119: Fat Lady Rant

Filed under: Podcasts — marina November 15, 2007 @ 8:33 am

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Comments from Katy

A rant - A fat lady rant

I need to be beautiful because I’m beautiful, not because I’m better than some other bitch.

How this logic applies to American politics

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Yeah, I’ve heard way more about fat people getting shit for being fat than I personally have gotten shit for smoking. And even then, if someone professes concern for my health because I smoke, it’s because I’m “too pretty to smoke” and why do I want to “ruin my looks?” It’s still framed in the idea that looks are the most fucking important thing! Nobody cares about my damn lungs, man. And usually it’s people trying to flirt with me rather than people trying make themselves feel better by putting me down (though there’s definately still that creepy paternalistic thing, and also the thing where my health and my looks aren’t any of their damn business).

Margaret Cho said the same thing: “If you care about what I look like when you fuck me, then you shouldn’t be fucking me in the first place!”

The thing is, putting down skinny women and idealizing curvy women still buys into a) the idea that there is one beauty ideal that everyone should live up to, and b) the idea that beauty is important at all, and c) the idea that women need to compete with each other physically. I understand striking out against the prominent beauty ideal, but it’s still just perpetuating the same system of competitive beauty, rather than getting rid of the system, or recognizing that beauty comes in a lot of different forms. (Obviously you already know this, I’m just adding to the stuff you said.)

I’m really tired too, thus my kind of rambly comments. Oh! Also I called the lard line and left a rambly complaining message (I’m tired and sore and cranky and hormonal, it’s awesome!) and it cuts off kind of abrubtly because I got another call. Ha, sorry. But I called! Now you can’t say I haven’t.

Comment by Katy — November 15, 2007 @ 11:49 pm
OK, this one hit home like Robin’s roow. And don’t ask me where that analogy came from. But every word you said on health and weight–I TESTIFY! Yes LARD LORD! I am constantly having it drilled in my head that I will get diabetes and have a heart attack and I will be crippled or just strangle to death in my rolls of fat. OR WORSE I will never find a MAN! And be alone forever because I am hideous! And everytime I say you can be healthy AND overweight everyone looks at me like I am in suuuch denial. Fuck them!

Comment by MAtthew — November 16, 2007 @ 9:24 am