Big Fat Carnival - Sixth Edition

Welcome to the sixth installment of the Big Fat Carnival! Yes yes, it’s just a *smidge* late, but I got a few last-minute entries so I’ll say this carnival is all the better for it.

For those who need a little back story on what exactly a Big Fat Carnival is, you can read up here. I will note that there a few submissions that I didn’t post, either because they were totally off topic (er, employment advice anyone?), fat-phobic (OH NOES OBESITY KILLS DINOSAURS!) or the link wasn’t working the few times I tried (Why, Myspace? Why???).

So, because I’m all about not reinventing the wheel, I’m gonna take my cue from Amp in the very first BFC and format this shindig thusly: I’ll just link you to the entry and share a little snippet of the post itself. There weren’t a *ton* of entries, so I don’t think these really need to be categorized. The quotes given are just that - quotes, not summaries, so if you want the real dish you’ll have to visit each individual entry.

And lastly, before we get started, if anybody is interested in hosting the next Big Fat Carnival, please get in touch!

Arright already! Let’s jump right in!

Fat Hate Bingo at Red No. 3:

No longer do you have to be bored to tears by the same old arguments offered by anti-fat crusaders whenever you want to discuss fat acceptance. With FAT HATE BINGO you can make a game of the repetitive talking points that get trotted out in every single conversation about fat. Five clichés in a row and you’ve got FAT HATE BINGO!

Top One Fat Girls in Television History at Big Fat Deal

So then I was going to write a post about the top ten fat girl characters in the history of television (avoiding reality shows) because I was interested in checking to see if there were any writers who were able to treat being fat as just another facet of the character rather than an opportunity for automatic jokes.

The Trouble with Normal Weight at fat fu

Fat-phobia is not just about a taste for certain body-shapes. It’s also about a taste for a certain way of living. And the fear that people who don’t have the right body shape, aren’t living the right way.

Fat helps in a heart attack, but don’t be fat! at Big Fat Blog

Is Newby suggesting, in a veiled way, that fat people are… stronger? It could be interpreted that way; he sees it as a bad thing.

The crazy part of this, though, is that even though this study shows that fat people are in a better spot post-heart attack… doctors still recommend weight loss.

Real grandstanding? at The-F-word

Two larger-than-average smiling women cavort across a white screen, with the words “we believe in hips not hip bones” emblazoned in print larger than a semi truck. The implication is that women needn’t necessarily wear a size two, but should strive instead for their own healthy size – which, hopefully for SlimFast, is a size two. Or zero.

Fat Hatred Kills, Part One at Shapely Prose

She didn’t want to bother them too much, you see, even though by then it had been two decades since her last physical. She thanked the doctor when she got the prescription for the inhaler, and never called back when it sometimes didn’t work, because she didn’t want to take up their valuable time on a rule-breaker like her.

Don’t You Realize Fat Is Unhealthy? at Shapely Prose

9. In any case, shaming teh fatties for being “unhealthy” doesn’t fucking help. If shame made people thin, there wouldn’t be a fat person in this country, trust me. I wish I could remember who said this, ’cause it’s one of my favorite quotes of all time: “You cannot hate people for their own good.”

fatties to blame for birth defects (and every other problem with the world today) at Fat Lot Of Good

And even IF it is true, it SUGGESTS there might be a link between obesity (the oh so defineable term that it is) and birth defects. It doesn’t prove anything. It only suggests it. And it is interesting to note that there is no mention of whether there has been an increase in birth defects that has correlated with the increase in obesity in the US.

The uneasiness of equality at She Dances On The Sand

If the idea that fat is not necessarily unhealthy makes you uncomfortable, examine your reasons for feeling that way. Is it because you’ve been acting superior to fat people, and you’ll have to eat crow if the new information is true?

I will be thin for my wedding, even if it kills me! And it did. at Fat Lot Of Good

All this show does is perpetrate the myth that fat women cannot look beautiful. That fat women shouldn’t try to look beautiful. That fat women do not desever to wear a gorgeous gown, or even that fat women don’t deserve to be the centre of attention on their wedding day. I would even go so far as to say it perpetrates the idea that fat women don’t deserve to be in relationships, to be loved or to get married.

You’re Getting Fat at Sojourner’s Truths

So last night at dinner, Kid Sister #2, who adores me, who worships the ground I walk on, who grabbed my leg and told me not to go back to my job and whenever I mentioned “this is from Texas, where I live” she said, “You do not live in Texas! You live here!” … she grinned and said to me, “You’re getting fat.”

The Laws of Thermodynamics at She Dances On The Sand

So when I hear someone saying that it’s as simple as “finding how many calories your body needs, and only eating that much”, you’ll have to pardon me while I laugh. Do you even know HOW to measure how many calories you use?

Where’s my soap box? at Good With Cheese

Maybe I missed that day in school, but was there, like, a special assembly where they sat us all down and informed us that we had a responsibility to society-at-large to be “healthy” and “in shape”?

If you’re reading my blog, I’m assuming that I’m the fat person you like. at Birthcycle

“She eats like a pig. She has no table manners at all. Were you watching her at the potluck? She just kept eating and eating and eating! We had to keep stopping on the way up so she could eat. She claimed she was hungry, well, yeah, I can see you’re hungry, honey, just by looking at you, but that doesn’t mean…”

Weighty Matters at Shakespeare’s Sister

It remains a radical act to be fat and happy in America, especially if you’re a woman (for whom “jolly” fatness isn’t an option). If you’re fat, you’re not only meant to be unhappy, but deeply ashamed of yourself, projecting at all times an apologetic nature, indicative of your everlasting remorse for having wrought your monstrous self upon the world.

That’s the answer… not at Junkfood Science

What’s the obvious “solution” to obesity that this study’s correlation suggests?

Raise the price of houses to eradicate obesity!

Fat in Politics at fat fu

Politicians are now seeing fat as an opportunity to advance their careers (or for others, as an insurmountable liability), and this is more than a little unsettling. As politician after politician sets their sights on this single nail, I worry they’ll start thinking everything looks like a hammer. After all, there’s only so many soda machines you can remove from the schools. There’s only so many speeches you can make warning about fat heralding the downfall of civilization.

Are we friends? Are you fat yet? at The Rotund

Hi, I’m fat. Recently, you wrote an article that advised my friends not to be friends with me if they wanted to stay thin. Rather than assume anything, I thought I’d ask you, “Do you really think it is in the best interest of journalistic integrity and responsibility to advocate the ostracizing of any social group?”

The fickle finger of Fat Acceptance at Body Impolitic

If we demand that our activists fit a stronger set of criteria than that, we’re in danger of creating purity tests, and deciding who does and who doesn’t “deserve” to be an activist. Personally, I’d much rather be fighting the bariatric surgeons and the diet industry.

Listen, All Y’All, It’s a Sabotage at Shapely Prose

The former choice is unbearable, so she takes the latter. And pouts. And it is all my fault. I have deprived her of dessert because I had the gall to fill up on food I actually craved. The fat chick doesn’t even want dessert!

Guest Blogger Heidi: I hate WLS. Here’s why I’m having it. at Shapely Prose

Heidi is one of the reasons I said again and again that my political stance on dieting is a whole different thing from my personal opinion of individuals who want to lose weight. There are exceptions to every rule. And as you’ll see from this post, Heidi is an exceptional person in every sense of the word. I’m honored that she was willing to share her story with the Shapely Prose crew.