Love The Body You’ve Got (Take It From A Fat Girl)
I recall a time in elementary school when a friend tried to defend me from a few bullies by saying that I “wasn’t fat, just big-boned.” A few years later, I had a teacher who — probably in an attempt to keep my ego intact — wouldn’t let kids say “fat” in class, only “fluffy.”
To set the record straight, I do not have abnormally large bones. And I am not, nor have I ever been, a rabbit. But whether it’s these sugar-coated terms or the painfully unoriginal “ugly fat girl,” I’ve never quite been able to shake my overweight status for long.
Despite a few traumatizing events (i.e. falling off the jungle gym, losing my paper pilgrim’s hat on Thanksgiving, etc.), I have relatively good memories of elementary school. …
I feel as though I should provide full disclosure here: I follow Anthony Weiner on Twitter. As a representative from my general area (Queens/LI), I like to hear what he has to say – plus, his hashtags were always witty and hilarious, just like his speeches to Congress. Up until last week, this was simply a weird factoid about my twitter following list. Now, I feel like I’m somehow part of some major scandal (also, I’m a little bummed that I wasn’t on twitter the exact moment he tweeted that infamous picture… I would feel like I’m part of some elite club of the hyper-politically-aware).
First and foremost, Weiner handled this in literally the worst possible way:
1) He lied about it and thought it would just go away. …
I had no idea what was going on as I listened to NPR in perilous rush-hour traffic a few days back: I almost drove into the black Suburban in front of me in my perplexed state. I marveled at the mention of both the Middle East and homosexuality in the same byline. Recently with the ironically named Jasmine Revolution, one only heard about the chanting droves in Tahrir Square in Cairo, and the unprecedented outpouring of filial devotion in barricaded hubs of so-called “national telepathy,” as a protester interviewed in The New Yorker put it. In the very same article, Wendell Steavenson describes the unique amalgamation of socially and economically disparate people in a famously stratified part of the world:
India.Arie (born India Marie Simpson; October 3, 1975) is a Grammy Award-winning American soul, R&B, and neo soul musician, songwriter, and producer. She has sold over 3.3 million records on U.S. and 10 million worldwide. She has won four Grammy Awards and received 18 nominations, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist.
Simpson was born in Denver, Colorado. She absorbed musical skills early in life as she was encouraged by both parents. Her mother Joyce is a former singer (she was signed to Motown as a teenager and opened for Stevie Wonder and Al Green) and is now her stylist. She has an older brother named J’On. After her parents divorced, Simpson’s mother moved the family to Atlanta, Georgia when she …
Saturday Vids: Andre’a – The 16 Year Old Body Image Role Model
This video needs little introduction – it speaks for itself – but I will say I originally saw this video on the website We Are The Real Deal and immediately wanted (want) to be Andre’a's best friend, because she is awesome, and we can all learn a thing or two from her confidence and positive message.
As a dusty third worldling, one of the things I learnt first was to see if there were other dusty people in the room whenever I go to any transnational feminist conferences. Something else I also learnt is to not expect ‘solidarity’ from anyone unless expressly proven otherwise — and these views are a result of the way people view me and my body in notIndia, what people assume of me in most internet spaces and fandoms. My friend and I compiled this list comprising of a few of the most repetitive and inane stereotypes that we’ve encountered of Third World Women. By no means is this list exhaustive, feel free to add your experiences in the comments — and tread carefully, the list is full of racial slurs and …
I don’t remember when I discovered feminism. I don’t remember how I got the link to a feminist blog that I started to read, or the first time I thought to myself, “I am a feminist!”
But I am so glad that it happened.
I love feminism. I love the things it’s done for me – the way it makes me feel powerful and beautiful and in control. I love the way it’s opened up my eyes to the ways that I’m missing out – and all the ways that I can get around those things.
And that’s why it’s so confusing to me why none of my friends agree with me!
Being a feminist in high school is hard. This morning, for example, I was thinking of starting a …
