I'm fired up!
Thursday afternoon. So Beckie wrote something today that really got me thinking. Then it made me sad. Then it made me mad.
Here's what she said (for those, like me, too lazy to follow links):
"A fat woman making fun of herself isn't funny, it's alarming.
A fat woman making fun of herself isn't funny, it's downgrading.
A fat woman making fun of herself isn't funny, it's her terrible way of saying "Im not worthy"."
Dear God, that's just so true, isn't it? How many times have I talked about my fat butt or my huge stomach or the multiple chins? Why is it that I feel I need to do that (and I do really feel that it's something I need to do)? So, that's what made me sad.
What made me mad, you might wonder? Well, that was when my thoughts wandered out further afield than my own actions to thinking about what the world has to say about fat people. First, the whole concept of what's "fat" and what's not is totally out of whack, but we're not even going to go there. I'm talking about late night comedians or the disk jockey on your local radio station. I know I've heard some really cruel jokes about Delta Burke, Kirstie Alley, and Star Jones, just to name a few. A particularly stupid DJ actually said something about Star's wedding because of how big she was. Excuse me? Fat women aren't allowed to have beautiful weddings with pretty dresses???
How is this OK? Why is it acceptable for anyone in the public eye to stereotype an entire segment of the population for a cheap joke??? If you changed the joke from Star Jones and how she looked like a Yeti Snowbeast in her dress to an Mexican-American celebrity (throw in a racial epithet that I won't use) and the fact that his family can't come to dinner because they got stopped by Border Patrol [Very Important Note: I would never and have never made such a joke, so please don't take offense. I'm trying to show something as offensive as the original but in a context that is not socially acceptable.], you'd have an uproar, a spot on all of the evening newscasts, and, potentially, a civil rights lawsuit on your hands.
Why is it OK to say such horrible, hurtful things about fat people? And, perhaps more telling, why are we not fighting back? Does it go right back to the original thought that I had about making fun of myself before someone else does it? What if the thing that will turn the tide in creating understanding among the general public of how we feel is our being willing to stand up, take the ridicule, turn it back on these low-class morons, and prevail in the end?
Every time someone looks at themselves in the mirror and thinks, "I'm not worth it because I'm fat," they win.
Every time someone thinks twice about doing or even stops themselves from doing something exciting (travel, adventure sports, leadership) because they're afraid of how their butt will look or whether they'll fit in the necessary equipment or whatever, they win.
Every time a little girl who is a healthy weight gives in to the pressure to diet, thus teaching her to ignore her body's natural appetite in pursuit of a flat stomach, they win.
What is it about my extra flesh that threatens them so much that they have to belittle me to feel OK?!!
I'm so tired of letting them win. I'm so angry right now. I want the answer and I know there isn't one and that makes me sad again.
Here's what she said (for those, like me, too lazy to follow links):
"A fat woman making fun of herself isn't funny, it's alarming.
A fat woman making fun of herself isn't funny, it's downgrading.
A fat woman making fun of herself isn't funny, it's her terrible way of saying "Im not worthy"."
Dear God, that's just so true, isn't it? How many times have I talked about my fat butt or my huge stomach or the multiple chins? Why is it that I feel I need to do that (and I do really feel that it's something I need to do)? So, that's what made me sad.
What made me mad, you might wonder? Well, that was when my thoughts wandered out further afield than my own actions to thinking about what the world has to say about fat people. First, the whole concept of what's "fat" and what's not is totally out of whack, but we're not even going to go there. I'm talking about late night comedians or the disk jockey on your local radio station. I know I've heard some really cruel jokes about Delta Burke, Kirstie Alley, and Star Jones, just to name a few. A particularly stupid DJ actually said something about Star's wedding because of how big she was. Excuse me? Fat women aren't allowed to have beautiful weddings with pretty dresses???
How is this OK? Why is it acceptable for anyone in the public eye to stereotype an entire segment of the population for a cheap joke??? If you changed the joke from Star Jones and how she looked like a Yeti Snowbeast in her dress to an Mexican-American celebrity (throw in a racial epithet that I won't use) and the fact that his family can't come to dinner because they got stopped by Border Patrol [Very Important Note: I would never and have never made such a joke, so please don't take offense. I'm trying to show something as offensive as the original but in a context that is not socially acceptable.], you'd have an uproar, a spot on all of the evening newscasts, and, potentially, a civil rights lawsuit on your hands.
Why is it OK to say such horrible, hurtful things about fat people? And, perhaps more telling, why are we not fighting back? Does it go right back to the original thought that I had about making fun of myself before someone else does it? What if the thing that will turn the tide in creating understanding among the general public of how we feel is our being willing to stand up, take the ridicule, turn it back on these low-class morons, and prevail in the end?
Every time someone looks at themselves in the mirror and thinks, "I'm not worth it because I'm fat," they win.
Every time someone thinks twice about doing or even stops themselves from doing something exciting (travel, adventure sports, leadership) because they're afraid of how their butt will look or whether they'll fit in the necessary equipment or whatever, they win.
Every time a little girl who is a healthy weight gives in to the pressure to diet, thus teaching her to ignore her body's natural appetite in pursuit of a flat stomach, they win.
What is it about my extra flesh that threatens them so much that they have to belittle me to feel OK?!!
I'm so tired of letting them win. I'm so angry right now. I want the answer and I know there isn't one and that makes me sad again.
