Let's Talk About Body Stereotypes.

[jendaby]

No, really. If you haven't yet, check out this article about how a writer for Marie Claire thinks that fat people shouldn't be allowed to kiss on TV. There's a Facebook page organizing a kissing protest outside of Marie Claire's offices in NYC.

ETA: Maura Kelly, who wrote the Original Article in Marie Claire has apologized as a footnote to said

Comments

[walkinthenight]

No fat couples kissing on TV. No gay couples kissing on TV. No interracial couples kissing on TV. No old people kissing on TV, unless they're playing it up for a laugh! Someone might get the heebie-jeebies, and we wouldn't want that

[lampbane]

I think what disappoints me about all this is that people seemed to have forgotten about the show Roseanne, which was an overweight couple who loved each other a lot (and had SEX), and was weight an issue? Not really. Rarely ever.

I'd also like to point out that Modern Family pretty much kills most of those taboos you list: gay fat guy kissing his partner (though admittedly, they were skittish about showing it in the first season, but finally they're better about it), and an older white man kissing his Latina wife. Okay, we're a little mix-and-match here (no fat-on-fat or old-on-old), but dammit, it's still an awesome show.

[jendaby]

People in this country can't remember what life was like two years ago, much less ten. I remember Roseanne. I watched it a few times, but only because my parents were. I usually don't "get" American comedies or something.

But this goes right along with my feeling that people are less open-minded now than they used to be. It's getting to a fever-pitch.

[jendaby]

I don't know when this country became such an "OMG! Someone might do something I disagree with!!!" place, but it seems to be getting worse all the time. :p

I often feel like I'm swimming upstream when i am working with PTA stuff, but we have started getting more and more open-minded and diverse parents volunteering this year. I'm hoping that this will help change the overall atmosphere at the school, and the neighborhood. :)

Thanks!

I never ended up hearing a follow-up about the protest, but I bet they had a pretty good turnout.

[gryphonrose]

All good statements. I agree. :)

[jendaby]

Thank you. I like it when you agree with me. You're awesome! :)

[idwoman]

Wow. Just wow to the medical morons. Thirty pounds in thirty days shows an obvious medical issue. You would have to be eating JARS of mayo. Run screaming from those idiots and find competant medical help.

[jendaby]

I've just been informed that my insurance has decided to start covering preventative care (which they had previously axed without warning after tripling our co-pay). I intend to find a new primary doctor asap...though this isn't the first place where they've seen my weight and turned off their ears. I find that doctors who have been trained in other countries are more willing to listen, so the search is on. :)

[heliograph]

Sad to say, the easiest way to get your blog noticed nowadays is to say something crazy and hope it generates traffic. If you take even a quick glance over her other columns, she's been trying really hard to generate a controversy, but has generally been ignored... she's maxed out at 60-ish comments (her post on dogging, which I'm sure she thought would be a success, got no comments). Her no-fatties post got over 1500 comments. Success

[jendaby]

I admit to often pretending I don't know medical terms and the chemical names for medications. They get very suspicious of ANYTHING. It doesn't matter that my father teaches med school and I have picked up terminology over the years, the fact that I know any terminology is apparently grounds for dismissal. Blarg.

And, hey! I'm in my mid-thirties and working on a novel, and I am awesome! Hee! ;)

[xochitl42]

What bothers me the most is the implication that Kelly's editor instigated the article. Either the editor is a cutthroat who knew Kelly would respond in that way, and knew it would draw enormous negative attention, or the editors at MC see no problem with expressing opinions of that nature, and in that fashion.

Even if Kelly is fired, it won't change the underlying editorial attitudes of that magazine. There's a reason I don't go near that thing, or any other of those types of magazines.

This comes at a time, though, that's particularly hard for me. That "I'm a football" tweet I made last week revolves around body image, which for me has always been abysmal. Among other things, I've discovered that my husband finds me unappealing.

That's just piles of awesome

[jendaby]

***HUGS*** Drop me an email when you get a chance - I would like to discuss some of your reply privately.

I think you got the good test because you aren't here in the states. I'm hoping that our insurance will start covering tests again. It's ridiculous that they wouldn't before. That's American healthcare for you! Hopefully, your nice Australian doctors will be able to help get your thyroid levels right.

And remember, your husband Looks like Penfold.