This video is all over Facebook and Twitter this morning, please take the time to watch:
This isn’t the first time that we’ve heard of Southwest Airlines blatantly discriminating against fat people. Remember director Kevin Smith’s run in with them back in February last year?
Nor are Southwest Airlines the only ones who behave this way towards fat customers… but they are without a doubt the most horrific an the airline I see repeatedly offending the most.
There are a few things I would like you to do:
Pop on over to AthiaC’s YouTube and leave her a message of support.
Share her video or this post.
Do not fly Southwest Airlines. At least until they change their policies and RADICALLY change the way they treat fat customers.
Urge everyone you know to boycott Southwest Airlines.
To every one of you who have felt the pain of someone’s hateful, hurtful words. To every one of you who have been bullied, humiliated, shamed and trolled. To every single one of you who have been told you are ugly, horrible, disgusting, gross, worthless, less than, or any other hurtful thing just because your body doesn’t match what someone thinks is acceptable, this song is for you.
While I’ve been tootling around online this afternoon I’ve had YouTube running in the background with various music that I was lucking into, and I got into a bit of an Aerosmith jag. I love Aerosmith (and have had an on-off crush on Steven Tyler for about 25 years) and while I was fiddling about on Tumblr, this song came up.
I flicked over to watch the music video, and was struck by just how diverse and positive the bodies presented in it are. There’s a bit of something for everyone in there, isn’t there? And while someone said to me a while back that they thought it was a bit of a “freak show” aspect, I have to disagree. Everyone is presented the same, on that white catwalk background (including the band) and just dancing to the music, regardless of age, gender, body shape/size, sexuality, race etc. I love that there are modified bodies and “original” bodies too.
It got me thinking – what other body positive/diverse music videos are out there? Have any of you got some you can suggest? I’d like to make a list.
Ok my lovelies, I have something REALLY special for you.
Margitte of Riots Not Diets over on Tumblr has made this amazing documentary called fat body (in)visible, which is the most amazing piece of fat activism.
Featuring Jessica of Tangled Up In Lace (blog here, tumblr here) and Keena of Buttahlove (tumblr here), the film documents their fat activism, fatshion, and stories of both visibility and invisibility as fat women.
Do not miss this film. I’m both deeply moved and absolutely delighted by the piece, and it’s a wonderful thing to see fat women putting their voice out there, as we’re always judged on our appearance and rarely given the opportunity to speak for ourselves.
So without further ado, here is fat body (in)visible:
I am currently reading Marilyn’s book, Fat! So? and loving every single page. What an amazing, inspirational woman. Marilyn is a prime example of living with fattitude if I ever found one.
I will blog more about the book when I’ve finished reading it, but until then, check out her website www.fatso.com There are photos of butts as the icons to each section of the website people!! BUTTS!!
A few days ago, the Awesome Frances from Corpulent shared this video on Twitter:
Have you picked your jaw up off the ground yet? I watched it several days ago and I’m still completely perplexed by it.
Okay, okay… she wants to be a nun/nurse who holds a bleeding man in her arms but has to be thin to do that? And be in front of a firing squad with a pencilled on moustache… but can’t unless she’s thin? And to be a lamb in a den of wolves… but as a fat woman she can’t?
And why has the fat woman got bad teeth?
W?
T?
F?
In case you’ve never heard of it, Xenical is a drug that prevents your body from absorbing fat. It has side effects like:
Oily spotting (uncontrolled anal oil seepage) — in up to 26.6 percent of people
Abdominal pain (stomach pain) or discomfort — up to 25.5 percent
Gas with a small amount of oil or stool — up to 23.9 percent
Fecal urgency (an urgent but controlled need to have a bowel movement) — up to 22.1 percent
Fatty or oily stool — up to 20 percent
Oily evacuation (bowel movements of just oil, without stool) — up to 11.9 percent
Increased frequency of bowel movements — up to 10.8 percent
Nausea — up to 8.1 percent
Uncontrolled, spontaneous bowel movements (known as fecal incontinence) — up to 7.7 percent.
Now I don’t know about you, but there is NO amount of weight loss that would be worth my suffering anal oil seepage. Let alone any of the other possible side effects. I did a Google search on Xenical and came across this page of patient reviews of the drug, and it simply terrifies me. Orange, foul smelling shit? One poster actually says “Don’t wear white!” Take some time to read a few, your jaw will drop even further than it has from watching the above advert.
I really have no words for the medical/pharmacy industry expecting people to actually subject themselves to these side effects in the name of weight loss. In several of the cases listed in the patient reviews, not only did they suffer terrible bloating, but there are others who have been diagnosed with blood clots, liver damage and colitis… but they didn’t lose a pound.
But back to that advertisement. What on earth is it supposed to be selling us? That you can live some kind of exotic avant garde life if only you get thin?
Here’s the thing, take the weird shit out of it. What does it mention?
Walking naked in the winter snow (though you’re unlikely to see summer snow). You can do that while you’re fat.
Know real love, and real fear. You can do that while you’re fat.
In the summer time, to play like a child. You can do that while you’re fat.
To make love to strangers. You can do that while you’re fat.
And guess what? You can even tie your own shoes while you’re fat. I do it every morning and I’m fatter than the woman in the end of the advert.
Even the slogan at the end “Lose weight. Gain life.” is a crock – what, you’re dead when you’re a fat person? Guess what? If you’re fat, and you’re not dead… you already have a life, you don’t need to gain another one. Unless perhaps you’re playing Mario Kart or something.
I get the distinct feeling that the makers of adverts like these think that fat people are stupid, that we’ll just buy that horrible product because of some weird arse advert that “inspires us to feel”… well what?
I know what I feel. I feel like I want to go scrub my brain from the sight of that advert and be glad that I don’t have orange, foul smelling, oily anal seepage.
Fat Heffalump 