Are you kidding me?
Joining Susie in my view as having totally lost the plot is Helen Elliott. Helen also believes that applauding larger than average models is not on and that she doesn’t think “we need so many obese people in television and film.” What the? Where are all these obese people you speak of Helen? Who? You poor thing. You sound so offended and upset by having to look at something that doesn’t fit your stereotypical viewpoint of beauty. Then again, should I be surprised when this is your supposed genius answer to childhood obesity -
My last stupid award of the week is reserved for 2DayFM’s Kyle Sandilands who really has taken the non-fat, non-dairy, non-sugar, non-nothing cake. Well loved Aussie comedienne Magda Szubanski has recently lost 25 kgs in an effort to adress her health concerns. For Kyle though – it’s not enough. To him, Magda is still gross and unacceptable and he feels the only place good enough for her is a concentration camp – “You put her in a concentration camp and you watch the weight fall, like she could be skinny.” The depth of hatred behind this is something that should make us all horrified.
Do the right thing 2DayFM.
SACK HIM.
Magda Szubanski
This hatred of people based on size has to stop. ’Fat bashing’ is starting to become a sport and when engaged in by people who have very loud and prominent voices, we have a serious problem on our hands. How is any of this meant to add dignity, acceptance, hope and value to people’s lives? It doesn’t & it won’t. People are being singled out for ridicule and shame based on their body shape and size. Regardless of how or why they may be that shape – it’s wrong on all accounts and no one who claims to be a kind citizen of humanity should stand for it.
I for one am not and I hope you won’t either.
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I wrote about this in my own blog: http://corpulent.wordpress.com/2009/09/09/we-are-still-here/
I had so much rage when I first read that article that I couldn't write about it for a day and a half. Susie O'Brien is offensive to the extreme.
God Kyle Sandilands is boring. I didn't watch him on Idol and I don't listen to him on the radio and yet I keep hearing about him. Ugh.
Re: childhood obesity – SMH.com.au published quite a balanced article about this on Sunday: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/wellbeing/the-fats-of-life-when-chubbys-no-longer-cute-20090905-fc5b.html (which I noticed had a lovely quote from Claire Vickery at the Butterfly Foundation).
So Australia is making some progress on our fat phobia. Ever so slowly.
Thanks for your comments & links Frances. Your own blog post on this issue is great & yes – that SMH article is a good one.
Let's hope voices like Claire's are soon more the norm.
As a first time blogger, I felt compelled to join the ranks in this instance to also express my absolute disgust & alarm at the ignorant & seemingly un-educated voice of Susie O’Brien in the article in question!
My jaw continued to drop in amazement with comments like ‘big women are the latest fashion craze’, ‘most women size 14 & over are unhealthy’, ‘most women on catwalks are freaks of nature’, ‘butts & guts’, ‘large tummy & flabby thighs’….oh my how the list goes on, & on & on & on!
There is both the attack on thin women & what is, in her opinion ‘larger women’ (14+) – leaving us with the VERY limited size bracket of a 10-12 body type (if we are lucky) that Susie deems ‘acceptable’ in her eyes! My, my… what a long way we have to go if this is the opinion of influential individuals in the media!
Let’s just say (for arguments sake) that what we were actually rejoicing with the introduction to ‘healthy’ plus sized models was diversity in the female form in the world of fashion…& this coming from a healthy size 8! Clearly this poignant message was lost on you Suzie, as was the beauty of one of the models in question – Laura Wells!
What a damn fine shame that is… although on second thoughts (& as far a unity in women hood goes), I would much rather you out of the circle Suzie!
I'm another one who it has taken a few days to work out how to vent my anger at the article! Hating people because they are fat is no different to hating them because of skin colour or belief. It is wrong.
Great article! Love this blog all around. Laura Wells is gorgeous! Finally a woman who owns her curves and looks healthy and beautiful…and the media has to smash her down because she isn't allowing herself to be controlled by the "skinny, skinny, skinny" mantra. I'm confused why so much of the media is threatened by her knockout hour-glass figure?
I agree with Fifikins, hating people for their appearance, from whichever category you choose, is wrong.
Thanks for this Julie!
Anytime someone spews ignorance and fat hatred, I tend to feel sorry for them. And I'm so glad I eventually reached this place, because there was a time when all the hatred would have made me feel like a valueless, unloveable freak.
But at the core of fat prejudice there often seems to be an assumption that all obese people are gluttons; that we all sit around in piles of junkfood 24/7, laughing with open mouths, little bits of moist cake falling down the fronts of our food-stained nighties.
And a sense of immorality has been placed on that presumed gluttony, and promoted by people who go on television and harp on how fat people should be hidden away, so as not to be a dangerous example to our children. Kept off of television and out of the movies, denied any sort of accolades for anything in life until they've caved in and dieted themselves skinny.
But we can't assume that every person who's fat overeats. And even if it were TRUE — even if every fat person were proven to be a binge and/or compulsive overeater, why is this viewed as a crime, rather than the coping mechanism that it usually is? And why is that coping mechanism so much more EVIL than smoking, promiscuity, "retail therapy", drinking, biting one's nails, or anything else people do to get through the day?
In an ideal world, everyone would be at ease all the time. We'd all be emotionally invincible and perpetually at peace. But that's not reality. And just because someone MIGHT be eating to soothe themselves, does that mean they don't deserve to engage in the full range of experiences available to humankind, INCLUDING love, sex, professional satisfaction, accolades, respect, even fame for something other than his or her fatness?
How dare anyone attempt to tell fat people that they're significantly MORE flawed than the rest of us. That's not just ignorant, but it's completely devoid of humility.
Yes I think she's totally missing the point of the recent interest in 'bigger' models.
Being obsessed with 'size 10' is not healthy. Loving yourself, and seeing others for who they are inside gives us the best chance of being happy, fulfilled people.
When you look at your friends, you don't care care whether they are skinny or curved – you think they're great just as they are. That's as it should be.
I know this is an old post but I just read it now and it's wonderful, thank you for posting this!
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