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love-your-body: redlotusrise: My final project for Women and Gender Studies - Liberation Act.  I made these posters as a way to challenge socially constructed ideals of body image and fat shame. As a “plus size” person, I have encountered fat shame through out the entirety of my life and have struggled with insecurities stemming from socially constructed yet self-perceived inadequacies regarding my body image. I am tired of feeling ashamed, assumed as being lazy, and glanced at with disgust - all because of my weight. I am not inadequate because of my weight. I am not broken, or mutated, or wrong - society is.  ALL OF THE ABOVE!
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love-your-body: redlotusrise: My final project for Women and Gender Studies - Liberation Act.  I made these posters as a way to challenge socially constructed ideals of body image and fat shame. As a “plus size” person, I have encountered fat shame through out the entirety of my life and have struggled with insecurities stemming from socially constructed yet self-perceived inadequacies regarding my body image. I am tired of feeling ashamed, assumed as being lazy, and glanced at with disgust - all because of my weight. I am not inadequate because of my weight. I am not broken, or mutated, or wrong - society is.  ALL OF THE ABOVE!
Zoom
love-your-body: redlotusrise: My final project for Women and Gender Studies - Liberation Act.  I made these posters as a way to challenge socially constructed ideals of body image and fat shame. As a “plus size” person, I have encountered fat shame through out the entirety of my life and have struggled with insecurities stemming from socially constructed yet self-perceived inadequacies regarding my body image. I am tired of feeling ashamed, assumed as being lazy, and glanced at with disgust - all because of my weight. I am not inadequate because of my weight. I am not broken, or mutated, or wrong - society is.  ALL OF THE ABOVE!
Zoom

love-your-body:

redlotusrise:

My final project for Women and Gender Studies - Liberation Act. 

I made these posters as a way to challenge socially constructed ideals of body image and fat shame. As a “plus size” person, I have encountered fat shame through out the entirety of my life and have struggled with insecurities stemming from socially constructed yet self-perceived inadequacies regarding my body image. I am tired of feeling ashamed, assumed as being lazy, and glanced at with disgust - all because of my weight.

I am not inadequate because of my weight. I am not broken, or mutated, or wrong - society is. 

ALL OF THE ABOVE!

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love-your-body: randomlancila: twisteddoll: Hm. What about people who just don’t find fat/obese people aesthetically appealing? They get called Fat-shamers and such…and I doubt it has nothing to do with ‘confronting’ their fears. Just like the chubby chasers who blast on the skinny girls and say they’re not real women ._.;;; You’re making HUGE sweeping generalizations. You don’t have to find fat people attractive. This video didn’t even talk about that. But not finding fat people attractive doesn’t mean you have a right to tell them they’re not healthy/they’re gross/no one will ever love them/about a diet plan/’just eat less and exercise more!’/they’re lazy/they’re stupid. Just because YOU have a certain preference doesn’t mean that other body types are wrong or bad. It’s really not a hard concept. It’s quite similar to not telling a thin person ‘omg eat a sandwich!’/’only dogs like bones’/’gross, i could break her’/’but don’t you eat?’ Except thin people aren’t systematically oppressed the way fat people are. People who shame any body type are wrong, but to fat-shame is acceptable and considered ‘helpful’ in our society.
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love-your-body: randomlancila: twisteddoll: Hm. What about people who just don’t find fat/obese people aesthetically appealing? They get called Fat-shamers and such…and I doubt it has nothing to do with ‘confronting’ their fears. Just like the chubby chasers who blast on the skinny girls and say they’re not real women ._.;;; You’re making HUGE sweeping generalizations. You don’t have to find fat people attractive. This video didn’t even talk about that. But not finding fat people attractive doesn’t mean you have a right to tell them they’re not healthy/they’re gross/no one will ever love them/about a diet plan/’just eat less and exercise more!’/they’re lazy/they’re stupid. Just because YOU have a certain preference doesn’t mean that other body types are wrong or bad. It’s really not a hard concept. It’s quite similar to not telling a thin person ‘omg eat a sandwich!’/’only dogs like bones’/’gross, i could break her’/’but don’t you eat?’ Except thin people aren’t systematically oppressed the way fat people are. People who shame any body type are wrong, but to fat-shame is acceptable and considered ‘helpful’ in our society.
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love-your-body: randomlancila: twisteddoll: Hm. What about people who just don’t find fat/obese people aesthetically appealing? They get called Fat-shamers and such…and I doubt it has nothing to do with ‘confronting’ their fears. Just like the chubby chasers who blast on the skinny girls and say they’re not real women ._.;;; You’re making HUGE sweeping generalizations. You don’t have to find fat people attractive. This video didn’t even talk about that. But not finding fat people attractive doesn’t mean you have a right to tell them they’re not healthy/they’re gross/no one will ever love them/about a diet plan/’just eat less and exercise more!’/they’re lazy/they’re stupid. Just because YOU have a certain preference doesn’t mean that other body types are wrong or bad. It’s really not a hard concept. It’s quite similar to not telling a thin person ‘omg eat a sandwich!’/’only dogs like bones’/’gross, i could break her’/’but don’t you eat?’ Except thin people aren’t systematically oppressed the way fat people are. People who shame any body type are wrong, but to fat-shame is acceptable and considered ‘helpful’ in our society.
Zoom
love-your-body: randomlancila: twisteddoll: Hm. What about people who just don’t find fat/obese people aesthetically appealing? They get called Fat-shamers and such…and I doubt it has nothing to do with ‘confronting’ their fears. Just like the chubby chasers who blast on the skinny girls and say they’re not real women ._.;;; You’re making HUGE sweeping generalizations. You don’t have to find fat people attractive. This video didn’t even talk about that. But not finding fat people attractive doesn’t mean you have a right to tell them they’re not healthy/they’re gross/no one will ever love them/about a diet plan/’just eat less and exercise more!’/they’re lazy/they’re stupid. Just because YOU have a certain preference doesn’t mean that other body types are wrong or bad. It’s really not a hard concept. It’s quite similar to not telling a thin person ‘omg eat a sandwich!’/’only dogs like bones’/’gross, i could break her’/’but don’t you eat?’ Except thin people aren’t systematically oppressed the way fat people are. People who shame any body type are wrong, but to fat-shame is acceptable and considered ‘helpful’ in our society.
Zoom
love-your-body: randomlancila: twisteddoll: Hm. What about people who just don’t find fat/obese people aesthetically appealing? They get called Fat-shamers and such…and I doubt it has nothing to do with ‘confronting’ their fears. Just like the chubby chasers who blast on the skinny girls and say they’re not real women ._.;;; You’re making HUGE sweeping generalizations. You don’t have to find fat people attractive. This video didn’t even talk about that. But not finding fat people attractive doesn’t mean you have a right to tell them they’re not healthy/they’re gross/no one will ever love them/about a diet plan/’just eat less and exercise more!’/they’re lazy/they’re stupid. Just because YOU have a certain preference doesn’t mean that other body types are wrong or bad. It’s really not a hard concept. It’s quite similar to not telling a thin person ‘omg eat a sandwich!’/’only dogs like bones’/’gross, i could break her’/’but don’t you eat?’ Except thin people aren’t systematically oppressed the way fat people are. People who shame any body type are wrong, but to fat-shame is acceptable and considered ‘helpful’ in our society.
Zoom
love-your-body: randomlancila: twisteddoll: Hm. What about people who just don’t find fat/obese people aesthetically appealing? They get called Fat-shamers and such…and I doubt it has nothing to do with ‘confronting’ their fears. Just like the chubby chasers who blast on the skinny girls and say they’re not real women ._.;;; You’re making HUGE sweeping generalizations. You don’t have to find fat people attractive. This video didn’t even talk about that. But not finding fat people attractive doesn’t mean you have a right to tell them they’re not healthy/they’re gross/no one will ever love them/about a diet plan/’just eat less and exercise more!’/they’re lazy/they’re stupid. Just because YOU have a certain preference doesn’t mean that other body types are wrong or bad. It’s really not a hard concept. It’s quite similar to not telling a thin person ‘omg eat a sandwich!’/’only dogs like bones’/’gross, i could break her’/’but don’t you eat?’ Except thin people aren’t systematically oppressed the way fat people are. People who shame any body type are wrong, but to fat-shame is acceptable and considered ‘helpful’ in our society.
Zoom
love-your-body: randomlancila: twisteddoll: Hm. What about people who just don’t find fat/obese people aesthetically appealing? They get called Fat-shamers and such…and I doubt it has nothing to do with ‘confronting’ their fears. Just like the chubby chasers who blast on the skinny girls and say they’re not real women ._.;;; You’re making HUGE sweeping generalizations. You don’t have to find fat people attractive. This video didn’t even talk about that. But not finding fat people attractive doesn’t mean you have a right to tell them they’re not healthy/they’re gross/no one will ever love them/about a diet plan/’just eat less and exercise more!’/they’re lazy/they’re stupid. Just because YOU have a certain preference doesn’t mean that other body types are wrong or bad. It’s really not a hard concept. It’s quite similar to not telling a thin person ‘omg eat a sandwich!’/’only dogs like bones’/’gross, i could break her’/’but don’t you eat?’ Except thin people aren’t systematically oppressed the way fat people are. People who shame any body type are wrong, but to fat-shame is acceptable and considered ‘helpful’ in our society.
Zoom
love-your-body: randomlancila: twisteddoll: Hm. What about people who just don’t find fat/obese people aesthetically appealing? They get called Fat-shamers and such…and I doubt it has nothing to do with ‘confronting’ their fears. Just like the chubby chasers who blast on the skinny girls and say they’re not real women ._.;;; You’re making HUGE sweeping generalizations. You don’t have to find fat people attractive. This video didn’t even talk about that. But not finding fat people attractive doesn’t mean you have a right to tell them they’re not healthy/they’re gross/no one will ever love them/about a diet plan/’just eat less and exercise more!’/they’re lazy/they’re stupid. Just because YOU have a certain preference doesn’t mean that other body types are wrong or bad. It’s really not a hard concept. It’s quite similar to not telling a thin person ‘omg eat a sandwich!’/’only dogs like bones’/’gross, i could break her’/’but don’t you eat?’ Except thin people aren’t systematically oppressed the way fat people are. People who shame any body type are wrong, but to fat-shame is acceptable and considered ‘helpful’ in our society.
Zoom

love-your-body:

randomlancila:

twisteddoll:

Hm. What about people who just don’t find fat/obese people aesthetically appealing? They get called Fat-shamers and such…and I doubt it has nothing to do with ‘confronting’ their fears.

Just like the chubby chasers who blast on the skinny girls and say they’re not real women ._.;;;

You’re making HUGE sweeping generalizations.

You don’t have to find fat people attractive. This video didn’t even talk about that. But not finding fat people attractive doesn’t mean you have a right to tell them they’re not healthy/they’re gross/no one will ever love them/about a diet plan/’just eat less and exercise more!’/they’re lazy/they’re stupid. Just because YOU have a certain preference doesn’t mean that other body types are wrong or bad.

It’s really not a hard concept.

It’s quite similar to not telling a thin person ‘omg eat a sandwich!’/’only dogs like bones’/’gross, i could break her’/’but don’t you eat?’

Except thin people aren’t systematically oppressed the way fat people are.

People who shame any body type are wrong, but to fat-shame is acceptable and considered ‘helpful’ in our society.

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(Source: sansastone)

stophatingyourbody: Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou Pretty women wonder where my secret lies I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size But when I start to tell them They think I’m telling lies I say It’s in the reach of my arms The span of my hips The stride of my steps The curl of my lips I’m a woman Phenomenally Phenomenal woman That’s me I walk into a room Just as cool as you please And to a man The fellows stand or Fall down on their knees Then they swarm around me A hive of honey bees I say It’s the fire in my eyes And the flash of my teeth The swing of my waist And the joy in my feet I’m a woman Phenomenally Phenomenal woman That’s me Men themselves have wondered What they see in me They try so much But they can’t touch My inner mystery When I try to show them They say they still can’t see I say It’s in the arch of my back The sun of my smile The ride of my breasts The grace of my style I’m a woman Phenomenally Phenomenal woman That’s me Now you understand Just why my head’s not bowed I don’t shout or jump about Or have to talk real loud When you see me passing It ought to make you proud I say It’s in the click of my heels The bend of my hair The palm of my hand The need for my care ‘Cause I’m a woman Phenomenally Phenomenal woman That’s me BE BRAVE! JOIN THE BODY PEACE REVOLUTION!
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stophatingyourbody:

Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I’m not cute or built to suit a fashion model’s size
But when I start to tell them
They think I’m telling lies
I say
It’s in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips
The stride of my steps
The curl of my lips
I’m a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That’s me
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please
And to a man
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees
Then they swarm around me
A hive of honey bees
I say
It’s the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth
The swing of my waist
And the joy in my feet
I’m a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That’s me
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me
They try so much
But they can’t touch
My inner mystery
When I try to show them
They say they still can’t see
I say
It’s in the arch of my back
The sun of my smile
The ride of my breasts
The grace of my style
I’m a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That’s me
Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud
I say
It’s in the click of my heels
The bend of my hair
The palm of my hand
The need for my care
‘Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That’s me
BE BRAVE! JOIN THE BODY PEACE REVOLUTION!
fatposidoodles: another-hitchhiker: Because I have been informed infinite times before that “Real” women have curves, or that “Real” women are thin. Fact is, no woman* is imaginary! Shocker, I know. Everyone who identifies as a woman is a real woman, as real as can be, and we’re equal in every way.Real women* are skinny, fat, thin, curvy, shapely, gangly, muscular, short, tall, big, small, voluptuous, big-boned, scrawny, and everything beyond or in between. Tattoos, piercings, or cosmetic surgery? Still real. Not cis? Real too.This is what the positive body image movement is about. You do not need to dehumanize one body type just to respect your own. And I’m not excluding men from having a positive body image — I hope to draw a male version too. :) lovelovelovelove <333
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fatposidoodles:

another-hitchhiker:

Because I have been informed infinite times before that “Real” women have curves, or that “Real” women are thin. 

Fact is, no woman* is imaginary! Shocker, I know. Everyone who identifies as a woman is a real woman, as real as can be, and we’re equal in every way.

Real women* are skinny, fat, thin, curvy, shapely, gangly, muscular, short, tall, big, small, voluptuous, big-boned, scrawny, and everything beyond or in between. Tattoos, piercings, or cosmetic surgery? Still real. Not cis? Real too.

This is what the positive body image movement is about. You do not need to dehumanize one body type just to respect your own. 

And I’m not excluding men from having a positive body image — I hope to draw a male version too. :)

lovelovelovelove <333

23.06.12

katy-mo:

I know this has probably been posted a fair few times across various body acceptance blogs but I finally got down to read Kate Hardings full article “Does my butt look fat?”   

There was a few things I wanted to put down on here that really got me thinking about body acceptance, and especially fat acceptance.

“For much of my adult life, I’ve worn plus sizes, struggled to fit into airplane seats and been clinically obese according to the body mass index (BMI) charts that determine everything from the price of my insurance premiums to whether doctors will hand me a Weight Watchers brochure when I see them about an ear infection. I once asked a doctor for help with excruciating knee pain following a spill down some stairs, and the only prescription she offered was “Lose weight.” (Oh, OK. But since I’m probably not going to lose enough to reduce pressure on my joints in the next 10 minutes, and my knee hurts RIGHT NOW, do you think maybe you could MAKE WITH THE PAINKILLERS, BITCH?)”


[…]

“But then the truth was never really the point. Thin women don’t tell their fat friends “You’re not fat” because they’re confused about the dictionary definition of the word, or their eyes are broken, or they were raised on planets where size 24 is the average for women. They don’t say it because it’s the truth. They say it because fat does not mean just fat in this culture. It can also mean any or all of the following:

Ugly

Unhealthy

Smelly

Lazy

Ignorant

Undisciplined

Unlovable

Burdensome

Embarrassing

Unfashionable

Mean

Angry

Socially inept

Just plain icky

So when they say “You’re not fat,” what they really mean is “You’re not a dozen nasty things I associate with the word fat.” The size of your body is not what’s in question; a tape measure or a mirror could solve that dispute. What’s in question is your goodness, your lovability, your intelligence, your kindness, your attractiveness. And your friends, not surprisingly, are inclined to believe you get high marks in all those categories. Ergo, you couldn’t possibly be fat.”

[…]

“Because fat should mean only having more adipose tissue than the average person, but it doesn’t. And every time you ignore what’s in front of your face to tell me I’m not fat because you can’t bring yourself to put me in that nasty, ugly category, you’re buying in to the idea that real fat people are all sorts of nasty, ugly things I’m not. Horseshit. I am a real fat person, and very few real fat people live up to the worst stereotypes wielded against us.

Because whenever you read an article about THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC BOOGA BOOGA BOOGA, you should know that they’re talking mostly about people who look like me – -and like your mom, your neighbor, your coworker, your kid’s teacher, not like the headless, poorly dressed, extremely fat people inevitably used to illustrate those articles (who are no less deserving of human rights and dignity than any of the rest of us, I hasten to add). Only about 6 percent of the adult population is categorized as severely obese. The vast majority of people classified as obese are about as fat as I am, in the BMI 30-35 range. I am the face of the obesity crisis everyone’s so worried about, and yet I constantly have people telling me I’m not fat. There’s some, uh, food for thought.”

[…]

“As long as the horseshit stereotypes persist — that fat women can never be healthy, smart, driven, disciplined, fashionable, attractive and eminently lovable — women who are all those things and fat will keep seeing themselves as fundamentally disgusting and unworthy. So every time someone tries to tell me I’m not fat simply because I don’t fit those stereotypes, I’m gonna keep telling them I am, too, fat, dammit! Le fat, c’est moi. This is what fat looks like.

I am a kindhearted, intelligent, attractive, person, and I am fat. There is no paradox there.”


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My body lovin’ book is out!!

40% of 9-10 year old girls have tried to lose weight, 78% of 17 year old girls are unhappy with their bodies1, and 37% of the articles in teen magazines for girls are focused on their appearance2. Maria Newfield, a woman who beat her own body image-related demons, publishes a book teaching radical self-acceptance to women everywhere.

July 2012, UK: Maria Newfield’s own experience of recovering from eating disorders inspired her to find out more about women and body image. When she learned some terrifying statistics about how women and girls view their bodies, she knew she had to take action. The book 19 Steps to Loving Your Body: A Confidence Guide for Women was the result.

During her research, Maria discovered that:

  • The average woman in Britain worries about the size and shape of her body EVERY 15 MINUTES and only 2% say that they are happy with their body3;
  • 80% of 10 year old children are afraid of being fat4
  • Approximately 7 million girls and women in the US have an eating disorder5;
  • More than 50% of 10 year old girls wish they were thinner6
  • 95% of all dieters will regain their lost weight within 1-5 years7
  • 35% of “normal dieters” progress to pathological dieting. Of those, 25% will progress to partial or full syndrome eating disorder8

Maria Newfield learned that not only are the vast majority of women dissatisfied with their bodies, but that the diets they put themselves through are ineffectual and can be seriously damaging to health.

“As women, we are taught to hate our bodies. Then we diet and though we may initially lose weight, all the research shows that we gain the weight back. Dieting teaches us that our bodies are wrong, that we can’t trust our own hunger signals, and that we must deny ourselves. This is not good for women’s self-esteem, and it causes us to be preoccupied by hating ourselves. This has to stop!”.

In her book, 19 Steps to Loving Your Body: A Confidence Guide for Women, Maria Newfield describes, step by step, how to start loving our bodies, how to treat them well, and how to stop criticising ourselves, and others, for how we look.

The book is available for Kindle on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. A Kindle is not required to read the book – free Kindle software is available for PCs, Macs, phones and tablets.

Notes to Editors:

For further information, visit www.MariaNewfield.co.uk and check out the Love Your Body Tumblr.

To contact the author, email maria@marianewfield.co.uk

To download a full media kit for this book launch, visit http://www.marianewfield.co.uk/mediakit

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