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Photographing "fat" celebrities in a "flattering" way

Hi every one!  Thanks so much for following.  24 new followers in a single day!  Keep telling your friends to join.  In the meantime, I'm lining up some seriously sweet prizes for upcoming contests, exclusive to Phat Ally followers.  How awesome are these prizes, you might ask?  THIS AWESOME.

This post is adapted from the Huffington Post article entitled "Celebrities & Weight: 16 Stars Who Have Taken a Stand Against Hollywood's Standard of Beauty". 

Jennifer Lawrence:
“I eat like a caveman, I’ll be the only actress who doesn’t have anorexia rumors," Jennifer Lawrence told Elle. “In Hollywood, I’m obese. I’m considered a fat actress, I’m Val Kilmer in that one picture on the beach.”

Corresponding picture:

courtesy Huffington Post

Rosario Dawson:
Rosario Dawson has often been told she needs to lose weight, but the actress attributes her weight to her "big boobs." “I would get told by my manager, ‘Rosario, you went into your audition with sweats today. If you want to wear a sweater, just make sure it’s tight.’ Because the casting directors would call her and say, ‘She’s great but the casting director needs to know if she’s slim.  I’m like, ‘Dude, have you seen the photos I’ve done? You know what I look like.’”

Corresponding picture:

courtesy Huffington Post

 Tyra Banks:

"To all of you who have something nasty to say to me or to women built like me," Tyra Banks said on her talk show, "I have one thing to say to you: Kiss my fat a**!"

Corresponding picture:

courtesy Huffington Post

 Tyra, what a fatty.

I'm not saying that I don't commend celebrities for speaking out about how unfair Hollywood's beauty standard is.  I am also pleased with the article for including diverse bodies, including several fat women of color (Gabourey Sidibe, Queen Latiyfah, Mo'Nique, and others). 

But even as they're talking about what weight rebels they are, they are being photographed in a way that highlights all of their skinny features.

You might ask, what's the point?  Isn't Hollywood just a weird alternate reality full of vain actors and bad messages about image?  Well, duh.  But that doesn't mean it has no bearing on our lives, even liberated, indie, modern, snobby feminist womyn who have no interest in garbage media.  If these and all other celeb photos have a sick obsession with hiding certain body parts that are not "flattering" (ie, not really skinny or optimally beautiful), that is certainly the way my friends and I talk/obsess about our clothing choices and pictures.

This is the first hit for "unflattering photo" on google images. Uh, what?

I thought that this Buzzfeed article did a great job of rounding up GIFs of before and after pictures of airbrushed celebrities, demonstrating that, no matter how thin you are, you will always have your "problem areas". 

You see, even this super-thin model has her armpit bulge eliminated, her skinny arm made even skinnier, her thigh pulled in.

The fabric on this model's outfit made her look too fat.  She is pretty thin, but they uniformly slimmed down on every part of her.

And don't even think about having just a teensy bit of non-toned upper arm that flattens out when you press it against something else.

I want to explore this idea of what is "flattering" in future posts.  These pictures may seem superficial, but "flattering" dictates our motivation in choosing almost our entire wardrobe.  "Flattering" drives the entire fashion and clothing industry.  It is the basis for our external sense of self-worth.  And it emerged from a long tradition of thin-centric (and white-centric) beauty.

Mama Cass was Different

It has been way too long since my last RTFO.  I miss it!

(Previous RTFOs: Jill Scott, Beth Ditto, of Gossip.)

And I haven't yet taken the time yet to tell you what RTFO stands for.  How rude!  If you're curious, you can take a look at this helpful link to decide for yourself on the best fit.

So for those of you sitting at your desk, wishing you had some delightfully strange, inspiring children's music from the 60s, I am pleased to present Mama Cass on the kid's show, Puff n Stuff.

In fact, I'm going to devote a little more space than usual for an RTFO to one of my all-time favorite singers, since the above song-while not out of character-is not representative of the majority of her work.

All I can say is, what a voice.  Here's "Dream a Little Dream".

I'm a little wary of writing this entry, as excited as I am to share old videos of Mama Cass.  Because I think it's totally condescending to write blog posts about specific fat people and write that they are awesome, therefore lending credence to the idea that fatness and awesomeness are generally mutually exclusive.

So bear with me.  I know of a study, or survey - I wish I could find it - where the subjects said that race and fatness are the first thing they notice about some one when they walk into a room, and the last thing they would want to include in a description about them.  But I truly think that as any of us befriend some one who is outside the norm - either fat, a different race, funky-haired and/or croc-wearing - we eventually become blind to their differences.  Or, at least, we see an entire person.

In that vein, every once in awhile I like to highlight people who were defined by their differences in the public eye, and made every one realize that their differences are not a big deal.  (Every one except, I guess, Internet people.)

credit casselliot.com

Mama Cass was definitely different.  And as a result, she faced discrimination, a drug problem, an unlucky love life, and crash diets that made her very ill.  The ultimate insult to her legacy is the persistent myth that her cause of death was choking on a ham sandwich - it was actually heart failure caused by excessive dieting.  I remember hearing an allusion to this story in Austin Powers.  (Sound clip can be found here.)

But she was upbeat, funny, and charismatic.  In the spirit of the era, she celebrated herself and the wonderful aspects of her physical size and personality that made her unique.  And she inspires me to this day.

BONUS: Cass singing with Joni Mitchell and Mary Travers.  Enjoy!

"Good job, you're right!" Happy Fat Tuesday, allies.

Just saw this short article in HuffPo about a woman's response to her little girl pointing out her fat legs.  She did a great job teaching her daughter a lesson about self-acceptance and the natural variation of bodies.  If you want to check it out, you can read it here.

As one commenter said, "Any adult who feels insulted by a child who is not trying to be malicious is dumb."  Even though I feel for the author's mother, I support this statement.

So HAPPY FAT TUESDAY to you . . . .

This picture is making me sweat.

 . . . and keep loving yourself and others!

The tragedy of Karen Carpenter and the trauma of weight loss

Monday, February 4th, 2013 marked the 30 year anniversary of the death of Karen Carpenter to anorexia nervosa.

Karen Carpenter had one of the most beautiful contralto voices that I have ever heard.  Hers was a heavy loss for music.  In addition to her stunning vocals, she was a rare female drummer who was awarded Best Rock Drummer in Playboy's 1975 annual magazine poll. (How prestigious was this poll?  Apparently, enough to piss off John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, landing in second.)

Her death sparked a national conversation about anorexia and bulimia and inspired several celebrities to go public with their eating disorders, including Jane Fonda and Princess Diana, helping millions of people realize that they are not alone.

(Karen Carpenter wiki.)

There are so many talented women artists out there, and they are some of my biggest inspirations.  And yet many female celebrities, held to a very thin standard, continue to perpetuate a harmful discourse about their size being more important than their careers.

(And here's the part where I dive into the dreaded garbage media.  And lose my mind.)

Jennifer Hudson, weight watchers spokesman, said: "Before Weight Watchers, my world was can't", even though she was already a major star with an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA Award, NAACP Image Award, Screen Actor's Guild Award, Grammy, and platinum album.  (In a similar vein: Janet Jackson reveals that Nutrisystem brought her success.)

On the Oz Show (I didn't realize that quack had his own show!), Dr. Oz reveals "America's most famous yo-yo dieter" (how about actress with a very long and distinguished career?!) Kirstie Alley, who reveals her dark secret for gaining weight: being in her 50s and wanting to spend time with her kids.  Her awful addiction to baking treats cause the women sitting in the audience to flash politely incredulous looks.  (Do you think the "look judgemental" sign is flashing right next to the one for "applause"?)

And a quick interjection - if you wonder how Oz makes his millions, I watched a 10 minute video on that website and saw no less than five commercials.

Rihanna in a recent interview with Complex magazine: she wants to steal another actress' identity who "just a had a baby and looks even better than I do".  Does better mean thinner?  Why would RiRi want to be thinner??  Hasn't she reached the celebrity gold standard of a perfect, media-sanctioned body?

I'm starting to notice a trend.  Could it be that there's a very strong correlation between weight loss and obsessive body dysmorphia?

credit Toothpaste for Dinner

Readers, I need your help.  Do these celebrity attitudes towards their weight at all resemble yours?  Do you feel that the process of losing weight is inherently traumatic, since your size is such an integral part of their identity?  Or is it important to feel like you have some degree of control over your body, in a way that symbolizes you have control over your life?  Was losing weight empowering for you or was it an impossible endeavor that made you crazy?

Please, tell me about your experiences with weight loss!  You can send me an e-mail or a facebook message, and of course you can leave your story in the comments if you're comfortable with that.

Thanks, guys, and stay phat.

Honey, it may just be the Chrome talking. . . .

. . . but doesn't it feel good to be validated every now and then?

Now, let's just nip this thing in the bud.

Allies, I have some great posts coming soon.  Thanks for your patience!

GOOD news!

Amid the fiscal cliff and upcoming debt ceiling talks, Violence Against Women Act (RIP), continuing violence in Syria, human rights abuses in Russia, etc, etc, etc,

At least the little world of size acceptance has had some good news lately.

NYT: "Our Absurd Fear of Fat" by Paul Campos

"The study, by Katherine M. Flegal and her associates at the C.D.C. and the National Institutes of Health, found that all adults categorized as overweight and most of those categorized as obese have a lower mortality risk than so-called normal-weight individuals."

And based on the same study:

NPR: "Research: A Little Extra Fat Might Help You Live Longer" by Allison Aubrey

A large aspect of this story is the (surprise!) vehement, angry backlash to the CDC/NIH's findings.

Also, Israel has passed a law banning models with a BMI lower than 18.5 from the runway, and requiring magazines to indicate when they have airbrushed a model to look like she has less than a BMI of 18.5.

I find it problematic that the word this article uses to describe these models is "anorexic".  (I chucked at the ABC headline that uses the phrase "BMI-Challenged".)  Still, I'm glad that they are diversifying women's bodies used in the fashion industry.  The article points to this statistic: "73% of teenage girls who abuse diet pills and 79% of teenage girls who self-purge frequently read women's fitness and health magazines." (Statistic via Rader Programs, an eating disorder clinical treatment program.)

Story: Plus Model Mag: "Israel Law Against Anorexic Models Goes Into Effect" (Picture at top mildly NSFW)

Finally, there's this Huffington Post article from today, pointing out the HAES - related fail in the UK Royal College of Physicians report on obesity, including their dubious suggestions to help people lose weight, their misleading spin on how obesity impacts medical costs, pictures of headless fatties, and Meadow's assessment of why the report's entire concern is misguided.  The worst part is the first few comments I read (I know!  I know!  I gotta stop) - defensive people who are concerned with the "why" of obesity - who clearly didn't take in anything from the article.  It's definitely worth a read!

Huffington Post: "Same Year, Same Old Nonsense About Obesity" by Angela Meadows

Now, back to all the important, depressing news in the entire world.

To view other studies that I have published, check out this post.

Michael Moore is going on walks

Hi, phat allies!  In honor of New Years and all those resolutions, I present you with America's most hated/popular anti-capitalist indie filmmaker, Michael Moore!

credit cbc.ca news

Some one on my news feed shared his facebook post from Monday.  It's long but worth the read.

I am now in Week 42 of my walks. Each day, 30 minutes, that's it. Thousands of you have joined me since that Sunday night on March 18 when, as a joke, I said I was going for a walk. I had read that morning in the paper that there were now more people in the U.S. on anti-depressants than those who go to the movies. I tweeted out that maybe that's the problem -- perhaps if people got out and went to the movies more they might feel better. This unleashed a lively conversation about mood-aletering drugs, the lousy movies these days in theaters, the rip-off prices for 3D films, etc. Finally, someone wrote: "Sometimes I think what I need is just a brisk walk." I tweeted, "Hey, there's an idea! I'm putting my shoes on right now." I went out and came back home after 30 minutes -- and a few hundred of you had amazingly joined me where you live. So I went walking the next night, probably out of some sort of obligation because so many had written to say "please let's do it again tonight!" So I did. And the night after that. By the end of the week it was hard to determine how many thousands were now going out with me on these "virtual walks" in hundreds of cities and towns, but it had taken off like a rocket and so we all went walking every night from that point on.
Now it's 250 days later. What a simple, great idea that person had! Some have asked, "Why are we walking?" "What's the cause?" There is no cause other than to go for a walk. We do it just because it feels good. We do it because we can. We do it because it's free and it takes no time. All you need to know is how to put one foot in front of the other (or, for the disabled who've joined in, by any means necessary). It's the perfect slacker/schlub activity.
I am often asked "How much weight have you lost from all this walking?" For a while I didn't understand the question. I mean, why would I want to lose anything? I have enough trouble finding my keys! Then I got it -- skinny people (1/3 of the country) want us, the majority, to be like them. That's so nice of them. 
But the truth is, exercise does not work, diets do not work, feeling crummy does not work. Nothing works. My advice: Quit trying to be something you're not, be happy with the life you've been given, and just go for a pleasant walk outside. With me. Wherever you are. Get off the treadmill, stop drinking diet Coke, throw out all the rules. It's all a scam and it conspires to keep you miserable. If it says "low-fat" or "sugar-free" or "just 100 calories!" throw it out. Remember, one of the main tenets of capitalism is to have the consumer filled with fear, insecurity, envy and unhappiness so that we can spend, spend, spend our way out of it and, dammit, just feel better for a little while. But we don't, do we? The path to happiness - and deep down, we all know this -- is created by love, and being kind to oneself, sharing a sense of community with others, becoming a participant instead of a spectator, and being in motion. Moving. Moving around all day. Lifting things, even if it's yourself. Going for a walk every day will change your thinking and have a ripple effect. You'll find yourself only eating when you're truly hungry. And if you're not hungry, go clean your room, or have sex, or call a friend on the phone. Without knowing it, you'll starting eating like the French (there is no French word for "fast-food") -- and you will feel better. You do not feel better admonishing yourself or beating yourself up or setting up a bunch of unrealistic rules and goals with all the do's and dont's that are just begging to be broken. You wanna know something? I eat ice cream every friggin' day. I drink a regular Coke every single day. I put butter on things. But I also walk every day. Some days now, I walk twice. And now I've started to do some push-ups and lifting stuff. It's building muscle, and in doing so, has created an extra furnace to burn stuff and create energy. Weird! That, in turn, makes me sleep 7-8 hours a night which is another game-changer. And all the walking and lifting makes me thirsty, so that makes me drink more water -- another huge plus! 
So, you can see from the photo of me up in the box that something has changed. I have no idea how much weight I've lost and I don't care. I don't care about that or diets or home gym equipment or rules about what I can or cannot eat or anything other than making sure I go on my walk today. That's it. That's the big secret. It costs nothing. I feel great. I can see my feet! There they are! Hello, feet! Wanna go for a walk? The feet say YES! Ask yours right now. And if you want, join me. But do NOT go on that walk with me if you are doing so to "get fit", "be healthy", or "lose weight". You are fine just the way you are. Only walk outside with me right now because you know it might just feel good, because it's a beautiful day, or someone is joining in with you, the fresh air is invigorating, you have to drive down to the drug store but you realize you can walk there, or simply because it's just nice to be alive for one more day. Walk to walk and nothing else -- and the other stuff will take care of itself.
I'm heading outside in an hour. Join me. And let me know how it went!

I may not be a die-hard Michael Moore fan, but I'm so pleased at his widely-received/shared HAES message.  I love that it's phrased in terms of his own experience rather than abstract numbers or studies.

One thought: I go on walks (pretty much) every day, too, about a half hour each way to and from work.  I love it, it makes me feel so happy and energized and pretty much everything that Moore listed in his post.  I also like walking way more than jogging or running, and it's been great to have an exercise alternative that lets me move in a way that I enjoy every day.

However I can't make the walk some days - like when I'm feeling sick or it's 16 degrees outside, or I slept too late.  On those days, I feel like beating myself up because I'm not meeting my 30 minutes a day of activity quota.  I know now that I'm being way too hard on myself.  The point of the walking is that it's just as good for my mental health as my physical health.  Sometimes, taking care of yourself means taking time off.

Stay warm!