It reminds me of the idea that we shoudn't have sex education because it ENCOURAGES SEX (because this argument, like that one, is wrong and both arguments are made by judgey mcjudgersons)! #nightclubforfatpeople
This just in: sugar-free candy and pudding encourages diabetics to not suffer for their lazy pancreases / insulin resistant bastard cells. For shaaaaame! #nightclubforfatpeople
@mariamariamaria: Oh no! Someone realized my evil plan!!!
I'll never have a diet coke again!
...but I plan on finishing the one I'm drinking now..... #nightclubforfatpeople
Thank you for this article! It's sums up everything I feel.
I've long wished for a gym for fat people- a "beginner gym", as I've lovingly called this imaginary place in my mind- where I'd feel like I didn't stand out, where I felt like the people there and I had something in common.
And if I danced more, I would definitely love a nightclub for fat people. #nightclubforfatpeople
"but if we give them nice things, they won't have any motivation to lose weight!"
On the flip side, do the people really think us skinnies aren't gaining weight for fear we can't have nice things if we get fat? I try to exercise and I eat healthy when I can, but the reasons I am pretty skinny have to do with genetics, hormones, medications (hello, Adderall, that's a healthy way to stay skinny), and maybe because I played sports as a kid and a teen. Most of these factors are either beyond my control, or because I was lucky to have parents that encouraged athletics. My mother, on the other hand, is fat because she takes a powerful psychotropic drug that causes weight gain, and no amount of deprivation of nice things will make it easier for her to lose weight.
I don't want anyone to patronize me either, but it's odd that this attitude seems to come with the assumption that skinny people clearly must be doing something right-- even though a skinny person COULD get fat at any time.
But hey, even though I'm 25 and so far doing okay by their standards, I was just diagnosed with Hashimoto's! So if my thyroid actually becomes shot, and weight creeps on, I think I should consider myself lucky that people like Kate Harding paved the way to acceptance.
Also, I know the weight/health debate can get heated, but at least in this very specific case, according to my mother's doctor, the medication she is on is linked to diabetes, (which she has) due to the weight gain. While dancing and clothing are very nice things, so is your health, and for some people, whose weight gain is linked to a medical problem, I'd think that would be enough of a reason for them to lose weight-- if only it were so easy. #nightclubforfatpeople
I am continuously confused at this paradox. I'm not small. I'm really tall and have curves. I used to model (in the midwest it's ok to be a size 8 if you can carry it like you're a 4) and i wish i could still, but when school came back in session and i wanted to head for the gym (summer relaxing weight gain), all i could imagine was the horrific scene of the other girls i'd been down the local runways with, clad in leggings and a tank top, sweating their asses off and judging my giant behind. Keep in mind, University gym membership is FREE, but i feel ridiculous walking in, knowing everyone there is using my frame as motivation to up their elliptical speed, so i'm ashamed to go.
In order to get yourself in shape, you have to feel confident enough to walk into a gym.
To feel comfortable getting in shape, you have to be in shape. God damn it. #nightclubforfatpeople
@geisha1010: Our gym is ridiculously nice at my University, but I never go because it is always packed to the gills with these skinny, perfect bodied girls. I'm sure they don't give a fuck about me when they're working out, but damn it, they're not struggling as bad as I am! Why aren't they panting? How are they going that much faster than me? Um...my resistance is just up really high. It's at like 4. That's 2 squared, baby. #nightclubforfatpeople
The title of this piece sort of miffs me. 'letting' is the word that does it. As if larger people have to ask permission to go out and have fun.
Secondly, it makes me very angry to hear stories of bigger girls who go dancing and get made fun of and require a separate club to be reassured that they'll be treated like human beings. #nightclubforfatpeople
@lepas: I will shush then about the half dozen bars I don't go to anymore because a certain segment of the population thinks that fat girls are easy pickings. #nightclubforfatpeople
@CherriSpryte: I know what you mean. A very close friend of mine is always getting hit on by creepy guys who think she will sleep with them because she's heavier. Most of these men tend to have girlfriends. We laugh about it. #nightclubforfatpeople
@CharlotteT: Good on you both for being able to laugh about it. It just makes me angry as hell. Especially when these guys definition of "hitting on" looks incredibly similar to "sexual assault". #nightclubforfatpeople
@CherriSpryte: It makes me angry too. But, men don't expect to be laughed at. They expect anger or flirtation, so laughing in their faces is the last thing they expect. A teacher once told me that laughter is the best way to deal with sexual harassment, at least while it's happening. Try it, and see what happens. And of course, protect yourself too. #nightclubforfatpeople
I feel too fat in yoga class. It just feels like a thin person's activity, especially since my balance is a little wonky. Space is at a premium and the mirrors, they are everywhere. #nightclubforfatpeople
@swashbuckling: Have you ever seen Namaste Yoga on FitTV ? It's a 30 min show I do in my living room. I record a bunch and just have them there. LOVE it. :) #nightclubforfatpeople
@swashbuckling: I don't know if you live in NYC, but if you do, check out Megan Garcia's class. She's a plus size model and a great instructor. She also has a book and DVD, available at megayoga.com.
(And thinner peoples' balance can be wonky also. As a matter of fact, I lost weight after an accident, and the thinner I got, the wonkier my balance got, because I also lost muscle tone, and am in the process of building it back up.) #nightclubforfatpeople
I feel like I have been hearing an unusual amount of anit-fat propaganda lately, between "The Doctors" and the "Dr. Oz" show, it's everywhere lately. Is it because the holiday season is coming up? #nightclubforfatpeople
I even hate attending my own University's gym and pool because of situations like this. I'm overweight by about 20lbs, but many of the students that regularly go to the gym there are thin and fit in comparison.
I've nearly DROWNED in the pool because some rowdy boys didn't like a fat chick sharing the pool. They kept bumping me and knocking me off balance in the whirlpool section. The lifeguard on duty did nothing to stop them (hence why I believe students have no place watching other students).
Even if they "allow" overweight people, you still have to deal with the other patrons who may not be as willing to accept those who don't fit in a narrow definition of "Normal". You still get stared at. You may have someone deliberately knock you over. Staff is less likely to approach you, let alone help you. I thought half of this behaviour would stop after high school, it doesn't. It just gets worse.
@mashkitten: "The lifeguard on duty did nothing to stop them (hence why I believe students have no place watching other students)."
Did you file a formal complain in writing with the director? I would have. I would have raised holy hell, and framed the argument to whatever University employee that works for that department that it's his/her butt on the line if there's an accident because of bullying. #nightclubforfatpeople
I gotta tell ya, it's so true. I was always petrified of joining a gym, for fear of being judged and mocked because I'm heavier than others. finally I've found a place where I can go and not freak out about it, and I bought workout clothes that are almost flattering and help boost my confidence, and I am able to work with a trainer who is absolutely wonderful. And since I feel like I actually belong at this gym, I find myself *wanting* to go workout there. There is a hell of a lot to be said for finding a place where you are accepted regardless of your size and appearance. #nightclubforfatpeople
I want to go sooo bad. I love to dance, but I hate when I'm dancing and having a ball and suddenly realize that people are laughing at me. Sorry I'm not skinny and that I'm daring to move my disgusting body and have fun. You're right, I totally deserved to doubt myself and feel ugly for that. #nightclubforfatpeople
@Snowbunny: I was dancing at a friend's wedding and was happily smiling back at the faces around me that were laughing. It was only when I was watching her wedding video that I realized those people--some of them who were supposed to be my friends--were laughing at me. I wear a 14. I had just had a baby 3 months before that wedding. I guess I should have left my fat ass at home. #nightclubforfatpeople
@raphaela: No, your fat ass is fine, it's your "friends" who should have left their heartless, judgmental, narrow-minded, UGLY, insecure asses at home. #nightclubforfatpeople
LOL on the "don't let fat people go to the doctor" line. I remember reading somewhere that fat adults, especially women, are less likely to go to the doctor than "normal" weight individuals because of all the fat shaming. I used to work with a woman who hadn't been to a doctor in decades because they always just told her to lose weight and she got sick of it. Welcome to another realm where, if you can get insurance in the first place, good luck finding a doctor who won't just tell you you're fat and that's the cause of all your problems. #nightclubforfatpeople
@kerry: I visited a doctor in LA once at (a hospital with the initials KP) who told me, "You're an obese smoker who obviously doesn't care about herself". I swear those were his exact words, and I was (and still am) a size 12. I have quit smoking (no thanks to him) but I often shudder about what he said, and the disdain in his face as he said it. TRAUMA!!! #nightclubforfatpeople
@kerry: I have to admit that I've done this- avoided physicals and checkups because I don't want to be told to go on a diet.
And I always feel facepalmy when I think about it- I should go, broadly announce that I remember the advice, I know what I should be doing and I'm working on it, now check and see if there's anything wrong with me.
@cand86: What good does it do to go if you just get stuck with the kind of "doctor" quisquous up there had? There should be a website that reviews doctors based on things like fat acceptance and lifestyle acceptance. #nightclubforfatpeople
I live in SoCal and the level of fat phobia out here is crazy. Even people I otherwise like make the most appalling comments...and they really don't seem to know how judgmental and body snarky it is.
It's really difficult sometimes because people will say things around me, sometimes knowing, sometimes not, that I have an (in remission) ED and body dysmorphia. And I can't help but think...why do people need to do that? What good does it do? Does it make them feel better inside in some way, to say terrible things about other people's bodies? I don't get it.
I say, bring on the fat positive clubs. Dancing feels -good-. And people should be able to do it without shame or guilt. #nightclubforfatpeople
@tiredfairy: Ditto for the Bay Area. Granted that most people don't know my history with ED, and I appear to be of average weight, neither fat nor especially thin, so I think people just assume I have no particular body issues. So I get to hear all the body snarking and holy crap people are cruel.
The best one was when some dude, friend of a friend, deliberately remarked loud enough for me to hear that I would "be a knockout if she lost 20 or 30 pounds". I was a size 6. #nightclubforfatpeople
@CassandraSays: Ugh, that's awful! ::virtual hug:: The worst for me was a woman at my last job who would go on and on about how I could lose weight this way, or that way, without my ever mentioning I wanted to (like you, I'm average)...and then became convinced that I had lost a lot of weight (I had not, I simply wore more more clothes that fit) and would not...stop...mentioning it. It made me really self conscious and was just unpleasant. #nightclubforfatpeople
@tiredfairy: I struggle with how to shut down the unwanted dieting talk. What do you do when people start that? I feel really wierd about rudely shutting it down when it's coming from women who're heavier, as if they might percieve it as me being snotty about being thinner and implying I don't need to diet because I'm a special snowflake. I'm not quite sure how to communicate "I'm a fat acceptance ally, or at least I'd like to be".There's almost never a good way to comment on another woman's weight. The only time I'll do it nowadays is if someone has lost a lot of weight very fast and I'm concerned about their health, and even then I'm very careful about how I word things. I have no idea how to establish a general "please don't talk to me about weight, mine or anyone else's" rule in general with casual acquaintances. #nightclubforfatpeople
10/28/09
10/28/09
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10/28/09
I'll never have a diet coke again!
...but I plan on finishing the one I'm drinking now..... #nightclubforfatpeople
10/28/09
I've long wished for a gym for fat people- a "beginner gym", as I've lovingly called this imaginary place in my mind- where I'd feel like I didn't stand out, where I felt like the people there and I had something in common.
And if I danced more, I would definitely love a nightclub for fat people. #nightclubforfatpeople
10/28/09
On the flip side, do the people really think us skinnies aren't gaining weight for fear we can't have nice things if we get fat? I try to exercise and I eat healthy when I can, but the reasons I am pretty skinny have to do with genetics, hormones, medications (hello, Adderall, that's a healthy way to stay skinny), and maybe because I played sports as a kid and a teen. Most of these factors are either beyond my control, or because I was lucky to have parents that encouraged athletics. My mother, on the other hand, is fat because she takes a powerful psychotropic drug that causes weight gain, and no amount of deprivation of nice things will make it easier for her to lose weight.
I don't want anyone to patronize me either, but it's odd that this attitude seems to come with the assumption that skinny people clearly must be doing something right-- even though a skinny person COULD get fat at any time.
But hey, even though I'm 25 and so far doing okay by their standards, I was just diagnosed with Hashimoto's! So if my thyroid actually becomes shot, and weight creeps on, I think I should consider myself lucky that people like Kate Harding paved the way to acceptance.
Also, I know the weight/health debate can get heated, but at least in this very specific case, according to my mother's doctor, the medication she is on is linked to diabetes, (which she has) due to the weight gain. While dancing and clothing are very nice things, so is your health, and for some people, whose weight gain is linked to a medical problem, I'd think that would be enough of a reason for them to lose weight-- if only it were so easy. #nightclubforfatpeople
10/27/09
In order to get yourself in shape, you have to feel confident enough to walk into a gym.
To feel comfortable getting in shape, you have to be in shape. God damn it. #nightclubforfatpeople
10/28/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
Secondly, it makes me very angry to hear stories of bigger girls who go dancing and get made fun of and require a separate club to be reassured that they'll be treated like human beings. #nightclubforfatpeople
10/27/09
10/28/09
10/28/09
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10/28/09
(And thinner peoples' balance can be wonky also. As a matter of fact, I lost weight after an accident, and the thinner I got, the wonkier my balance got, because I also lost muscle tone, and am in the process of building it back up.) #nightclubforfatpeople
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
10/27/09
I've nearly DROWNED in the pool because some rowdy boys didn't like a fat chick sharing the pool. They kept bumping me and knocking me off balance in the whirlpool section. The lifeguard on duty did nothing to stop them (hence why I believe students have no place watching other students).
Even if they "allow" overweight people, you still have to deal with the other patrons who may not be as willing to accept those who don't fit in a narrow definition of "Normal". You still get stared at. You may have someone deliberately knock you over. Staff is less likely to approach you, let alone help you. I thought half of this behaviour would stop after high school, it doesn't. It just gets worse.
10/28/09
Did you file a formal complain in writing with the director? I would have. I would have raised holy hell, and framed the argument to whatever University employee that works for that department that it's his/her butt on the line if there's an accident because of bullying. #nightclubforfatpeople
10/27/09
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10/28/09
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10/28/09
And I always feel facepalmy when I think about it- I should go, broadly announce that I remember the advice, I know what I should be doing and I'm working on it, now check and see if there's anything wrong with me.
Summoning courage: next on my list after losin' some weight. #nightclubforfatpeople
10/28/09
10/27/09
It's really difficult sometimes because people will say things around me, sometimes knowing, sometimes not, that I have an (in remission) ED and body dysmorphia. And I can't help but think...why do people need to do that? What good does it do? Does it make them feel better inside in some way, to say terrible things about other people's bodies? I don't get it.
I say, bring on the fat positive clubs. Dancing feels -good-. And people should be able to do it without shame or guilt. #nightclubforfatpeople
10/28/09
The best one was when some dude, friend of a friend, deliberately remarked loud enough for me to hear that I would "be a knockout if she lost 20 or 30 pounds". I was a size 6. #nightclubforfatpeople
10/28/09
10/29/09