Hello my self-loathing thinspo friends
I know many of you like to pretend
That your pictures of protruding bones
Don't advocate anorexia, or bulimia, or EDNOS
But ah! here's the truth, the harsh reality
Your thinspo is a thinly veiled lie, a formality.
Thinspiration is inspiration for what?
To be thin at all costs, to be dying no matter what.
How is that not encouraging disease?
Encouraging boys and girls to long for those 000 jeans?
How could you live with yourself knowing,
that the damage you cause is ever growing?
Thinspo blogs, you evil thigh gap feeders
Condemn you for homocide, better yet murder!
As your audience dwindles don't ask yourself why
Some of your followers get better, others die.
So my dear thinspo blogs, I bid you goodbye.
I'll waste not energy on your unintentional cries.
But if you ever get sick of being so broken
I'll be right here, with arms wide open.
Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rant. Show all posts
7/27/14
7/17/14
Why I Hate "My 600 Pound Life"
Hello my sweet fudgies,
Let me just talk about something that seriously bothers me.
Last week, I was visiting some American colleges and browsing through TV stations we don't get here in Canada, such as TLC. Now this is not an attack on TLC as a whole, because let me tell you, I live for "Say Yes To The Dress"(crying brides and pretty dresses? sign me up) But I stumbled upon a rerun of "My 600 pound life".
Don't know what that is? Trust me hon, you're not missing out.
It's basically a documentary, if you dare lower this label to such an trashy degree, that follows the struggles and the subsequent weight loss of a 600 pound-ish human.
Again, nothing wrong with TLC, although it is called the "Learning Channel". I don't know what I'm learning by watching Honey Boo Boo dive in some mud, but that's neither here nor there.
Many other networks produce shows like this all over the globe.
It's a freaking epidemic.
And it infuriates me. Why?
Here are 5 reasons these shows should be burned at the TV stake:
1. It portrays the obese population as less than human, as animals:
Watch as Human A eats an entire box of chocolates in its regular sofa habitat. How gross.
Wow! She ate that all in 15 minutes! That's insane, but that's how they do it in their house.
...
Doesn't that sound a bit like an episode of Animal Kingdom?
The way they observe and dissect and judge their behaviours, like we would tigers and whales, changing their status from a simply overweight person to an entirely different creature.
Would they make a TV show about a human who eats a lot?
No, that's not good television. It's too moral, it's too boring?
But making a TV show about a gross fascinating creature? Now that's showbiz.
2. It's purpose is to make others feel better about themselves
Now I must admit, I was once guilty of this action.
I would watch Teen Mom when my life wasn't so great and think to myself: "well at least I'm not pregnant".
But the problem here is that this is the same destructive concept as bullying:
to boost yourself up, you tear others down
So when viewers see these overweight people on TV, they cannot help but enjoy the feeling of superiority. "Well at least I'm not 600 pounds", they think. No wonder these shows are uber popular; it's an instant pick-me-up!
But here's the catch: not being pregnant or not being obese doesn't make you better.
It gives you a false sense of entitlement. Unfortunately, most carry that feeling into the real world, judging and shaming others who are different to feel that same rush of superiority.
Welcome to how regular folks become a-holes, my loves.
3. It puts the emphasis of their existence solely on their weight
The title really says it all: my 600 pound life.
Their life is reduced to their weight.
That is all they are, all they ever have been, all they ever will be.
Only towards the end when they lose the weight can you see a diversity of life scenarios, a complex and intricate life, like "regular people" live.
How. Rude.
Being overweight is not all a person can be.
They have jobs, families, friends, hobbies.
They are human before they are fat, you know, TLC.
or WORLD, really, because few seem to understand.
-----------------------------
These shows can have dangerous consequences on the human psyche, ones that can control the way you see others different than you for the rest of your life.
Sure, these shows can be good entertainement, but at what body negative cost?
xoxo
Gabby
Let me just talk about something that seriously bothers me.
Last week, I was visiting some American colleges and browsing through TV stations we don't get here in Canada, such as TLC. Now this is not an attack on TLC as a whole, because let me tell you, I live for "Say Yes To The Dress"(crying brides and pretty dresses? sign me up) But I stumbled upon a rerun of "My 600 pound life".
Don't know what that is? Trust me hon, you're not missing out.
It's basically a documentary, if you dare lower this label to such an trashy degree, that follows the struggles and the subsequent weight loss of a 600 pound-ish human.
Again, nothing wrong with TLC, although it is called the "Learning Channel". I don't know what I'm learning by watching Honey Boo Boo dive in some mud, but that's neither here nor there.
Many other networks produce shows like this all over the globe.
It's a freaking epidemic.
And it infuriates me. Why?
Here are 5 reasons these shows should be burned at the TV stake:
1. It portrays the obese population as less than human, as animals:
Watch as Human A eats an entire box of chocolates in its regular sofa habitat. How gross.
Wow! She ate that all in 15 minutes! That's insane, but that's how they do it in their house.
...
Doesn't that sound a bit like an episode of Animal Kingdom?
The way they observe and dissect and judge their behaviours, like we would tigers and whales, changing their status from a simply overweight person to an entirely different creature.
Would they make a TV show about a human who eats a lot?
No, that's not good television. It's too moral, it's too boring?
But making a TV show about a gross fascinating creature? Now that's showbiz.
2. It's purpose is to make others feel better about themselves
Now I must admit, I was once guilty of this action.
I would watch Teen Mom when my life wasn't so great and think to myself: "well at least I'm not pregnant".
But the problem here is that this is the same destructive concept as bullying:
to boost yourself up, you tear others down
So when viewers see these overweight people on TV, they cannot help but enjoy the feeling of superiority. "Well at least I'm not 600 pounds", they think. No wonder these shows are uber popular; it's an instant pick-me-up!
But here's the catch: not being pregnant or not being obese doesn't make you better.
It gives you a false sense of entitlement. Unfortunately, most carry that feeling into the real world, judging and shaming others who are different to feel that same rush of superiority.
Welcome to how regular folks become a-holes, my loves.
3. It puts the emphasis of their existence solely on their weight
The title really says it all: my 600 pound life.
Their life is reduced to their weight.
That is all they are, all they ever have been, all they ever will be.
Only towards the end when they lose the weight can you see a diversity of life scenarios, a complex and intricate life, like "regular people" live.
How. Rude.
Being overweight is not all a person can be.
They have jobs, families, friends, hobbies.
They are human before they are fat, you know, TLC.
or WORLD, really, because few seem to understand.
-----------------------------
These shows can have dangerous consequences on the human psyche, ones that can control the way you see others different than you for the rest of your life.
Sure, these shows can be good entertainement, but at what body negative cost?
xoxo
Gabby
8/15/13
Fat Discrimination? Lululemon and A&F controversy explored
Hello my beautiful fudgies:)
When Abercrombie & Fitch's CEO stated, "A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely" ( http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/fashion/abercrombie-won-sell-xl-article-1.1339454#ixzz2c3ZZNU9f) I wasn't exactly shocked. This is blatant fat shaming and discrimination, but let's look at who we are dealing with here. A&F's women sizes only go up to a size 10, or a large, and they are notorious for plastering very thin, very pretty and very caucasian models on their store's walls, bags and billboards.
Besides, A&F has been struggling for a few years, now more than ever, with a 13% fall in retails sales after their 1st 2013 quarter.
But when famous athletics retail company Lululemon released a statement explaining why they don't plan on expanding their market to those who don't fit into sizes 2 to 12, I started to get worried.
Is this the new trend? Is a fat shaming brand clique being formed as we speak, slowly but surely cutting out their "largest" sizes? And what will be the new plus size in a few years, a size 6??!
The average women in America is a size 14, hence the average american woman is not welcome into any of the aforementioned stores. Now I know that the appearance of exclusivity is crucial to these respective brands, but by cutting out the biggest piece of the demographic pie, aren't they also cutting out the biggest piece of potential buyers?
I also find it very revealing that Lululemon, an ATHLETICS wear company, refuses to dress those who don't fit into their mold. The media, the doctors, even the random guy at the bar who tells you to eat a salad; they all claim to shame your body for your HEALTH. But isn't it funny that one of the key holders to the kingdom of workout wear, along with so many hidden others, doesn't allow the plus size population to buy their outlandishly expensive yoga leggings? What does that say about all these pretenders who supposedly worry about your health?
A young women who wears a size 16 wants to start hiking, but no retailer manufactures the appropriate clothing for her body type. Yet somehow society isn't at least partly responsible for its population's weight and health?
Here's the deal: for many of these retailers, to be fit, you have to be thin.
To the rest of you; tough luck.
I applaud retailers such as Forever 21 and ASOS who carry sizes for all shapes and sizes, but will they have to fight body discrimination on their own, or will other body positive retailers join them? Only time will tell.
Until then,
Have a great Friday my dolls:)
xoxo
Gabby
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