The-F-Word.org

After reading Jaime O’Neill’s scathing, hate-filled assumptions about fat people in the Sacramento News & Review, Peggy Elam Ph.D wrote this awesome letter to the editor. Well said, Peggy. Well said.

As reported in the latest the journal Ethnicity and Disease, researchers in Philadelphia found that that body image was an important motivator for white women in seeking dieting help but not as important to black women. Overweight or obese women are more likely then their black peers to ask for dieting assistance, such as counseling from a medical professional, a doctor’s prescription, membership in a weight-loss group, or advice from a trainer, the study found.

But, instead of studying the psychology of why black women have good body image perceptions of themselves despite a culture which holds thinness next to godliness, researchers instead are now striving to modify weight-loss programs to “better address the needs of black women and other minorities” so that they, too, can feel like they’re never skinny and beautiful enough.

Dan Savage of the advice column Savage Love sets a reader straight about big women. Go here to read his delightfully scathing reply.

In case all the fat-bashing is bringing you down, here’s a refreshing story. Dave Alexander has finished 276 triathlons in 37 countries in 17 years. He’s swam 9.6 miles, cycled 448 miles, ran 104.8 miles in a recent super-triathlon in eastern Hungary. He’s also fat, weighing in at 5 feet, 8 inches tall and 260 pounds. Read tales of his amazing feats here.