I Look Good Naked

Happy New Year everyone! I have one resolution and that is to Be Nice to Myself. This is my resolution because:

(1) Being nice to myself will make my life more pleasurable and gratifying.

(2) Living a more pleasurable and gratifying life will give me more surplus and since

(3) it feels good to give from surplus and feels bad to give beyond surplus

(4) being nice to myself is truly a gift that I give the world and is ultimately the best way to be nicer to others. See how that works? Fun is my goal and Love is the way. I don’t think it works the other way around because if love is the goal, let’s face it – it isn’t always fun.

In my pursuit of being nice to myself I just watched a preview episode of How To Look Good Naked, the new show on Lifetime premiering tonight at 9:00 p.m. I must admit I was a bit worried that I would be seeing a bunch of beautiful women, of all shapes and sizes, wearing ugly clothes and crying about how much they hate their bodies.

In fact, what I saw was Layla, a beautiful, curvy 33 year old woman who was put on her first diet when she was twelve, wearing ugly clothes and crying about how much she hates her body. And then she spent some time with the delightful and charming Carson Kressley who talked to her not only about fashion but about her self esteem, her distorted body image, finding clothes that fit her body and her style, and celebrating the skin she’s in.

I gotta tell ya gals, I have a really good feeling about this show. Enjoy what you have, while knowing that you can always have more – has been something that I have discussed here before. At the beginning of the show Layla referred to parts of her body as disgusting and couldn’t really talk about her appearance without crying. Her pain about feeling unattractive was palpable and I could empathize on a very personal level.

Why do we women doubt our attractiveness and why is our attractiveness so wrapped up in our self worth? I am sorry but I won’t be providing an answer to that question. That is a much larger issue with roots in feminism, capitalism and many other “isms” as well. I do know that you don’t kick a tree for being a tree and since we just are the way that we are I say we may as well have some fun.

I am really looking forward to seeing more episodes of How To Look Good Naked. I wonder what they will come up with on this show, and how they will continue to work with individual women, each with her own set of body image issues.

With the increasing fascination with finding our bodies wrong as being unhealthy, ugly, and even a threat to the nation; How To Look Good Naked might be another source of sanity in response to a world gone mad with being thin.

Working out the Blogging Kinks

For some deeply mysterious reason (at least to me) my blog feed is not updating in a reliable way. I’m working on it but if you are reading this blog through a feed reader and not receiving regular updates please post a comment and let me know. I am trying to get it all worked out by Monday.

Thanks.

In the meantime I will have the next exciting installment of Toxic Personality Week posted soon.

Looking at Art Thursday

This is my first in a series of Thursday posts on art.

My apologies for the lack of work you are going to get done while looking at these images of artist Duane Hanson, via the Saatchi Gallery in London. They have an amazing website featuring contemporary artists, seen in their permanent and traveling exhibits. The Saatchi is only more enjoyable in person.

Duane Hanson

Since the early 1970’s Duane Hanson has been making startlingly lifelike sculptures of middle America accomplished through a complex process of casting from live models, recreated in bronze or fiberglass resin.

His sculptures focus on “ordinary” people just moving through their day. People you might not notice walk past you. The people Hanson studied weren’t required to be pretty, although some are. They are wearing unfashionable clothes and often a posture of exhaustion. These are people who carry the burden of life on their faces and Hanson shows us a moment of their life with dignity and respect. I find his work much more interesting than life-like wax figures of celebrities.

I had seen an exhibit of Hanson’s work when I was a kid and one day while I was walking through galleries at a museum in Richmond, VA, I saw a guy sitting on a bench that looked exactly like one of Hanson’s pieces. I actually let out a little yelp when the utterly still “sculpture” stood up and walked out of the room.

I hope you enjoy Duane Hanson’s work and I am eager to hear your comments.

My husband agrees with everything I say.

If I say something nice about my body/appearance he will absolutely agree by saying something wonderful and romantic like, “My wife is the hottest piece of ass.” And then he’ll grab me. See, isn’t he charming? Seriously if he was on his deathbed and I was leaning in close to hear his final whispered words — he would reach up and grab my boobs. He’s a romantic, what can I say.

And if I say something that isn’t so nice like, “I can’t believe I ate so many mini crab cakes and mini quiches and mini spinach pies and crostini with olive tapenade and glasses of champagne at that party. Man what a pig.” He will agree with that as well by saying something sweet and supportive like, “yeah I know you really are a pig. No wonder you’re so fat. You know it’s very simple – calories in…calories out.” And then he laughs and laughs.

It has definitely made me more aware of what I say about myself when he’s in the room. As I recently said in a comment at Shapely Prose, “it’s really very loving. If you like your love with sharp teeth.”

Santa Got Run Over By 18-wheeler, Jogging Home From My House Christmas Eve

Please visit the enormously entertaining discussion at Shapely Prose on the matter of the U.S. Surgeon General declaring that Santa is too fat and must trim down to save our children from the horrors of fat. Oh how I love ya Katie!

My comment on this:

Coming soon to a theater near you!

Santa Claws and his Ninja Reindeer.
A new and improved cybertronic Santa on the busiest night of the year with top level clearance at SAS, Mossad, FBI and MI5.

And wait until you see the action figure! The new “Randy Santy” comes complete with washboard abs, on-board missile control system with lasers,bionic implants (we can’t tell you where but Mrs. Claws has been getting a real workout lately…wink wink nudge nudge) all so he can take on the Axis of Evil while delivering toys to good girls and boys…but not the fat ones. Because fat kills. Everybody knows that.

New Post Coming Soon…really

After days of being frustrated I have decided to just lay my truth bare on the screen and level with you dear readers — I have lost the cord that connects my digital camera to my laptop. The laptop is working perfectly fine, and so is the camera. Now if only I could get these two kids to play nice together I could show you how much fun I had interviewing fashion designer Monif C. But no. They will not play nice together without that missing cord and I have decided to give up on being frustrated and just go out and buy a new cord, which truthfully frustrates me in a completely different way. Not in a good way like when you are looking forward to having a really delicious dinner in your favorite restaurant and the chef has refused to serve what his underlings have prepared because it is not worthy of your demanding palate and even though you are frustrated because you are hungry and you want your favorite dinner you are so completely flattered by the attentions of the chef that you are happy to wait. This of course has never happened to me but I imagine that I would be flattered. No I am frustrated in the same way that you might be when you oversleep on Monday morning only to realize that you have missed the garbage collection and while the bag in your kitchen is so ripe that it could have walked to the dump itself, it seems to have overslept also and missed its ride so now you have to live with this smelly heap of trash for another week. I am that kind of frustrated.

I am going to Chicago next week for the NAAFA.org convention and I will have laptop, digital camera and the cord of connectedness between the two. My plan is to continue blogging, intrepid blogger that I am, even while away from home to bring you all the convention news that is fit to type. I know that you will appreciate my efforts because I am feeling the love. Right now…through the keyboard. umm…maybe I shouldn’t have had that second glass of wine?

Anywho, (oooh did I just type the make believe word anywho???…I can’t believe I typed that!) I’ll have the much anticipated interview with the glmorous Monif C. for you tomorrow. Operators are standing by.

This past weekend BBC Radio 1 hosted a free multi-stage music festival in Preston England. Here is video from the weekend of pop star Mika singing his big hit, “Big Girl You Are Beautiful!”

Joy Nash Fat Rant in LA Times

Yes it’s true. The LA Times…hello the LA TIMES…has interviewed Joy Nash about her freaking amazing video Fat Rant.

Here is a link to the interview: Joy Nash LA Times Interview. FYI: This link takes you to a page where you have to register in order to read the interview.

And here once again for your viewing pleasure is the video.

Random Bytes: 3 Column Widgets Compliant Blogger Template!

Oh I love Pam Blackstone! I have been searching for a 3 column template and she made it easy.

Step 1: Add a background image that I like.
Step 2: Create a header.
Step 3: World domination.

You see? It’s a full proof plan.

Random Bytes: 3 Column Widgets Compliant Blogger Template!

The Shrinking Size of Airline Seats

I respond to a comment to yesterday’s post:

jumpinglegacy said…

I just HAD to comment on this. I’m registered for a retreat in california this August, and haven’t made flight arrangements because I’m in a huge predicament- I’m on a limited budget, and have hips that will not, no matter how hard we all try, fit into one of those frickin’ tiny seats that are child-sized. Not even average-person sized. The last thing I want to do is be shoved in to one of those damned seats for that period of time, imposing upon my neighbour’s space because I don’t have enough of my own. Sitting in my office chair and looking down, I need at least 20 inches for my hips to be comfortable.
I am angry with rage at airlines who’s main goal is to shove as many people in as small a cabin as possible. How am I going to get my plus sized hips to the retreat without going broke?

Dear jumpinlegacy:

I can totally relate to your concern. I do have some tips for you.

1) American Airlines seems to have the widest seats on their domestic economy flights with the deepest pitch. Pitch is the distance between the rows. Check Seat Guru for specifics.

2) Ask for the exit row. You will find the most room between the rows in the exit row, which means more leg room, which means more comfort.

3) The last time I flew I had a window seat and faked a cold. It’s true, I did. I coughed and sputtered and blew my nose when someone sat in the middle seat. I apologized and then muttered something about infectious bronchitis. The woman stood up and asked the flight attendant for another seat. I lifted the armrest between our two seats and had a very comfortable flight.

4) Of course, the trick to having an empty seat next to you depends on the flight not being sold out. Before you book your flight call the airline and ask customer service for a recommendation on what flight may have a few empty seats.

5) Visit This Lush Life my size positive online mall. Click on the category called “Tickle” and use the up/down arrow to scroll through many discount travel sites. These sites all over similar itineraries for different prices. Comparison shop for your flights.

6) Be happy! Think about how much fun you will have on your trip. Stress an rage will make you miserable. Be happy just because it feels good. Have fun just to have fun. It’s reason enough.

Let us know if any of this helped you have a more comfortable trip and thank you again for your thought provoking post.