for change — it is working to maintain what you already have. If you continue to fight against what you have then you will end up with less. When you acknowledge that someone is giving you what you want, even if you feel that it is less than what you asked for, you have a better chance that someone will feel so good about being acknowledged that they will want to give you more.
There are times that I seriously wonder if people want the things that they say they want. Acknowledge the good and you will get more. Repeat after me, “Thank you, that is really great. I would like some more. You are so awesome!”
And on a private note, I find this works with husbands too.
COFRA — Show Your Face videos
I have a secret crush. How much do I love Paul McAleer? A lot, that’s how much. Now that it’s not a secret anymore I can tell you that I quote his witty and smart viewpoints on Big Fat Blog to my husband so often (“Oh my god! Paul said something brilliant! Isn’t he dreamy?”) that now he refers to Paul as my internet boyfriend. OK that’s not true – he doesn’t call Paul my internet boyfriend but it sounded so cute that I’m going to leave it in. Go read what Paul has to say and see for yourself.
Paul invited a bunch of us bloggers to get together in Chicago and talk about Fat Rights, calling us the Coalition of Fat Rights Activists. I’ve wanted to attend the COFRA meetings that have taken place in Chicago only to be thwarted at every turn. Once a wedding, once a business meeting, and once I even bought a plane ticket but all flights were canceled because of a snow storm!
Sigh…one day I will meet Paul and hopefully I will not be a drooling fool (“Oh my gawd you are like so cute and stuff!”) but instead I will be witty and profound and we will have a wonderful conversation and I will write about the momentous occasion in my diary, which is this website, so you will be the first to know!
Paul sent out a call for action calling it Dare to Show Your Face. Confront the media’s obsession with images of neck-down fat bodies and show them your beauty. I spent a lot of time last weekend watching and watching again your incredible videos on You Tube and I gotta say, you people are gorgeous! The videos are beyond fantastic, beyond inspiring, beyond my wildest hopes and dreams. Now what with my not-so-secret crush, of course you can see that I am beside myself with Hunky Paul and the thrilling accomplishment of the COFRA Dare to Show Your Face project. See? I told you he was dreamy.
I often wish I could meet the people who read my blog and when I watch these videos I just want to invite you all over for dinner. I’ll make you a nice leg of lamb, unless you’re vegan and then I’ll make ratatouille. We’ll drink wine and laugh and have wonderful conversation. Then we’ll make a body positive, fat rights video. Today You Tube – tomorrow the world!
*Addendum: I just realized that I didn’t give credit to Abby Niederhauser who posted this video. WTG Abby! Please take some time to see the other videos as well.
