Having Fat Friends Make You Fat-Thank goodness it isn't too late! >_>

Wow. I honestly have nothing better to say that sums up how this press release (links to Sandy's article about said press release) makes me feel. Sandy Szwarc said it best, that it's "nothing more than thinly veiled hate speech." But to think that so many news outlets picked up on this almost immediately scares me half to death. Why? I'm going off to college next month, and if some people are scared enough into believing this, I'm afraid it will make me a social leper even if I overcome my slight social anxiety.

I probably sound a tad selfish here, but I guess it's all right because this blog is supposed to be about a college-age fat chick. I suppose there isn't much to worry about, using the same excuse my mom would use for my ramblings at a young age of "If I wasn't fat, I'd be soooo popular...", that I shouldn't be friends with someone who would be mean enough to judge me by my size anyways. But you know what? A lot of normally nice, health conscious individuals who believe that authority is always correct (hah, I wouldn't want to befriend someone like that either!), may read this and think, "Dang, now I'm going to become fat by hanging around fatties! I guess my 'health' is more important..." and they'll drop their fat friends and not think twice.

I believe that this is where the main problem lies... People now have the perfect thing to rely on while making judgments against fat people, and why they don't like them: "I don't want to be fat! The best way to be thin is to hate fatties! That's what I get from this article... Lose some weight and then we'll talk!" And you know what? No one will question it. If someone waves that article in your face, you might just believe that they have a legit excuse to dislike you. But always remember that no one has a legitimate excuse to dislike you for your size. And if someone thinks they do? Then they're not worth being around, because they'll only bring you down. Accept yourself for who you are, and don't accept others into your life unless they will grant your body the same respect you've given it.

Trying to Loose Weight?

Uhm, ew. Just imagine that for a moment: Weight that's being held loosely by your skin? You could weigh like, 140 pounds and be wearing a size 20 with that loose weight. Blech. OH wait, are you confused? If you are, then I guess you don't know the difference between LOOSE and LOSE. If you are trying to lose weight, then I suppose I could understand that a bit more than aspiring to obtain amounts of loose weight around your midsection and the likes.

That little rant out of the way, I would like to present to you my actual post:

JUSTIFYING A DIET

Many people involved in Fat Acceptance seem to be under the impression that you cannot go on a diet and still consider yourself a part of the movement. Although I will admit that I find it difficult to read a fat acceptance blog and not feel a bit betrayed when I read about their Weight Watcher's initiatives, and when I see those things I usually choose to not continue reading the blog. Despite these feelings, however, a diet isn't always a jab at fat acceptance. There are actually many reasons why someone may want to diet that have nothing to do with "rejecting the movement." These reasons for justifiable dieting are below.

HEALTH REASONS
No no no no no, I do not mean in the sense of "OMG FAT KILLZ," however, in the "OMG I CAN'T WALK" way. If you have a bad knee, it's probably not a good idea to weigh a lot, because that just puts more strain on said knee. Sure this isn't always the case in those situations I'm sure, but wouldn't you understand if someone in the movement was losing weight because they were in excruciating pain due to the strain? Also, for another walking impairment related excuse, if you are nearing immobility and wish to still be able to move, you would want to work your best to not reach that point.

DISCOMFORT
Most people know where they feel most comfortable in every sense. You know which way to sit on the couch to reach your ultimate comfort level, same goes for laying on a bed and even dressing. Well, it would only make sense that you would feel the same way about weights. Some people would never feel comfortable at 130, some would never feel comfortable below 300. If you're someone who feels that your body naturally settles in the 250 range, and you find yourself reaching 320, more than likely you're not going to feel right in your own skin. No, I'm not talking about vanity; I'm talking about what you feel most comfortable with on your body. If you stray far from your naturally predisposed weight, it would only make sense to want to get back to where you feel you naturally belong.

Also, please note: If these viewpoints are still a bit warped from your perspective, please let me know. I want to fully comprehend the movement, and if I still sound like I'm coming from a slightly lesser, yet still warped societal mindset, feel free to set me straight via comments and such. Although I feel as if all above reasons are good enough to embark on a diet, if you disagree, lemme know :3

Me? On Internet Radio?

It's true! I was selected to be a part of the panel at Meet The Bloggers, an Indiana based internet radio show. The theme of this Sunday's show will be body image in America, with emphasis on the fat acceptance movement. I'm so happy to be able to do this, especially considering how new I am to this! I guess being the "youngest fat acceptance blogger" (at least, youngest known to Kate Harding, who knows all O,o) gets you places quickly! Well, either way, great fun is to be had. Please check it out! There will also be an interview with Joy Nash played!

Note: Big thanks to Kate and Joh for this opportunity!

My Acceptance Story

I figured it was only right that I eventually made a biographical post regarding the very topic I focus some of my time on here to, which is, of course, fat acceptance.

Ever since I was young, I have been bigger than average. In grade school I was heavier, in middle school I was heavier, and in high school I was heavier. Never once did I fit "average," and never once did I truly felt as if I belonged.

Up until middle school, I tried so hard to be popular. I still remember switching from the Christian school I went to into public school for third grade. My best friend in my neighborhood practically ignored me at school because she was popular. I remember one time she told me that her friends would like me if I wasn't fat. Needless to say, that did nothing to boost my already waning self esteem. I even went and tried to shop at Abercrombie once... I was able to get one girls shirt, and I got a guys shirt that said ABERCROMBIE across the chest. I remembered being so excited, because I just knew that they would accept me then. We even had a field trip shortly thereafter, and I took the Abercrombie bag to carry some people's lunches in, just so people would see it. Not surprisingly, however, it didn't help one bit. In 8th grade I decided to take a different route: faux punk.

8th grade for me was the beginning of the era I believe we are currently in; where everyone wants to be punk/emo/sXe/whatever. I made a subconscious decision that if I couldn't fit in with the majority because of my 'fat girl' stigma, I would go out of my way to be eccentric, and I did. But even though I was doing what I wanted to do, and getting my name attached more to "that weirdo" than "that fat girl," I still didn't truly accept myself. I still don't completely, but I didn't really make any good advancements until my ex Zach and I began going out my Junior year. Once I started dating him, I went from band tees to form-fitting clothing that still fit my persona. When I looked in the mirror, I no longer saw a fat blob, but a woman with some curves. Of course, I still didn't know anything about fat acceptance, so this transformation was minuscule in comparison to what I made just last year. In fact, before I discovered FA and HAES, I used to put different people into different categories... Fat, attractive, or just guys. Seriously, every girl I saw I would size up immediately, and if she was skinny, unless other factors were present my inner judgment meter would tell me that she's too high up there for me to reach, so forget about that friendship.

I first discovered fat acceptance through a long line of links, ultimately starting with a goals website called 43things.com. For a while I would search for keywords such as "fat" on pages like that or YouTube just to mentally hurt myself, I guess. But one time, I discovered on 43things many people with goals of gaining X lbs, feeding their girlfriend, getting a fat girlfriend, etc. My internalized fat hatred said "WHAA? PEOPLE WANT TO BE FAT?! PREPOSTEROUS!!" But I was curious! I found a girl on there who said she wanted to become quite large, and I contacted her with the purpose of telling her how much respect I had for her in a world where thin=beautiful and fat=ugly. She responded fairly quickly, only to reveal to me that she in fact was a he who preferred fat girls. This was even greater of a shock, though! A man who fat girls?? W-HAT? I continued to talk to him about his FAism and things of that nature, and he sent me to FattyMcBlog. From there I became interested in reading blogs, only to discover a multitude of other blogs that have done wonders on my self-esteem. Each day, I read something new that boosts my confidence.

I actually look in the mirror and think "DAMN, I'M HOT!" on most occasions now. I am happy to have discovered this love of myself at 18, as opposed to 25+ as some bloggers still struggling with acceptance seem to be. I still have a little ways to go, and I get pissed off pretty easily in regards to the subject, but that's because all of my self-loathing has gone into the loathing of others ^_^

So that last bit didn't sound so great, but it's better than that first half up there, eh?