Rewarding what really matters

13th December 2007

Rewarding what really matters

posted in Body Image, Fashion, Pop Culture |

Neither my husband nor I have an iota of fashion sense, but we’re both addicted to Project Runway. Last night’s episode, “What’s the Skinny,” challenged the designers to re-style the favorite but now-too-big outfits of 12 women, all of whom have lost a significant amount of weight.

Each woman introduced herself along with the amount of weight she’d lost, which ranged from 30-something to 160 pounds. The designers ooh’ed and ahh’ed, particularly at the women who had lost the most amount of weight. It was as if the dozen had singularly solved the crisis in the Middle East or cured cancer.

It seems each new season of Project Runway includes the now obligatory challenge to design for “average”-sized or even plus-sized women. In each scenario and in each season, most, if not all, the designers look like they’re going to pee their pants when the challenge is announced.

Despite that the designs for challenges involving non-model-sized women are, for the most part, abysmal, I really appreciate that the show does take an effort to include size diversity, even if it is just a token episode each season.

But what bothered me about last night’s episode is that the premise wasn’t about designing for the “everyday woman.” It was presented much more as a congratulatory gift to weight-loss success stories, who, by virtue of newly-svelte figures, “deserve” to now be rewarded with a new look.

Once again, the act of weight-loss is celebrated and heralded as a feat to be admired, envied and imitated.

Several weeks ago, I was trapped in a Coach limo with four women all engaged in diet and self-deprecating talk. Because I was there in a professional capacity, I didn’t feel comfortable trying to convince them otherwise.

But after finding it impossible to ignore the women, I interjected with a few feeble attempts before revealing that I have maintained a weight loss of more than 100 pounds for nearly five years without dieting, killing myself at a gym and/or self-restriction of any kind, and tried to talk to them about Health at Every Size.

It got their attention, though they missed my point. One woman actually tried to high-five me, as if I’d done something monumental or noteworthy. She appeared genuinely puzzled when I didn’t return her enthusiasm and instead, just shrugged.

I’ve overcome a difficult childhood and championed against both depression and an eating disorder. Despite struggling day-to-day with ADD, I have succeeded in earning my bachelor degree while both working and attending school full-time. I am a former volunteer emergency medical technician and plan to resume my volunteerism after graduate school. I have a professional and accomplished career. My husband and I own our own home and we contribute both our time and money to various charity organizations.

There are many achievements in my life I am proud of. Weight-loss ranks low on the list of them.

This isn’t to say that the women featured in the Project Runway challenge aren’t deserving of the make-over they received. For all I know, they’re absolute saints. I truly hope they found the experience to be an empowering and enjoyable one.

But instead of celebrating women for losing weight, let’s celebrate them for what really matters. And what really matters can’t be found on any digital scale.

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1 On December 13th, 2007, Tari

said:

It was as if the dozen had singularly solved the crisis in the Middle East or cured cancer.

I hate this dynamic. It makes me want to throttle someone. While I suppose people could argue that losing weight improves a person’s quality of life….it doesn’t actually make the world a better place - and the constant glorification of weight loss contributes to the mental, emotional, and physical torture of others.

Not to mention that the cultural obsession with weight loss takes so much time, funding, and focus away from, I dunno, starving people everywhere, genocide, war in the Middle East, global warming, global poverty, systemic racism, and a kazillion other environmental and social justice issues that are pretty much life and death, and not so much aesthetics.

What is it about losing weight that is so admirable? Is it because it’s such a visible way of saying, “I conform! I conform!” or what?

posted on December 13th, 2007 at 6:56 pm

2 On December 13th, 2007, Becky

Hear hear!

Here’s a quote I saw on the Feministe discussion of JLH, that sums it up for me:

Go to the gym, my ass (–the size of should always be irrelevant to other people). Go to the gym? Go to college. Go tutor kids. Go work to make your family secure. Go call your grandmother. Go do the laundry, for God’s sake.

posted on December 13th, 2007 at 7:13 pm

3 On December 13th, 2007, Devi

Project Runway Canada had their “average woman” challenge a few shows back. They had to design one swimsuit for their regular model and one for a plus-sized model. Both looks had to have tie into each other as though they came from a cohesive line. Brian (Canada’s version of Tim) was awesome throughout the episode, frequently reminding the designers that women were sexy and sensual and to not “frump” up the plus-sized suits.

I was rather interested to read about your own weight loss. I don’t believe in commercial diets but I do think it is possible to force your body above your natural set point.

What is it about losing weight that is so admirable?
Part of it is conformity and part of it is the continuously broadcast message that less weight = longer life. I think part of, though is that regardless of your personal views on the subject losing weight can be very difficult and take a lot of effort.

posted on December 13th, 2007 at 7:21 pm

4 On December 13th, 2007, Devi

Go to the gym, my ass (–the size of should always be irrelevant to other people). Go to the gym? Go to college. Go tutor kids. Go work to make your family secure. Go call your grandmother. Go do the laundry, for God’s sake.

I think part of the problem is that gyms are often equated with weight loss. Should you spend all of your time at the gym at the expense of work, school, or your children? Of course not. I certainly don’t. I do however try to go three or four times a week because I honestly think that exercise, regardless of weight, is just plain good for you - whether it comes from a trip to the gym or a nice walk.

posted on December 13th, 2007 at 7:27 pm

5 On December 13th, 2007, Davita Cuttita

Just to kick in a word here about the whole “average model outfit thing”, on “Project Runway Canada” (the American season you’re watching will start here in a few weeks) hosted by Iman. This its first season and the designers had to create SWIMSUITS for ladies who were size 14/16 as well as a thin model according to a certain theme (i.e. 70s punk) and march both down the catwalk. The full figured women were not on diets or anything of the like; they were plus sized models and lemme tell ya–they stomped and rocked that bitch so hard that one plus sized model’s amazing performance helped to land a win for the judges and received some respectful acclaim. It’s not a perfect word for the big girl; I know. Hell, it’s not a perfect world for ANY SIZED woman but I just thought this was a great jump in the right direction albeit a little one.

*PS: Whole episode(s) including the one I mentioned are available here; it’s episode 8: http://www.slice.ca/Shows/ProjectRunwayCanada/Video/

posted on December 13th, 2007 at 7:31 pm

6 On December 13th, 2007, Becky

Devi, there’s nothing wrong with the gym. I just mean, we treat weight loss, and also “healthy eating” and excercise like these huge all important moral accomplishments and they’re really not. Going to the gym is great but it’s not the best or most important or most significant thing you can do in your life. It doesn’t make you a better person than people who don’t go. (I know you’re not saying that, but it seems to be the attitude of a lot of people).

posted on December 13th, 2007 at 7:41 pm

7 On December 13th, 2007, Tari

regardless of your personal views on the subject losing weight can be very difficult and take a lot of effort.

That’s true, and I don’t mean to come across confrontationally or disrespectfully - but so does building a life-size replica of the Empire State Building out of string cheese. Just because something is hard and takes work, doesn’t make it admirable in my book.

8 On December 13th, 2007, Devi

Becky, ah okay. I do definately agree that some people have an unfortunate habit of equating exercise with some sort of moral indication or superiority. Unfortunately, these always seem to be the people with the biggest mouths.

posted on December 13th, 2007 at 8:58 pm

9 On December 13th, 2007, alex m

by the same token, going to the gym is not an intellectual or social failing, either.

Go to the gym? Go to college. Go tutor kids. Go work to make your family secure. Go call your grandmother. Go do the laundry, for God’s sake.

I do all those things. Going to the gym doesn’t take away one iota from having a well-rounded life that includes taking care of others as much as taking care of myself.

posted on December 13th, 2007 at 9:41 pm

10 On December 13th, 2007, Rachel

I don’t think anyone is saying that Alex. I think the commenters’ point is that we overly emphasize going to the gym as some Big Important Thing everyone should be doing and fail to realize that there are other things that are just as, if not more, important in life.

I don’t believe in commercial diets but I do think it is possible to force your body above your natural set point.

We had a big debate a while back about this, and I’ve always maintained that I believe this to be possible. Personally, I have no clue what my body’s setpoint range is though, because for most of my life I’ve been so out of touch with my body. I think this is true for many people.

posted on December 13th, 2007 at 10:05 pm

11 On December 13th, 2007, Alexandrialeigh

While I get your point that weight loss shouldn’t equate to self worth, I do think that making healthier choices and losing weight (especially if you have enough weight to lose a full 50-100 pounds) is definitely something that should be supported, and I didn’t feel that this episode glorified unhealthy weight loss or promoted weight loss as being equal to happiness.

I mean, you can high-five a woman for having a great self-image at any weight, but you should still SUPPORT a woman’s effort to decrease her risk of serious health problems including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, etc. by losing weight. Just because losing a lot of weight wasn’t that much of a feat for you doesn’t mean it’s not a huge accomplishment to other women, especially women who are morbidly obese, and something that should be admired and supported.

As someone who’s battled an eating disorder and has also witnessed a close family member suffer a stroke because of her weight, I think the best thing to do is support a woman who’s lost weight for a HEALTHY reason. And none of the women on the most recent episode of Project Runway looked unhealthily skinny to me.

Your point would be much more pertinent when directed at the other episodes of Project Runway, when they’re designing outfits for models instead of real women. I’d like to see an entire season of designing clothing for women straight off the street, and I think it’s great that they at least have one episode where the models aren’t the focus of fashion.

posted on December 13th, 2007 at 10:20 pm

12 On December 13th, 2007, Rachel

Alexandrialeigh - I don’t think the show glorified unhealthy weight loss (none of the women said HOW they lost the weight), but I do think the show portrayed weight loss as tantamount to, at least a degree, of happiness. After all, why else were these women on the show to be “rewarded” with a fabulous new make-over showcasing their “sexy” new bodies? And they weren’t being rewarded necessarily for improving their health; they were only being rewarded for losing weight. We have no idea whether or not their health has improved, stayed the same, or worsened since losing weight.

It sounds as if both you and producers of the show are conflating good health with weight loss. Even if a fat person doesn’t have health problems, they’re often told to lose weight for “good health.” But the data linking fat to commonly accepted fat-related illnesses is dubious, at best, and I encourage you to read up on the new studies that have been coming out in the past decade or so. Now, evidence is showing that it’s yo-yo dieting that causes a great deal of the health problems, not the fatness itself. For me personally, I was perfectly healthy at my highest weight. It wasn’t until I developed an eating disorder and lost 175 pounds that I developed serious health problems, some of which continue to plague me today. Weight loss is not always the panacea of good health it’s made out to be.

I think the best thing to do is support a woman who’s lost weight for a HEALTHY reason.

We should support people who take action to better their health, period. Full stop. You can take measures to improve your health that may or may not result in weight loss. We should measure good health, not by the numbers on the scale, but in how we feel and what test results show.

I don’t think any of the women on the show looked “unhealthily skinny” either. But you know nothing about their health or quality of life, either. My best friend recently had WLS. She has to take supplements daily because because her new diet and digestive system doesn’t provide all the vitamins and minerals her body needs. There are many foods, some of which are “healthy” foods, that she can’t eat now. She’s anemic and even somewhat malnourished. She may not look “unhealthily skinny,” but appearances can be very, very deceiving.

posted on December 13th, 2007 at 11:00 pm

13 On December 13th, 2007, Devi

Getting back to the whole Project Runway thing, the one thing I did find a bit sad was the suprise some contestants and the judges showed at how well the plus sized models did the runway. As far as I understood, they were professional models. I wondered if they expected them to be meek and retiring.

Still - great episode.

Picture of the winning plus suit (if anyone’s interested): http://www.slice.ca/Media/Images/Shows/ProjectRunwayCanada/Features/PhotoGalleryBehind/MarieGenevieveCyr/MGB_Ep8.jpg

posted on December 13th, 2007 at 11:19 pm

14 On December 14th, 2007, Sarah

Alexandrialeigh, I resent your suggestion that I can’t live a good, healthy life because of my weight. Please don’t make such ignorant assumptions around here. Didn’t we already go through this in the Savage thread?

But I think Rachel presented the point with much more grace!

posted on December 14th, 2007 at 12:52 am

15 On December 14th, 2007, 50FtQueenie

Unfortunately they did something similar on the awesome Tim Gunn’s show–one of the women he made over had lost quite a bit of weight, and the tone of the show was, “You did something AMAZING, now you need to learn how to dress your new body, because YOU DESERVE IT!” As though she didn’t deserve to dress well when she was larger.

And yeah, I always feel uncomfortable when I get compliments on weight loss. It’s meant as a compliment, but it’s not something that I particularly feel proud about, and it makes me feel like I must have looked like crap before, which I don’t think is true. Not to mention, I haven’t kept it off past the five year mark, so who knows? In four years I could just as easily gain those 30 pounds back.

posted on December 14th, 2007 at 1:33 am

16 On December 14th, 2007, littlem

http://hugoschwyzer.net/2007/11/19/fat-is-not-a-moral-crisis/

Professor Hugo says “Fat Is Not a Moral Crisis” (and its corollary, that “healthy” eating and gym attendance are not moral imperatives) much better than I think I could.

posted on December 14th, 2007 at 2:36 am

17 On December 14th, 2007, Rachel

Queenie -I’ve watched two of the new Tim Gunn make-over shows. The first show featured a woman who had lost a great deal of weight due to WLS, but was still a good size 18, I bet. The first thing Tim did was have his cronie Veronica take her shopping for Spanx. Yes, to wear every day. I know people find the body condoms manageable, but I don’t see how you can wear one every day.

This is why I prefer the What Not to Wear show to Tim Gunn’s show. Clinton and Kelly teach the women to dress their bodies as they are now, not how they might be or look when thinner. And they certainly don’t take them shopping for a vacuum to suck up all their fat parts.

posted on December 14th, 2007 at 9:50 am

18 On December 14th, 2007, Alexandrialeigh

Sarah: I’m not saying that you can’t live a healthy life at any size. All I’m saying is that in my experience, being morbidly obese can cause you to have health complications that can keep you from living a healthy life. I don’t think that women need yet another reason to be judgmental about one another; whether it’s being judged because you’re too thin or too fat or should have been happy with your weight or are happier because you’ve lost some. And also, congratulations to you for living a healthy life at whatever weight you are–that is not always an option.

And, to Rachel: If losing some weight makes you happy, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that–as long as it doesn’t become an unhealthy obsession. There’s nothing wrong with losing weight and trying to be more fit and taking pride in that. I also never said that losing weight equals good health. However, if you are overweight to the point of being able to lose 100 pounds, the health benefits to losing some weight probably do outweigh the benefits of having good self-esteem at 100 pounds over. Why wouldn’t you want to lessen your risk for stroke and heart disease? I’ve seen how devastating it can be to have a relatively young woman get diabetes and then suffer a stroke because of her weight, and you’re making a generalization that everyone can be healthy at a high weight. It’s just not the case. Besides, if you have good self-esteem when you’re overweight, that doesn’t have to go away if you get your weight into a healthy range.

Bottom line: weight is an issue that most women take very personally (which I think is also obvious within these comments). I just think we’re very quick to judge on either side — whether it’s good to be supportive of women for weight loss, or not. I don’t think there’s one best answer here. Sarah, if you decided you wanted to lose weight for health reasons or not, wouldn’t you want your family and friends to support you, and help keep you motivated? And Rachel–even though you say you lost weight without exercising or starving yourself, etc., and kept it off–it’s not that easy for everyone, and some people would really love a little bit of praise and support when the going gets tough.

I hate that I’m being slightly attacked here for just having somewhat of a different, less angry point of view. I’m not saying that the media doesn’t promote thin-as-healthy. (Actually, I agree that the media tends to promote too-thin-as-healthy, when it’s not.) But all I’m saying is, just as you did, that we don’t know the back-story of all of those women, and it’s just as easy for you to dismiss this as an example of the media portraying losing weight as needing to be rewarded as I could say that there’s no reason why losing weight for health reasons, or for personal reasons, in a healthy way, shouldn’t be recognized as an achievement. Because it’s not always easy. And because it does affect your quality of life (and the length of your life), in most instances. Isn’t it better to be showing “real women” with “real” sized bodies on TV in almost any way we can get them on TV instead of criticizing the way in which they’re shown? As long as it’s not offensive and mocking a person’s shape, I think the more “real” women we can get on TV, the better.

posted on December 14th, 2007 at 11:01 am

19 On December 14th, 2007, Alexandrialeigh

One other thing I forgot to add — I do think it’s very important to initiate this kind of conversation, however, and for that, Rachel, thank you.

posted on December 14th, 2007 at 11:06 am

20 On December 14th, 2007, Tari

Couple things:

* I think the point of this post isn’t to rehash that yawn-yawn boring conversation about whether or not pursuing weight loss of any kind is legit in a size acceptance framework. I think the point of this post was that glorifying weight loss is fucking pathetic when the world is filled with things that are so much more worthy of glorification. In fact, the very women rewarded for their weight loss with such fanfare probably have more significant accomplishments to be trumpeted.

* By constantly and ubiquitously glorifying weight loss, we reinforce the message that only by losing weight can a person be worthy of fame or attention or reward. This tells us that only thin people matter, only thin people are sexy and fashionable, only thin people have a place in our society. Changing this bullshit dynamic is what size acceptance is about (among other things).

* Alexandrialeigh, with all due respect, I think you’ve bought the marketing hype. We could trade anecdotes all day about whether or not fat (even “to the point” of “being able” to “lose 100 pounds”) (though considering that diets don’t actually work, I’m not sure who would be able) leads to health problems….but the science doesn’t back up anything you’ve said. (See Junkfood Science.) It’s exactly this misinformation that keeps up the fat hysteria and hate.

posted on December 14th, 2007 at 12:30 pm

21 On December 14th, 2007, Faith

Here’s my take on the issue. I have worked in non profit HIV research for 18 years. There are literally hundreds of women in my field that put in 50-60+ hour weeks trying to find a vaccine/treatments for HIV. Some of them are thin, some of them are not. Their body size matters not one bit. They are all intensely dedicated to the work we do. These women are not terribly well compensated financially for the work they do, yet they are committed to the goal.

I think some of the women on this show probably “deserved” a makeover, but not for their weight loss, rather for the things they do to make this world a better place.

posted on December 14th, 2007 at 12:35 pm

22 On December 14th, 2007, Rachel

ALeigh: I’m sorry you feel you’re being attacked, but I really do think folks here are being as polite as possible to someone who comes onto an anti-dieting, eating disorder awareness board and starts extolling the virtues of weight loss.

Many people here have or have had an eating disorder and the ones who don’t have certainly had their share of disordered thinking about food and weight. People like us hear comments like yours All The Time, and frankly, much of what you say doesn’t hold its water when compared to the real evidence. I don’t believe you’re being intentionally offensive to folks here, and I know that your personal experiences, as well as our fatphobic culture, have informed your perceptions of weight and weight loss. We’re trying to show you otherwise. I hope you will see this as a friendly, polite debate, and not as a personal attack.

However, if you are overweight to the point of being able to lose 100 pounds, the health benefits to losing some weight probably do outweigh the benefits of having good self-esteem at 100 pounds over.

We accept that some people are meant to be basketball-player height, while others are born as little people. We accept that some people have brown skin and others have white skin. We accept that some people have naturally curly hair, and others have straight hair. So, why wouldn’t you accept that some people are genetically predisposed to be larger while others are meant to be smaller?

I think the problem here is with your rubric. You’re holding humanity up to some narrow weight range that is achievable by the very few, and then using this to gauge how much weight you believe others have to lose. If the data is flawed, so are the conclusions.

And Rachel–even though you say you lost weight without exercising or starving yourself, etc., and kept it off–it’s not that easy for everyone, and some people would really love a little bit of praise and support when the going gets tough.

I never said that. I said I have maintained a weight loss via those methods. Regular readers and anyone who reads my “About” section will learn I lost weight through through an eating disorder. Losing weight is hard work, probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. But it’s not amongst my greatest achievements, by far.

Bottom line, if Project Runway wanted to celebrate and reward women who have taken measures to increase their health while presenting this particular challenge to designers, they could have included any number of average- or plus-sized who’ve successfully triumphed over a number of diseases, like breast cancer or heart disease. They could have included former anorectics who’ve since regained weight and are okay with it. They could have included fat women like Sarah, who competes in triathlons, or wellness coach Kelly Bliss, an aerobics instructor who happens to be fat.

But no, the show only included women who’ve lost weight, therefore reinforcing the idea that “thin = healthy” (and sexy) and therefore needs to be rewarded. This is, regardless if the women really are, in fact, healthier for it.

Feminism isn’t about judging women for the choices they make. But the crux of feminism is also in critically questioning outside forces, and how they subconsciously influence our thoughts, choices and actions.

posted on December 14th, 2007 at 12:48 pm

23 On December 14th, 2007, Rachel

ALeigh: Here are some good reads if you want to learn more about why many of us are so disbelieving of the obesity epidemic fearmongering:

Gina Kolata,
Paul Campos
J. Eric Oliver

I would also recommend reading Kate Harding’s primer “But don’t you realize fat is unhealthy?”

posted on December 14th, 2007 at 12:51 pm

24 On December 14th, 2007, Alexandrialeigh

Rachel: We’re definitely going to have to agree to disagree here, because as someone who’s recovered from an eating disorder, I know that we hear all about the benefits of weight loss all the time. I don’t think we all have to be thin, and I would never “hold humanity up to some weight range that is achievable by the very few.” I’m not thin, and I would never, since I’m not a doctor or nutritionist, look at another person and gauge how much weight they should or should not lose. I was using 100-plus as the mark here because that’s what most of the contestants on Project Runway had said they had lost. For the record, I’m not saying that thinner is better. I’m saying that being healthy is better than not being healthy. That goes for being underweight or overweight.

However, I think it’s irresponsible to say that being very overweight is not going to affect your health. Doesn’t matter whether you’re predisposed to it or not, which I definitely think some people are. My aunt, the one I have referred to who developed diabetes and had a stroke, I believe was predisposed to being overweight. That does not mean her weight, even though she had a predisposition to being overweight, did not have a dramatic impact on her overall health.

You’re right that Project Runway could have included women who have accomplished other things, but they didn’t, and that’s not even pertinent to the point I’m trying to make, which is that women who make changes in exercise or diet (that is not to say “going on a diet,” but making changes in your actual diet, what you eat every day) and lose weight because of it shouldn’t be judged angrily because they’re proud of what they’ve done. That goes for people who are anti-dieting and anti-eating disorders and otherwise.

I don’t think this episode was an example of “fearmongering,” although I agree there’s a kind of hysteria circulating and perpetuated in the media in regards to the “obesity epidemic.”

posted on December 14th, 2007 at 1:20 pm

25 On December 14th, 2007, Tari

Alexandrialeigh:

I think it’s irresponsible to say that being very overweight is not going to affect your health.

And I think it’s irresponsible to insist that permanent, safe weight loss is a reasonable goal for most people.

women who make changes in exercise or diet … and lose weight because of it shouldn’t be judged angrily because they’re proud of what they’ve done.

I’m not judging the women (although I will own that it’s likely I have very different values). I’m judging the show itself, and the way it glorified and glamourized weight loss, as if that’s the only worthy thing about any of these women.

When “Project Runway” does a show with makeovers for Hospice nurses or Peace Corps volunteers or social workers or Nobel prize winners….then maybe I won’t judge it so harshly.

posted on December 14th, 2007 at 3:09 pm

26 On December 14th, 2007, Rachel

What Tari said.

I don’t see where anyone, including myself, are judging the women on the show. In fact, I specifically state in my conclusion that I’m not one to say whether they are deserving or not. My point, however, and the one I think you’re not picking up on, is that there are far, far more things we should be rewarding people for than the act of weight loss - even if its a really, really hard thing to do.

While the show did a nice thing for these women and I hope it was an empowering one for them, in essence what the show reaffirmed for the rest of us is that you don’t deserve a make-over until you’ve lost weight. Furthermore, I think the context in which the women introduced themselves - “Hi, my name is so and so and I’ve lost xx amount of weight” - only served to further reinforce their weight and the amount lost to be the central identifiers of their entire identity. When you think about it in those terms, it’s kind of insulting, actually. We are all much, much more than the numbers on the scale. Speaking from one recovering anorexic/bulimic to another recovering ED sufferer, I would hope that you understand and agree with this.

posted on December 14th, 2007 at 3:29 pm

27 On December 14th, 2007, Beth

I also watched this episode of Project Runway and am also I big fan of the show.

What really bothered me was who were these woman. Were they doctors, lawyers, mothers, the store clerk down the road? Why those outfits? No, nothing just they lost weight. Is that all people are the weight they have gained and lost?

Well then last week I gained five pounds and the week before I lost ten. That is me.

No wait that is not how I define my self. I am a happy woman who has been married for 10 years and have one child who I adore. I work at a job that I love and am currently in college. I am funny and flirty and sometime shy. I refuse to let anyone define me by my weight. So That Is Me.

posted on December 14th, 2007 at 3:33 pm

28 On December 14th, 2007, Nemohee

“I’ve overcome a difficult childhood and championed against both depression and an eating disorder. Despite struggling day-to-day with ADD, I have succeeded in earning my bachelor degree while both working and attending school full-time. I am a former volunteer emergency medical technician and plan to resume my volunteerism after graduate school. I have a professional and accomplished career. My husband and I own our own home and we contribute both our time and money to various charity organizations.”

I think secretly, you and I are the same person. As someone who has struggled with an eating disorder, ADD, and is pursuing a masters’ degree, I say, all this you listed above is definitely worth a high five.

*highfive*

Ps. I am a long-time lurker, first time poster. I love your site.

posted on December 14th, 2007 at 6:37 pm

29 On December 15th, 2007, Rachel

Thanks, Nemohee. Now if you’re also pursuing a master’s degree in history, that would be eerie

posted on December 15th, 2007 at 3:31 pm

30 On December 17th, 2007, Charlotte

I just wanted to pop in and high five the master’s degree students. *high five* As of today, I finished my first semester of grad school (specifically I’m going to seminary).

posted on December 17th, 2007 at 10:02 pm

31 On December 22nd, 2007, twilightandreason

Congratulations on creating a lively forum for the discussion of contemporary perceptions of size and value and beauty.

I definitely agree with those who take issue with some of the ways that project runway has dealt with body size. Although I do enjoy this program, I must say that any pretensions it may have about advocating a healthy body images are not backed up by the evidence (the actual episodes in which body size and body image are addressed.

The main reason I am posting is to assert that while for many there may be no correlation between weight loss, exercise, and an improvement in overall health, I am not one of those people.

My blood pressure, digestion, blood sugar, and even my allergies improve greatly when I exercise regularly… and I enjoy it. I try to work out 4x per week, and it is one of my favorite parts of the day!

In terms of weight loss, I do not desire to be thin or even to be my medically-defined “ideal” weight. I know what weight feels comfortable and right to my body and it has little resemblance to that which the charts would dictate. That said, I have been heavier than my self-defined most comfortable weight and I must say that my knees really do suffer when I am heavier than that. Once again, exercise makes a huge difference in my knee fuction, but… I guess I just wanted to weigh in and say that exercise can — for some fat folks like myself — be a real pleasure that also increases overall health and body function.

All folks a not like me, but for me exercise is a cherished part of my well-rounded life.

posted on December 22nd, 2007 at 7:29 pm

32 On December 27th, 2007, Rachel2

“I’ve overcome a difficult childhood and championed against both depression and an eating disorder. Despite struggling day-to-day with ADD, I have succeeded in earning my bachelor degree while both working and attending school full-time.”

Holy crap, that’s kind of eerie. Officially, I’ve got four diagnosies rolling around in my brain. OCD, BPII, SAD, and PMDD. I struggle day-to-day with the OCD stuff, and that is where the ED tendencies come out when off of my meds. I recently (last Saturday!!) acheived my bachelor’s degree after struggling against all of those, working TWO jobs, AND attending school full-time. Whew! I’m tired!

*THAT* deserves a high-five, not losing weight. I know where my body will feel comfortable, but I refuse to let the scale determine my self-worth any longer. I’ve fought long and I’ve fought hard for that degree. THAT is an accomplishment worth having. I will trim and tone my body so that I am more comfortable and happier with a tighter, healthier appearance, but I REFUSE to go crazy on it. I cannot let myself be consumed by counting calories, etc etc etc.

I *LOVE* your blog, Rachel. It’s kind of weird, we’re almost parallels. Very, very strange!

posted on December 27th, 2007 at 6:40 am

33 On December 28th, 2007, CynthiaC

They should seriously be challenged to make something for a shorter, proportionate woman. Petite women, regardless of size (yes, you’re still petite if you wear a size 24, as long as you’re 5′4″ or shorter), are often ignored, especially when it comes to proportion. People, including those in the fashion world, forget that alterations aren’t 100%. Shorter women often require shorter rises for pants, so that it wouldn’t look baggy. Jacket lengths are hard to alter without changing the shape of the garment. Oh, and the body image world seems to forget that size 0 or 95 lb on someone who is 5′2″ isn’t necessarily disgusting. In fact, on some people, it’s perfectly normal.

posted on December 28th, 2007 at 3:24 pm

34 On December 28th, 2007, Rachel

I hear you Cynthia. As a short person (5′2″) I’m constantly battling pants made for an Amazonian woman and blazers that could double as dresses.

And true, there are naturally thin woman who weigh 95 pounds. For the most part, readers here are sensitive in that having “curves” does not make one a “real” woman. For me personally, I prefer the term body size acceptance activist as opposed to being labeled as a fat acceptance activist.

posted on December 28th, 2007 at 3:45 pm

35 On December 28th, 2007, CynthiaC

Rachel, the problem with the term “body size activist” is that it sounds like all size activists are lumped together. Different types of size activists have different agendas (but for some reason, people don’t realize that…”size activist” usually equates “fat acceptence” to most people for some reason.) For example, I consider myself a petite activist. My agenda focuses on fashion and social issues that shorter people, especially short women, face. This is somewhat different from someone whose agenda focuses on women who are size 14 or larger.

This summer, I created a video and blog entry in response to the Fat Rant video:

http://shorty-stories.blogspot.com/2007/06/plus-sizes-get-much-more-attention-than.html

posted on December 28th, 2007 at 5:44 pm

36 On May 10th, 2008, Vern Yip shows his true colors » The-F-Word.org said:

[...] think Tari said it best in a comment on a similar issue raised by Project Runway. Writes Tari: By constantly and ubiquitously glorifying weight loss, we [...]

posted on May 10th, 2008 at 1:50 pm