In my last post I talked about how a certain weight loss company is targetting children with a "Your kid gets in free if you join!" campaign and how outrageous I felt that was. Well this week we've got another outrage to discuss.
In a well-intentioned effort to promote childhood health that has gone horribly awry, the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Foundation has begun a program named Strong4Life, and has begun a series of ads that target childhood obesity. Now, if they were actually promoting healthy behaviours and treating them as such, I would have no problem with them but unfortunately what they have decided to do is to target Fat Kids with hate and self-loathing, and to exhibit adult, authority figure sanctioned harassment and guilt. With such examples I have no doubt that the Fat Kids will get the message that they deserve to be teased and tortured, and the not-Fat Kids will get the message that they have every right to make Fat Kids' lives miserable.
For examples of the ads, please see this blog post by atchka. I think that you will be every bit as dismayed and horrified as I was when I saw them.
Atchka has suggested a campaign of our own, one that involves e-mails and phone calls to those responsible, asking them to re-consider the tone of their campaign. I have sent an e-mail to them, which I will share below. If you care to join in on this campaign, here is the contact information:
Kevin McClelland
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
404-785-7600
kevin.mcclelland@choa.org
Stephanie Walsh
404-778-2400
stephanie.walsh@choa.org
Children’s Foundation
1687 Tullie Circle NE
Atlanta, GA 30329
404-785-GIVE
Fax: 404-785-7355
choagiving@choa.org
When you dial the number above, just press 0 to bypass the operator instructions and get to a live human.
Please read my e-mail, and please consider sending one of your own to ask them to turn their campaign into something more positive. Thank you, everyone.
Dear Mr. McClelland and Ms. Walsh:
I am writing to you to express concern regarding the CHOA's Campaign Against Childhood Obesity. I understand that this campaign comes from an honest desire to see the next generation grow up to be healthier than the current generation, and this is a good starting place. However, I must tell you that I feel that your good intentions are being expressed in a twisted and hurtful manner.
You see, I grew up as one of those children. I was The Fat Girl throughout school, and remain fat to this day despite trying every diet program and workout fad known to man. I even had my insides sliced and diced in the form of a gastric bypass, lost 140 pounds, and have kept them off. Yet I still weigh 360 pounds at this point in time. I know what the Fat Kids go through because I lived it, and I live it still.
I understand what you are trying to do. I really do. I understand that you are trying to reach the adults around these children, that you are trying to guilt and shame them into encouraging their children to have healthier habits and hopefully to have healthier habits themselves. What I think that you are missing, however, is the effect that this body-shaming and guilt will have on the children.
Imagine being a Fat Kid as your family's car or the city bus takes you past one of these billboards. I ask you to imagine what that child will feel, to understand that the children (and the not-Fat-Kids who go to school with the Fat Kids) will not see this as an attempt to get adults to focus on healthy habits. Please understand that these children will see this simply as another instance of telling Fat People that they should be ashamed of themselves and of their bodies. This is adult-sanctioned harassment and teasing, and by having this adult-sanctioned harassment out there for the world to see, you are telling children of all shapes and sizes that it is completely acceptable to tease, to harass, to mentally and physically torture Fat Kids because it is all their fault. You are saying, "We, as medical professionals and authority figures, are telling you children that the Fat Kids deserve it all because they are weak-willed, stupid, and losers. So please, guilt them, shame them, and harass them...and do so while sanctimoniously repeating that it is for their own good."
Mr. McClelland and Ms. Walsh, I wish that you would take that caring, that desire to help children be healthier, and frame it in a more positive way. I wish that you would put up a series of billboards that show children and adults of all sizes enjoying physical activity together. I wish that you would run a series of ads showing children and adults of all sizes growing, preparing, and eating healthy food together, with lean meats and lots of fruits and vegetables being the centerpieces of said meals. I wish that you would help children and adults begin to understand that health is NOT synonymous with weight, and that you cannot, ABSOLUTELY CANNOT, judge a person's willpower or intelligence or worth of any kind simply by looking at them.
These are my wishes, and my hopes. It would be wonderful to see the mudslinging, negative campaign that you are currently endorsing turned into something positive for everyone instead. It would be encouraging to myself and other Fat People to have visible proof that there are medical professionals out there who understand and are honestly concerned with us as patients and whole persons rather than seeing us as failures and weak-willed losers. It would be a step in the right direction to see that there is a medical establishment that truly believes that EVERY person is worthy of respect.
Please consider my words and understand that they come from someone who has fought for nearly 46 years against obesity. I have finally started to learn that my weight and my health are different issues, and that my body is a wonderful thing no matter its size. I have finally started to like and love myself after 46 years of listening to society as it told me that I was only worthy of contempt and / or pity. Please stop teaching children that THEY are only worthy of contempt or pity. Please teach them that they are worthy of love and respect.
Thank you for your time.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Breaking Our Children
I was going to write the usual type of holiday season post about not worrying that you may have gained a pound or ten during the season, but nothing was really working right. I have figured out why. Apparently, my Muse was wanting me to write a completely different blog today, and she was waiting to throw the perfect combination of inspirations in front of me.
A friend recently posted a link to a blog entry by Dan Pearce (also known as "Single Dad Laughing") about how parents should love their children as they are, and encourage them to grown and explore life rather than doing and saying things that break their child's spirit. The situation that inspired his post had to do with a father who intimidated his child about behaviour, not weight, but the post still resonated with me in regards to other articles I've seen about parents who shame their overweight children. Some do it in the hopes that it will encourage their child to lose weight, some just do it because they are cruel, but all of them do it in the mistaken belief that if their child's body doesn't fit a pre-determined set of numbers, their child has failed and their parenting skills are lacking. Both of these assumptions are incorrect.
But what really got me thinking was an ad that I heard this morning on the radio as I drove in to work. Amid the songs by Queen and The Clash, there came a commercial touting the life-changing benefits of the Slim for Life program. I ignored it for the most part, except to occasionally make an ironic comment now and again to myself (since I was the only one in the vehicle at the time). Then the Big Sell portion of the ad came on, and the announcer exclaimed in their most excited tone, "Kids get a free membership when their parent joins!!!"
*blink*
*blink blink*
I'm sorry, WHAT did you just say?????
I actually had to process the words I had just heard for a few moments before they truly entered my mind. Immediately following that moment I emitted a string of words that really should not be shared amongst polite company. I can, however, boil the gist of them down for you:
HOW DARE THEY??????
This company that already preys on the low self-esteem endemic in adults that populate our society has now moved on to preying on children!!! It's not bad enough that fat kids are already bombarded with thousands of messages every day saying that they are somehow substandard because they have a different body shape. No, that's not bad enough at all! Now we have to feed on that self-hatred and get it started at an even younger age by having the parents drag the children to Slim for Life appointments, have the parents say things like, "I'm spending the money on this program, so you need to really work to lose the weight." and "I'm managing to lose weight, how come you can't? Are you cheating?"
Now parents who already feel worthless in our society and are terrified that their children will have to live with the same stigma will end up adding to the wounds that their children's psyches are already dealing with on a daily basis, and they will do it with the best of intentions. They will do it with the hope that they will be sparing their child from teasing, from fat-hate, from having a harder time getting hired for a job, from a harder time finding a mate who is worthy of them. They will do it with the words, "I don't want _________ to have to go through what I went through."
But we all know what they say about the road to hell, right?
Good intentions of the parents aside, the fact that this company's management has decided to take this course of action, to promote this "special" as a viable program is sick and demented. They aren't doing it because they're worried about children. They aren't doing it with good intentions. Plain and simple, they are doing it to make a buck. Slim for Life has decided that if they can't get the Fatties in the door for themselves, if they can't get their hands on the Fatties' dollars even after all of their testimonials and ads, then by the GODS they will use GUILT as the prod!!!
"Quick! Get in here and lose weight with your child! Otherwise the whole world will see just what a rotten parent you are!!!"
That is the message that Slim for Life is selling, and it nauseates me.
Parents, please don't fall for this marketing scheme. Please don't break your child that way. Look at your child and tell them with all of the honesty and love in your heart that you love them just as they are, and that you think that they are beautiful just as they are. Tell them that no matter how tall they get, how short they stay, how much they weigh, how long their hair is, how many piercings they end up getting, that you love them as they are and that they should love their body too. Find ways to get them interested in being active if they already aren't, and encourage their activities if they already enjoy movement of some kind. Make sure that your house has the healthiest foodstuffs that you can afford in the fridge and cupboards. Let them have a candy bar or piece of cake without giving them the "you don't need that" look or speech. Encourage them to have a piece of fruit or a salad if that's what they want.
Teach your children that listening to their own bodies is more important than listening to what other people say is right, that if their body is tired they should sleep, if it is hungry then they should eat, and that they should always remember how to play no matter how old they get.
Please don't call Slim for Life and sign your child up for their first official lessons in body shaming and fat hate. Don't pay total strangers for the privilege of telling your child that they just aren't good enough and never will be unless they take the weight off and keep it off (which they only have a 5% chance of doing).
Love your children just as they are. They already love you just as you are, so isn't it right to return that love without condition?
Let's stop breaking our children in so many ways. They are beautiful, and they should continue to know that.
A friend recently posted a link to a blog entry by Dan Pearce (also known as "Single Dad Laughing") about how parents should love their children as they are, and encourage them to grown and explore life rather than doing and saying things that break their child's spirit. The situation that inspired his post had to do with a father who intimidated his child about behaviour, not weight, but the post still resonated with me in regards to other articles I've seen about parents who shame their overweight children. Some do it in the hopes that it will encourage their child to lose weight, some just do it because they are cruel, but all of them do it in the mistaken belief that if their child's body doesn't fit a pre-determined set of numbers, their child has failed and their parenting skills are lacking. Both of these assumptions are incorrect.
But what really got me thinking was an ad that I heard this morning on the radio as I drove in to work. Amid the songs by Queen and The Clash, there came a commercial touting the life-changing benefits of the Slim for Life program. I ignored it for the most part, except to occasionally make an ironic comment now and again to myself (since I was the only one in the vehicle at the time). Then the Big Sell portion of the ad came on, and the announcer exclaimed in their most excited tone, "Kids get a free membership when their parent joins!!!"
*blink*
*blink blink*
I'm sorry, WHAT did you just say?????
I actually had to process the words I had just heard for a few moments before they truly entered my mind. Immediately following that moment I emitted a string of words that really should not be shared amongst polite company. I can, however, boil the gist of them down for you:
HOW DARE THEY??????
This company that already preys on the low self-esteem endemic in adults that populate our society has now moved on to preying on children!!! It's not bad enough that fat kids are already bombarded with thousands of messages every day saying that they are somehow substandard because they have a different body shape. No, that's not bad enough at all! Now we have to feed on that self-hatred and get it started at an even younger age by having the parents drag the children to Slim for Life appointments, have the parents say things like, "I'm spending the money on this program, so you need to really work to lose the weight." and "I'm managing to lose weight, how come you can't? Are you cheating?"
Now parents who already feel worthless in our society and are terrified that their children will have to live with the same stigma will end up adding to the wounds that their children's psyches are already dealing with on a daily basis, and they will do it with the best of intentions. They will do it with the hope that they will be sparing their child from teasing, from fat-hate, from having a harder time getting hired for a job, from a harder time finding a mate who is worthy of them. They will do it with the words, "I don't want _________ to have to go through what I went through."
But we all know what they say about the road to hell, right?
Good intentions of the parents aside, the fact that this company's management has decided to take this course of action, to promote this "special" as a viable program is sick and demented. They aren't doing it because they're worried about children. They aren't doing it with good intentions. Plain and simple, they are doing it to make a buck. Slim for Life has decided that if they can't get the Fatties in the door for themselves, if they can't get their hands on the Fatties' dollars even after all of their testimonials and ads, then by the GODS they will use GUILT as the prod!!!
"Quick! Get in here and lose weight with your child! Otherwise the whole world will see just what a rotten parent you are!!!"
That is the message that Slim for Life is selling, and it nauseates me.
Parents, please don't fall for this marketing scheme. Please don't break your child that way. Look at your child and tell them with all of the honesty and love in your heart that you love them just as they are, and that you think that they are beautiful just as they are. Tell them that no matter how tall they get, how short they stay, how much they weigh, how long their hair is, how many piercings they end up getting, that you love them as they are and that they should love their body too. Find ways to get them interested in being active if they already aren't, and encourage their activities if they already enjoy movement of some kind. Make sure that your house has the healthiest foodstuffs that you can afford in the fridge and cupboards. Let them have a candy bar or piece of cake without giving them the "you don't need that" look or speech. Encourage them to have a piece of fruit or a salad if that's what they want.
Teach your children that listening to their own bodies is more important than listening to what other people say is right, that if their body is tired they should sleep, if it is hungry then they should eat, and that they should always remember how to play no matter how old they get.
Please don't call Slim for Life and sign your child up for their first official lessons in body shaming and fat hate. Don't pay total strangers for the privilege of telling your child that they just aren't good enough and never will be unless they take the weight off and keep it off (which they only have a 5% chance of doing).
Love your children just as they are. They already love you just as you are, so isn't it right to return that love without condition?
Let's stop breaking our children in so many ways. They are beautiful, and they should continue to know that.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
An Open Letter to George Takei
Dear Mr. Takei:
The first thing that I would like to say to you is that I have been impressed by you for a very long time. I always enjoyed your work, and after I read your autobiography, I was impressed with the grace that you handled life especially considering the steps that you have had to take in order to achieve your goals so far.
That is why it is so hard for me to write this note today. It is never easy to find out that someone whom you admire is human and has faults. We are all aware of this in an intellectual way, but when it becomes so very clear that our hearts cannot help but discover it as well, the disappointment is always a shock to the system.
You see, Mr. Takei, I am fat. I came out of the Fat Closet when I was about 8 years old. I was on my first diet before I was 10. Unlike gays and lesbians, Fatties have no choice about coming out, because the whole world can see who and what we are, so the torture begins early and is vicious. I remember having to get on the scale in front of all of the other kids in my class when we did school physicals, and having my weight announced for all of the world to hear. I remember crying into my pillow, trying to smother the sound so that my parents wouldn't hear because while they are loving and caring people, it would have meant that my Mom would have me on another diet because that was all that she could think of that would "help" and the currently mounting evidence that dieting is more harmful than good was not available then. I remember walking up to my locker in high school and seeing fat epithets including words like "Moose" written all over it in black Sharpie marker.
I didn't go to my prom. No one was going to ask the fat girl.
I hoped that when I got out of high school and went to college that things would change, but they didn't.
I hoped that when I got into the work world things would change, but they didn't. I remember working for a mortgage company in their foreclosures/bankruptcy department. I was an excellent employee. Actually, I was such a good employee that I regularly trained other employees in the policies, procedures and laws relating to what we did in our department. When the Team Lead position came open, I applied because I believed that the fact that I had trained everyone in our department showed that not only did I know my stuff, but that I was a talented team builder and leader. I didn't get the position. As a matter of fact, the person who did get the position was someone I had trained only a few months before and who was new to the industry. What she had that I didn't was a small waist.
Mr. Takei, I have spent a large part of my life believing that I have no place in this world. I spent it believing that I was weak-willed, lazy, stupid and that any success I achieved was through accident rather than accomplishment. I truly believed for a time that the world would have been a better place without my presence, and that I had no right to joy or happiness or pride in myself or the things I'd done. And yes, Mr. Takei, there were thoughts that maybe I should remove myself from the world because of who and what I was. Thoughts that people would mourn but that overall they would be relieved that they wouldn't have to deal with me and my fat self any more, that they wouldn't have to be uncomfortable around me any more.
Does any of this sound familiar?
The kinds of thoughts and feelings that the gay and lesbian teenagers you fight for go through the heads of fat children too. Both groups are told on a constant basis that they CHOOSE to be that way, that the only reason they aren't conforming to societal norms is because they are flawed, weak, and that they want to be as they are. Both groups are shamed in front of others on a regular basis, and are seen as valid targets for abuse by peers and authority figures alike. Both groups have former members who are paraded about by those who believe that it is a choice, former members who loudly say, "I did it! Anyone can!"
Both groups have growing bodies of evidence supporting the fact that they do NOT choose to be as they are, that it is as hard-wired in us as having blue or brown eyes, or being short or tall.
Mr. Takei, you have always struck me as a man who cares passionately about fighting injustice, and with good reason considering what you and your family went through in World War II, and what you and the man you love have had to go through most of your adult lives. That is why it came as such a shock to me that you would seemingly just toss aside the concerns that were raised by Fatties on your Facebook page. I really believed that it was just a misunderstanding, that you just hadn't stopped to think about how what you said could be construed as advocating bullying of another targetted group. And then you posted another fat joke the next day.
I cannot adequately express how much this saddens me. I have looked to you as a role model in regards to what one person can do to help change the way that society in general feels, and then I felt betrayed. I hope that I am wrong. I hope that the others who are actively bringing this disparity to your attention are wrong. I hope that you will take the time to consider my words above, perhaps replace the word "fat" with the word "gay" and see if my story is so very different from that of some of the people that you advocate for, and then realize that those of us who are considered to be among the last remaining groups that it is acceptable to be prejudiced against should stick together. We understand each other, Mr. Takei, and we understand how deeply the words and actions of others can cut into the soul, whether the word is "fag" or "fat", there isn't that much difference between us.
I don't know if this message will even reach you, but I have to write it because I have discovered that I am NOT weak, I am NOT stupid or a waste of life, and I have done so against great odds. I have done so despite moments where that doubt returns, and I will continue to carry that discovery forward and do my best to share it with others who have gone or are going through the mental and emotional turmoil that I have survived. I think that you would understand that as well.
I hope that we can stand together against prejudice and hatred of all kinds, Mr. Takei. I would like that very much.
The first thing that I would like to say to you is that I have been impressed by you for a very long time. I always enjoyed your work, and after I read your autobiography, I was impressed with the grace that you handled life especially considering the steps that you have had to take in order to achieve your goals so far.
That is why it is so hard for me to write this note today. It is never easy to find out that someone whom you admire is human and has faults. We are all aware of this in an intellectual way, but when it becomes so very clear that our hearts cannot help but discover it as well, the disappointment is always a shock to the system.
You see, Mr. Takei, I am fat. I came out of the Fat Closet when I was about 8 years old. I was on my first diet before I was 10. Unlike gays and lesbians, Fatties have no choice about coming out, because the whole world can see who and what we are, so the torture begins early and is vicious. I remember having to get on the scale in front of all of the other kids in my class when we did school physicals, and having my weight announced for all of the world to hear. I remember crying into my pillow, trying to smother the sound so that my parents wouldn't hear because while they are loving and caring people, it would have meant that my Mom would have me on another diet because that was all that she could think of that would "help" and the currently mounting evidence that dieting is more harmful than good was not available then. I remember walking up to my locker in high school and seeing fat epithets including words like "Moose" written all over it in black Sharpie marker.
I didn't go to my prom. No one was going to ask the fat girl.
I hoped that when I got out of high school and went to college that things would change, but they didn't.
I hoped that when I got into the work world things would change, but they didn't. I remember working for a mortgage company in their foreclosures/bankruptcy department. I was an excellent employee. Actually, I was such a good employee that I regularly trained other employees in the policies, procedures and laws relating to what we did in our department. When the Team Lead position came open, I applied because I believed that the fact that I had trained everyone in our department showed that not only did I know my stuff, but that I was a talented team builder and leader. I didn't get the position. As a matter of fact, the person who did get the position was someone I had trained only a few months before and who was new to the industry. What she had that I didn't was a small waist.
Mr. Takei, I have spent a large part of my life believing that I have no place in this world. I spent it believing that I was weak-willed, lazy, stupid and that any success I achieved was through accident rather than accomplishment. I truly believed for a time that the world would have been a better place without my presence, and that I had no right to joy or happiness or pride in myself or the things I'd done. And yes, Mr. Takei, there were thoughts that maybe I should remove myself from the world because of who and what I was. Thoughts that people would mourn but that overall they would be relieved that they wouldn't have to deal with me and my fat self any more, that they wouldn't have to be uncomfortable around me any more.
Does any of this sound familiar?
The kinds of thoughts and feelings that the gay and lesbian teenagers you fight for go through the heads of fat children too. Both groups are told on a constant basis that they CHOOSE to be that way, that the only reason they aren't conforming to societal norms is because they are flawed, weak, and that they want to be as they are. Both groups are shamed in front of others on a regular basis, and are seen as valid targets for abuse by peers and authority figures alike. Both groups have former members who are paraded about by those who believe that it is a choice, former members who loudly say, "I did it! Anyone can!"
Both groups have growing bodies of evidence supporting the fact that they do NOT choose to be as they are, that it is as hard-wired in us as having blue or brown eyes, or being short or tall.
Mr. Takei, you have always struck me as a man who cares passionately about fighting injustice, and with good reason considering what you and your family went through in World War II, and what you and the man you love have had to go through most of your adult lives. That is why it came as such a shock to me that you would seemingly just toss aside the concerns that were raised by Fatties on your Facebook page. I really believed that it was just a misunderstanding, that you just hadn't stopped to think about how what you said could be construed as advocating bullying of another targetted group. And then you posted another fat joke the next day.
I cannot adequately express how much this saddens me. I have looked to you as a role model in regards to what one person can do to help change the way that society in general feels, and then I felt betrayed. I hope that I am wrong. I hope that the others who are actively bringing this disparity to your attention are wrong. I hope that you will take the time to consider my words above, perhaps replace the word "fat" with the word "gay" and see if my story is so very different from that of some of the people that you advocate for, and then realize that those of us who are considered to be among the last remaining groups that it is acceptable to be prejudiced against should stick together. We understand each other, Mr. Takei, and we understand how deeply the words and actions of others can cut into the soul, whether the word is "fag" or "fat", there isn't that much difference between us.
I don't know if this message will even reach you, but I have to write it because I have discovered that I am NOT weak, I am NOT stupid or a waste of life, and I have done so against great odds. I have done so despite moments where that doubt returns, and I will continue to carry that discovery forward and do my best to share it with others who have gone or are going through the mental and emotional turmoil that I have survived. I think that you would understand that as well.
I hope that we can stand together against prejudice and hatred of all kinds, Mr. Takei. I would like that very much.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Antici....pation: Not Always The Lead-In to Dancing or Ketchup
Part of the Health at Every Size philosophy is that it is important to find a type of movement that you enjoy, and to make it a regular part of your life. H@ES does not treat exercise as a punishment, you don't have a hooded figure standing over you with a lash to get your fat ass onto a treadmill because you ate that slice of chocolate cake and DESERVE to be punished. That's not how it works. You ate the slice of chocolate cake because it tasted good, and you wanted it, and you stopped when you didn't want any more. The treadmill and that cake have nothing to do with each other.
So therein lies my problem. I have a hard time finding movement that I actually enjoy doing. Well, that's not really true. I have lots that I enjoy doing when I'm actually doing it, but I don't anticipate doing it. The distinct lack of anticipation makes it really hard to get myself out there and doing movement. Once I'm on the treadmill, in the pool, doing yoga, or Wii / Kinecting, I actually enjoy it. But when I think about doing it, I find all of the excuses possible to put it off. I don't want to go in the morning, because I hate getting up any earlier than I have to. I don't want to go after work because it has already been a long day and if I go to the gym after work, I won't get home til around 8 or 9 p.m. since I get out of work around 6. I don't take a lunch, so that is out. Even if I do manage to convince myself that I WILL do something after work, the truck takes over and drives straight home rather like a horse returning to the barn for evening feeding time. Then I walk in the door and instead of doing one of the many options at home for movement, I find myself diving right into cooking dinner then a little housework, then onto the computer and oh my goodness it can't be bedtime already!
I think that is the problem for a lot of people who are trying to find their way to a healthy lifestyle. It isn't living the lifestyle itself that is the problem, it is finding the energy to make the changes necessary to be healthy. They always have the option to actively choose to not be healthy, and for those who do choose that option, it is not my place to judge them to be right or wrong. Your body, your call, that's how that works. No one has the right to tell someone else that they HAVE to live a healthier life. But for those who want to do so and can't seem to manage it, life can get frustrating.
Have you ever wanted something so badly but found yourself finding excuses not to try for it? Don't tell me that you haven't, because everyone does it at some point in their life. Some people find their way around that roadblock, but some are stuck there, trying to peek around or over it to see what is on the other side, never able to get a good enough handhold to pull themselves past. That is really bad enough, but then you get the Helpful People, who truly believe that "Anyone can do it! Look at me!" and commence with the inspirational stories about how Aunt Millie was so out of shape that she couldn't take five steps without a respirator, but she pulled herself up by the bootstraps and just finished her fifteenth tri-athalon yesterday! In a more detached moment I can appreciate that they are a Helpful Person, who is trying really hard to just Be Helpful. They aren't doing it to be cruel or to make light of the roadblock, they really feel that it is just a case of mind over matter.
For some that works. Watching back to back to back episodes of "The Biggest Loser" may actually get some people out there, moving and eating better. (Let's not debate the merits and drawbacks of that show now, folks. I understand that a lot of the Fatosphere hates the training methods and lack of follow-through that the show offers, not to mention the completely unrealistic circumstances that the contestants find themselves in. Not many of us can quit our jobs for 6 months and focus on exercising for 4 to 8 hours per day, not that this would be a healthy thing to do anyway. I get it. Different column there, though!) But if the inspiration is there for you, and it works for you, that is awesome! Unfortunately, not everything works the same way for everyone.
Hey...isn't that rather like the fact that not every BODY is the same? So while some can lose weight following the adage of "Calories in should be fewer than calories out.", other people's bodies don't work that way. And while some people can get up off the couch, start walking today, and do a marathon next month, not every body works that way. While some people can say, "Tomorrow I'm going to start getting up at 5 a.m., go to the gym, and then go to work every day." and accomplish that goal, not everyone has it that easy.
And so we find ourselves back where I started: wanting to move, and yet not wanting to move.
I can hear you now, oh Faithful Readers. You are saying, "Ummmmm...Lys? You typed all of that out only to end up where you started? What was the point of all of this, then, anyway???"
The point is that this is something that no one can really help me with, and really, it is something that no one can help ANYONE with. You can't decide that your husband, your wife, your child or your great aunt thrice removed on your mother's father-in-law's side should be exercising more. You can't push them to go find something active to do and use guilt or bullying to achieve that. You can't hit them with Helpful Advice or Inspirational Stories until they fall to their knees and beg for mercy. For a large number of people, these kinds of things only lead to that rebellious voice in the back of their mind telling them, "If they're so gung-ho about exercising, let THEM go do it. We aren't going to be pushed into ANYTHING! Here...let's sit on the couch and watch cartoons.'
So if you really want to show your love and caring for the person in your life who is dealing with this dilemma, let them know that you are there for them. Tell them that you support them in whatever they decide to do. Encourage them to make their own choices, to explore their own options, and to be happy with themselves as they are. Being happy with yourself as you are doesn't preclude making changes, it doesn't mean giving up as some folks would like us to think. Being happy with yourself is just that...being happy. Be happy with yourself when you are moving, be happy with yourself when you are watching another episode of "Top Chef". Be happy with yourself, love yourself, and you will end up surprising yourself because we are much more likely to take good care of the things that we like and to ignore the things that we don't like.
Now, here I sit, finishing typing this and looking at the clock. It is late, I am tired. I will not get up early tomorrow and go to the gym. I know this without question. I think, though, that I'm one step closer to getting my head into the right place to start anticipating movement. I hope so. I want to feel happy with moving, I want to have the breath control that will let me sing more than a measure and a half without needing to gasp for air. I want to feel good when I move. I haven't felt that in a while now.
Yeah...getting closer. I hope that you are closer to being happy with yourself too. Because between you and me, I believe that you are pretty damned awesome right now, just as you are, and that if you choose to make changes in your life, then you will still be pretty damned awesome but will just be PDA in a different flavour than you are now. So you go, you Neopolitan Wonder, you! See you on the Happy, Awesome Side!
So therein lies my problem. I have a hard time finding movement that I actually enjoy doing. Well, that's not really true. I have lots that I enjoy doing when I'm actually doing it, but I don't anticipate doing it. The distinct lack of anticipation makes it really hard to get myself out there and doing movement. Once I'm on the treadmill, in the pool, doing yoga, or Wii / Kinecting, I actually enjoy it. But when I think about doing it, I find all of the excuses possible to put it off. I don't want to go in the morning, because I hate getting up any earlier than I have to. I don't want to go after work because it has already been a long day and if I go to the gym after work, I won't get home til around 8 or 9 p.m. since I get out of work around 6. I don't take a lunch, so that is out. Even if I do manage to convince myself that I WILL do something after work, the truck takes over and drives straight home rather like a horse returning to the barn for evening feeding time. Then I walk in the door and instead of doing one of the many options at home for movement, I find myself diving right into cooking dinner then a little housework, then onto the computer and oh my goodness it can't be bedtime already!
I think that is the problem for a lot of people who are trying to find their way to a healthy lifestyle. It isn't living the lifestyle itself that is the problem, it is finding the energy to make the changes necessary to be healthy. They always have the option to actively choose to not be healthy, and for those who do choose that option, it is not my place to judge them to be right or wrong. Your body, your call, that's how that works. No one has the right to tell someone else that they HAVE to live a healthier life. But for those who want to do so and can't seem to manage it, life can get frustrating.
Have you ever wanted something so badly but found yourself finding excuses not to try for it? Don't tell me that you haven't, because everyone does it at some point in their life. Some people find their way around that roadblock, but some are stuck there, trying to peek around or over it to see what is on the other side, never able to get a good enough handhold to pull themselves past. That is really bad enough, but then you get the Helpful People, who truly believe that "Anyone can do it! Look at me!" and commence with the inspirational stories about how Aunt Millie was so out of shape that she couldn't take five steps without a respirator, but she pulled herself up by the bootstraps and just finished her fifteenth tri-athalon yesterday! In a more detached moment I can appreciate that they are a Helpful Person, who is trying really hard to just Be Helpful. They aren't doing it to be cruel or to make light of the roadblock, they really feel that it is just a case of mind over matter.
For some that works. Watching back to back to back episodes of "The Biggest Loser" may actually get some people out there, moving and eating better. (Let's not debate the merits and drawbacks of that show now, folks. I understand that a lot of the Fatosphere hates the training methods and lack of follow-through that the show offers, not to mention the completely unrealistic circumstances that the contestants find themselves in. Not many of us can quit our jobs for 6 months and focus on exercising for 4 to 8 hours per day, not that this would be a healthy thing to do anyway. I get it. Different column there, though!) But if the inspiration is there for you, and it works for you, that is awesome! Unfortunately, not everything works the same way for everyone.
Hey...isn't that rather like the fact that not every BODY is the same? So while some can lose weight following the adage of "Calories in should be fewer than calories out.", other people's bodies don't work that way. And while some people can get up off the couch, start walking today, and do a marathon next month, not every body works that way. While some people can say, "Tomorrow I'm going to start getting up at 5 a.m., go to the gym, and then go to work every day." and accomplish that goal, not everyone has it that easy.
And so we find ourselves back where I started: wanting to move, and yet not wanting to move.
I can hear you now, oh Faithful Readers. You are saying, "Ummmmm...Lys? You typed all of that out only to end up where you started? What was the point of all of this, then, anyway???"
The point is that this is something that no one can really help me with, and really, it is something that no one can help ANYONE with. You can't decide that your husband, your wife, your child or your great aunt thrice removed on your mother's father-in-law's side should be exercising more. You can't push them to go find something active to do and use guilt or bullying to achieve that. You can't hit them with Helpful Advice or Inspirational Stories until they fall to their knees and beg for mercy. For a large number of people, these kinds of things only lead to that rebellious voice in the back of their mind telling them, "If they're so gung-ho about exercising, let THEM go do it. We aren't going to be pushed into ANYTHING! Here...let's sit on the couch and watch cartoons.'
So if you really want to show your love and caring for the person in your life who is dealing with this dilemma, let them know that you are there for them. Tell them that you support them in whatever they decide to do. Encourage them to make their own choices, to explore their own options, and to be happy with themselves as they are. Being happy with yourself as you are doesn't preclude making changes, it doesn't mean giving up as some folks would like us to think. Being happy with yourself is just that...being happy. Be happy with yourself when you are moving, be happy with yourself when you are watching another episode of "Top Chef". Be happy with yourself, love yourself, and you will end up surprising yourself because we are much more likely to take good care of the things that we like and to ignore the things that we don't like.
Now, here I sit, finishing typing this and looking at the clock. It is late, I am tired. I will not get up early tomorrow and go to the gym. I know this without question. I think, though, that I'm one step closer to getting my head into the right place to start anticipating movement. I hope so. I want to feel happy with moving, I want to have the breath control that will let me sing more than a measure and a half without needing to gasp for air. I want to feel good when I move. I haven't felt that in a while now.
Yeah...getting closer. I hope that you are closer to being happy with yourself too. Because between you and me, I believe that you are pretty damned awesome right now, just as you are, and that if you choose to make changes in your life, then you will still be pretty damned awesome but will just be PDA in a different flavour than you are now. So you go, you Neopolitan Wonder, you! See you on the Happy, Awesome Side!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Persecution versus Paranoia
I firmly believe in trying to be as tactful and considerate in my dealings with others as I can. There are times when that tact is at the end of a verbal blunt instrument, as I do not believe that being tactful means not telling the truth, but overall I try to make an effort to put things in as polite a manner as possible. I believe that manners define civilization, and I don't mean the superficial manners that people use to hide negatives, but real and honest manners.
That said, I understand that there are those out there who do not live by this rule. Some believe that honesty and bluntness to the point of rudeness are the same thing (a theory that I do not ascribe to), some just open their mouths without stopping to think about what they are saying regardless of how it may make others feel, and yet another group deliberately says things that are hurtful in order to project their own pain and shortcomings onto others so that they can have one small moment of superiority to salve their wounded self-esteem.
I think that it is important to those of us who are trying to change the world's perceptions regarding fat and fat people to be very careful when we are reading / hearing the things being said around us. It is very easy to read a quote by someone and immediately assign motives to it without those motives being there. Everyone does that to some extent, I am certainly no saint and have been known to get upset about something only to find, to my embarassment, that I was completely mistaken about what just happened and that I inadvertantly applied my own faults to someone else.
"But Lys, what brought this on? Because this isn't your usual blog about living as a Fat Superhero!"
I thought that you would never ask!
Recently Miley Cyrus has come under fire on Twitter and other places for "getting fat". Now remember that Hollywood Fat and Regular People Fat are two different things, but still, the point is that people have been judging her harshly for her body size. She, being a shy and retiring type like me (Hey! Stop laughing!) shot right back at them by posting a photo of a very emaciated young woman and the words, “By calling girls like me fat, this is what you’re doing to other people.”
I can't tell you what she was thinking, because I don't happen to know Ms. Cyrus, but if I had to guess, I would think that she was saying that people who bludgeon others about their body shape are people who contribute to the rising number of young people with eating disorders and body dysmorphia. I applaud her for throwing that out there and not giving in to those who feel that just because a person is a celebrity, anyone has the right to tell them that their body shape is wrong. (My feelings on how people have this odd belief that they OWN celebrities body and soul will have to be discussed another time.)
What dismayed me was the reaction in the Fatosphere. There were many who took what she said and twisted it in their own minds. Suddenly, instead of being a young woman telling people that it is no one's business what decisions she makes regarding the care of her body, it became a famous person saying that it's not all right to call slender people fat, but it's quite all right to call fat people fat. *blink blink* Um. Okay. I'm not really sure how THAT leap of logic happened. And it really bothered me that I saw this knee-jerk reaction in more than one place.
If we want to change the world, if we want the world to respect us and our viewpoint, then by whatever you believe in (no religious debate here, please!), we HAVE to show that same kind of respect! We absolutely HAVE to know the difference between Persecution and Paranoia. When someone comes out with a statement such as the one made by Ms. Cyrus, it is absolutely imperative that we take it at face value rather than ascribing hidden motives to it. Statements such as hers should be used to bolster our position, because what she said is true when you look at it without assuming anything about her motives. We should embrace statements such as this, and the people who make them, because the more people who are saying it the better the chance that it will actually become the mindset of the public as a whole.
I believe that one of the worst things that those who support Health at Every Size and equal rights for Fat Superheroes can do is to turn potential allies against us by putting words in their mouths. We cannot assume persecution where there is not any to be seen. That is paranoia, and it is unhealthy for us as individuals and as a movement. Believe me, there is more than enough true persecution out there without us feeling the need to turn benign statements into persecution through our own paranoia. Really, this can be applied to any sensitive subject. There is a reason that people get tired of political correctness, and that reason is that some people take it way too far. I know that common sense has become a very uncommon thing, but that is what needs to be applied.
So whenever you see a statement that seems to carry a double meaning, before you jump to the conclusion that the person it originated with meant it to be insulting, please take a moment and think. Give the benefit of the doubt whenever possible, because what goes around comes around, and if enough people start giving the benefit of the doubt, then the next time you or I finds ourselves in a situation where we might like a little ketchup to help the taste of that foot that's in our mouth maybe someone will give us the benefit of the doubt as well. It doesn't hurt anyone, and instead it may end up helping us all.
That said, I understand that there are those out there who do not live by this rule. Some believe that honesty and bluntness to the point of rudeness are the same thing (a theory that I do not ascribe to), some just open their mouths without stopping to think about what they are saying regardless of how it may make others feel, and yet another group deliberately says things that are hurtful in order to project their own pain and shortcomings onto others so that they can have one small moment of superiority to salve their wounded self-esteem.
I think that it is important to those of us who are trying to change the world's perceptions regarding fat and fat people to be very careful when we are reading / hearing the things being said around us. It is very easy to read a quote by someone and immediately assign motives to it without those motives being there. Everyone does that to some extent, I am certainly no saint and have been known to get upset about something only to find, to my embarassment, that I was completely mistaken about what just happened and that I inadvertantly applied my own faults to someone else.
"But Lys, what brought this on? Because this isn't your usual blog about living as a Fat Superhero!"
I thought that you would never ask!
Recently Miley Cyrus has come under fire on Twitter and other places for "getting fat". Now remember that Hollywood Fat and Regular People Fat are two different things, but still, the point is that people have been judging her harshly for her body size. She, being a shy and retiring type like me (Hey! Stop laughing!) shot right back at them by posting a photo of a very emaciated young woman and the words, “By calling girls like me fat, this is what you’re doing to other people.”
I can't tell you what she was thinking, because I don't happen to know Ms. Cyrus, but if I had to guess, I would think that she was saying that people who bludgeon others about their body shape are people who contribute to the rising number of young people with eating disorders and body dysmorphia. I applaud her for throwing that out there and not giving in to those who feel that just because a person is a celebrity, anyone has the right to tell them that their body shape is wrong. (My feelings on how people have this odd belief that they OWN celebrities body and soul will have to be discussed another time.)
What dismayed me was the reaction in the Fatosphere. There were many who took what she said and twisted it in their own minds. Suddenly, instead of being a young woman telling people that it is no one's business what decisions she makes regarding the care of her body, it became a famous person saying that it's not all right to call slender people fat, but it's quite all right to call fat people fat. *blink blink* Um. Okay. I'm not really sure how THAT leap of logic happened. And it really bothered me that I saw this knee-jerk reaction in more than one place.
If we want to change the world, if we want the world to respect us and our viewpoint, then by whatever you believe in (no religious debate here, please!), we HAVE to show that same kind of respect! We absolutely HAVE to know the difference between Persecution and Paranoia. When someone comes out with a statement such as the one made by Ms. Cyrus, it is absolutely imperative that we take it at face value rather than ascribing hidden motives to it. Statements such as hers should be used to bolster our position, because what she said is true when you look at it without assuming anything about her motives. We should embrace statements such as this, and the people who make them, because the more people who are saying it the better the chance that it will actually become the mindset of the public as a whole.
I believe that one of the worst things that those who support Health at Every Size and equal rights for Fat Superheroes can do is to turn potential allies against us by putting words in their mouths. We cannot assume persecution where there is not any to be seen. That is paranoia, and it is unhealthy for us as individuals and as a movement. Believe me, there is more than enough true persecution out there without us feeling the need to turn benign statements into persecution through our own paranoia. Really, this can be applied to any sensitive subject. There is a reason that people get tired of political correctness, and that reason is that some people take it way too far. I know that common sense has become a very uncommon thing, but that is what needs to be applied.
So whenever you see a statement that seems to carry a double meaning, before you jump to the conclusion that the person it originated with meant it to be insulting, please take a moment and think. Give the benefit of the doubt whenever possible, because what goes around comes around, and if enough people start giving the benefit of the doubt, then the next time you or I finds ourselves in a situation where we might like a little ketchup to help the taste of that foot that's in our mouth maybe someone will give us the benefit of the doubt as well. It doesn't hurt anyone, and instead it may end up helping us all.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Even the surefooted stumble once in a while
I try to be a confident person when it comes to my belief in Health at Every Size. I have taken a long time to get to this point, and generally I believe that I have built a very solid foundation that I can use to help change the world (even if only a little at a time). But every day is still a struggle in some ways, a fight against old habits, old thoughts, and the pressure from society in general to fall into line with the generally accepted way of looking at weight.
When my knees and ankles hurt, when I find myself getting tired, I have to really work not to fall back into the old ways of thinking. I'm still working on that part of things, you see. I KNOW with my head that it isn't my weight that is the problem, it is my health, and that they are two different things. I KNOW with my head that I need to find some way of moving in order to strengthen the muscles and framework that holds them. If I end up losing weight because of that movement, well, then I will love the version of me that exists in that moment as much as I love the version of me that exists right now.
But in the back of my head, that insidious little whisper still hides in its dark corner, coming out at irregular intervals. It mutters to me that I hurt because I'm fat, not because my joints are weak and arthritis is slowly eating away at my system. It tries to brush aside the knowledge that I likely would have arthritis even if I were in the ideal portion of the BMI range, and scoffs quietly, stating that the reason I hurt is that I'm fat and lazy and have no will power.
I fight that dark little whisper more often than I should have to, more often than ANYONE should have to fight. When I think of it, I think of the scene in "The Ten Commandments" when the Angel of Death is coming to take the eldest child of every house except for the ones with the marks on the doors. That fog, twisting and squirming its way through the city, looking alive and sinister as it moves, and the sense of dread that accompanies it. That is what the dark little whisper in my mind is like. It slips through the tiniest crack, oozes over the crannies of my mind, finding weaknesses and using them to gain entry into my thoughts.
I know that this blog generally focuses on the positive. I like to urge others to join myself and those fighting to get our voices heard against the overwhelming static being sent out by The Weight Loss Industry and their paid researchers. So right now, today's entry may seem like a black spot of negativity in the midst of the bright positivity that I try to normally promote, but really...it isn't.
EVERYONE who is fighting the battle of learning to love their bodies goes through this. EVERYONE. It may take different forms, you may find yourself saying things differently than I do, or you may picture your dark little voice differently, but I can tell you that the voice is there for everyone. I hope that it can be vanquished forever, and that spot of darkness can be banished by the light eventually, but I will be honest and tell you that I think it will remain there for my whole life, no matter how hidden it remains.
It is my hope to be part of a change, a change that means future generations of people grow up without ever hearing a dark whisper like mine. I write these blog entries and speak up about H@ES and the mindset that goes with it so that children have a chance to live their lives without ever fighting the battle against their own head, so that they don't have to struggle for over forty years just to learn to love themselves. No one should hate themselves for that long, and the companies who encourage that self-hatred just so that they can make a profit should be ashamed of themselves.
So yes, my children, I have my weak moments. I have times when I wonder what life would have been like if I had been slender instead of fat. I cry now and then, because for every two steps that we take forward in learning to appreciate people for themselves, fully and completely, rather than trying to change them to fit some kind of mythical ideal, we take one step backwards by allowing The Weight Loss Industry to dictate our political policies, our health system, and our minds. I live with the dichotomy of learning to love myself while remembering how much I have hated myself. I live with the hope that I will see the first generation to grow up without that self-hatred, and I live with the fear that it will never happen in my lifetime.
Even the surefooted stumble once in a while, and this is how I stumble. All that I can do when I take that fall, though, is to get back up and brush myself off then keep moving forward. It would be easier to just stay there, to give up and give in, to just say, "You're right. I'm fat because I'm weak-willed and worthless. Do with me as you will. Starve me, shame me, browbeat me. I give up." but I can't. I just can't. I am NOT weak-willed, I am NOT worthless. I will climb to my feet, rise onto my aching, arthritic legs and take the next step forward. I do it for myself, because I'm worth it, and I do it for those to come, because they are worth it too.
Even if you stumble, get up again. Continue to fight against anyone or anything who tries to tell you that you aren't worth it. Even if that person is yourself. You are worth it. We are all worth it.
When my knees and ankles hurt, when I find myself getting tired, I have to really work not to fall back into the old ways of thinking. I'm still working on that part of things, you see. I KNOW with my head that it isn't my weight that is the problem, it is my health, and that they are two different things. I KNOW with my head that I need to find some way of moving in order to strengthen the muscles and framework that holds them. If I end up losing weight because of that movement, well, then I will love the version of me that exists in that moment as much as I love the version of me that exists right now.
But in the back of my head, that insidious little whisper still hides in its dark corner, coming out at irregular intervals. It mutters to me that I hurt because I'm fat, not because my joints are weak and arthritis is slowly eating away at my system. It tries to brush aside the knowledge that I likely would have arthritis even if I were in the ideal portion of the BMI range, and scoffs quietly, stating that the reason I hurt is that I'm fat and lazy and have no will power.
I fight that dark little whisper more often than I should have to, more often than ANYONE should have to fight. When I think of it, I think of the scene in "The Ten Commandments" when the Angel of Death is coming to take the eldest child of every house except for the ones with the marks on the doors. That fog, twisting and squirming its way through the city, looking alive and sinister as it moves, and the sense of dread that accompanies it. That is what the dark little whisper in my mind is like. It slips through the tiniest crack, oozes over the crannies of my mind, finding weaknesses and using them to gain entry into my thoughts.
I know that this blog generally focuses on the positive. I like to urge others to join myself and those fighting to get our voices heard against the overwhelming static being sent out by The Weight Loss Industry and their paid researchers. So right now, today's entry may seem like a black spot of negativity in the midst of the bright positivity that I try to normally promote, but really...it isn't.
EVERYONE who is fighting the battle of learning to love their bodies goes through this. EVERYONE. It may take different forms, you may find yourself saying things differently than I do, or you may picture your dark little voice differently, but I can tell you that the voice is there for everyone. I hope that it can be vanquished forever, and that spot of darkness can be banished by the light eventually, but I will be honest and tell you that I think it will remain there for my whole life, no matter how hidden it remains.
It is my hope to be part of a change, a change that means future generations of people grow up without ever hearing a dark whisper like mine. I write these blog entries and speak up about H@ES and the mindset that goes with it so that children have a chance to live their lives without ever fighting the battle against their own head, so that they don't have to struggle for over forty years just to learn to love themselves. No one should hate themselves for that long, and the companies who encourage that self-hatred just so that they can make a profit should be ashamed of themselves.
So yes, my children, I have my weak moments. I have times when I wonder what life would have been like if I had been slender instead of fat. I cry now and then, because for every two steps that we take forward in learning to appreciate people for themselves, fully and completely, rather than trying to change them to fit some kind of mythical ideal, we take one step backwards by allowing The Weight Loss Industry to dictate our political policies, our health system, and our minds. I live with the dichotomy of learning to love myself while remembering how much I have hated myself. I live with the hope that I will see the first generation to grow up without that self-hatred, and I live with the fear that it will never happen in my lifetime.
Even the surefooted stumble once in a while, and this is how I stumble. All that I can do when I take that fall, though, is to get back up and brush myself off then keep moving forward. It would be easier to just stay there, to give up and give in, to just say, "You're right. I'm fat because I'm weak-willed and worthless. Do with me as you will. Starve me, shame me, browbeat me. I give up." but I can't. I just can't. I am NOT weak-willed, I am NOT worthless. I will climb to my feet, rise onto my aching, arthritic legs and take the next step forward. I do it for myself, because I'm worth it, and I do it for those to come, because they are worth it too.
Even if you stumble, get up again. Continue to fight against anyone or anything who tries to tell you that you aren't worth it. Even if that person is yourself. You are worth it. We are all worth it.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Spreading the message, one confused teenager at a time
For the past ten years I have worked at a haunted theme park every October. I love doing it, though it is physically one of the most demanding jobs I've ever had. It can also be emotionally demanding as one of the goals of a haunted house is to create a world where the actors inside the house are no longer people to the patrons. The goal is to have the patrons lose that natural connection of human to human, and to consider the actors to really be zombies, cannibals, werewolves or whatever. Unfortunately, that can be a double-edged sword. When the patrons lose that connection, they believe for that short time that the creatures chasing them ARE real and they get the adrenaline rush of danger and the accompanying release. However, they also tend to treat the people working at the haunted house poorly at times, saying things and doing things they would never do to another "real person".
I learned that lesson during my first season, when people would regularly make comments about how fat I was. The Manager of my house was also a good friend, and the night that he found me outside my exit door, sitting on a railroad tie, curled into a ball and sobbing in the midst of a light rain, he just held me and told me what jerks people are and how great I was and that everything would be all right. I will always hold him dearly in my heart for that.
Over time I found that the best way to combat the unusually aggressive tendencies that patrons have at the haunt was to beat them to the punch. I was moved out to a greeter position, where I wasn't scaring people but rather giving them the rules of the house and a feel for what was waiting for them inside. I created a clown character named Miss Chiff, The Fat Lady. By introducing myself that way, I cut the people who wanted to insult me with fat comments off at the knees. It still hurt a bit, though, but it was better to take away their weapon than to let them use it.
Now, nine years later, I am a House Manager. I am the one to comfort, scold, encourage, and otherwise mother my actors. I still deal with the public as I have to keep a close eye on the line in front of my House to try and keep it from becoming a seething ball of hate as people wait for an hour to get inside. To do this, I have to move around within the line. This means asking people to move aside. I generally do this by loudly repeating, "Excuse me folks! Short, fat lady with a radio coming through!"
I am short. I am fat. These two words carry the same level of (pardon the pun) weight with me now. They are descriptives and nothing more. I amuse myself by saying it this way, AND I give people notice that they're going to have to give me a bit more room to get by than if someone skinnier were asking to get through. I now believe that while it serves the secondary purpose of disarming those who would try to use my size as a weapon, putting it this way mainly serves the purpose of creating an opportunity to spread the message one confused teenager at a time.
And currently someone somewhere is asking, "Um....Lys? What do you mean by that?"
Quite simply, I can let them know by example that words only have power when we give them that power over us. Inevitably some kind-hearted soul will blurt out, "But you're not fat." because they think I'm putting myself down. This lets me stop and say, "But I AM fat, and that's okay. It's just a word, and it describes my physical shape. It doesn't describe anything else about me. I'm fat, and I'm smart, beautiful, confident, and worthwhile. Being fat doesn't take any of those other things away from me."
Sometimes they try to still console me, but after a few repetitions they either get it or they don't. Some will just look confused, because this is a concept that they have heard denied for so long by The Weight Loss Industry and mass media, that it is just too much to wrap their heads around. I hope that the confused ones think about it and eventually get it.
Every once in a while, though, I see a gleam come from someone's eye. They get it. Sometimes it is a fat person who is nearby, who has never heard those sentiments expressed before, and who has never realized that they can BE fat, smart, beautiful, confident and worthwhile all at the same time. Sometimes it is a teenager who may not be fat, but maybe has something else that they feel ashamed about, and I can see the startlement in their eyes, the wonder that someone whom society says should be ashamed is standing up and taking ownership of the very thing society dislikes, then throwing that dislike aside and accepting themselves for who and what they are.
It may not be a huge thing that I'm doing, it may only be one pebble thrown into the pond of fat hate, body shaming, and bullying, but every pebble creates ripples. I hope that my ripples spread far and wide, and help someone somewhere the next time that someone tries to use words as a weapon against them.
So world, look out! There's a short, fat lady with a radio coming through!
I learned that lesson during my first season, when people would regularly make comments about how fat I was. The Manager of my house was also a good friend, and the night that he found me outside my exit door, sitting on a railroad tie, curled into a ball and sobbing in the midst of a light rain, he just held me and told me what jerks people are and how great I was and that everything would be all right. I will always hold him dearly in my heart for that.
Over time I found that the best way to combat the unusually aggressive tendencies that patrons have at the haunt was to beat them to the punch. I was moved out to a greeter position, where I wasn't scaring people but rather giving them the rules of the house and a feel for what was waiting for them inside. I created a clown character named Miss Chiff, The Fat Lady. By introducing myself that way, I cut the people who wanted to insult me with fat comments off at the knees. It still hurt a bit, though, but it was better to take away their weapon than to let them use it.
Now, nine years later, I am a House Manager. I am the one to comfort, scold, encourage, and otherwise mother my actors. I still deal with the public as I have to keep a close eye on the line in front of my House to try and keep it from becoming a seething ball of hate as people wait for an hour to get inside. To do this, I have to move around within the line. This means asking people to move aside. I generally do this by loudly repeating, "Excuse me folks! Short, fat lady with a radio coming through!"
I am short. I am fat. These two words carry the same level of (pardon the pun) weight with me now. They are descriptives and nothing more. I amuse myself by saying it this way, AND I give people notice that they're going to have to give me a bit more room to get by than if someone skinnier were asking to get through. I now believe that while it serves the secondary purpose of disarming those who would try to use my size as a weapon, putting it this way mainly serves the purpose of creating an opportunity to spread the message one confused teenager at a time.
And currently someone somewhere is asking, "Um....Lys? What do you mean by that?"
Quite simply, I can let them know by example that words only have power when we give them that power over us. Inevitably some kind-hearted soul will blurt out, "But you're not fat." because they think I'm putting myself down. This lets me stop and say, "But I AM fat, and that's okay. It's just a word, and it describes my physical shape. It doesn't describe anything else about me. I'm fat, and I'm smart, beautiful, confident, and worthwhile. Being fat doesn't take any of those other things away from me."
Sometimes they try to still console me, but after a few repetitions they either get it or they don't. Some will just look confused, because this is a concept that they have heard denied for so long by The Weight Loss Industry and mass media, that it is just too much to wrap their heads around. I hope that the confused ones think about it and eventually get it.
Every once in a while, though, I see a gleam come from someone's eye. They get it. Sometimes it is a fat person who is nearby, who has never heard those sentiments expressed before, and who has never realized that they can BE fat, smart, beautiful, confident and worthwhile all at the same time. Sometimes it is a teenager who may not be fat, but maybe has something else that they feel ashamed about, and I can see the startlement in their eyes, the wonder that someone whom society says should be ashamed is standing up and taking ownership of the very thing society dislikes, then throwing that dislike aside and accepting themselves for who and what they are.
It may not be a huge thing that I'm doing, it may only be one pebble thrown into the pond of fat hate, body shaming, and bullying, but every pebble creates ripples. I hope that my ripples spread far and wide, and help someone somewhere the next time that someone tries to use words as a weapon against them.
So world, look out! There's a short, fat lady with a radio coming through!
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