One of the ways that I have learned over the years to deal with my extra poundage is to “own” it. I am the 1st to talk about my Phat arse or my floppy arm wings. Some of my thinner friends don’t understand and at times have chastised me for “putting myself down” but what they don’t realize is that if I “own” up to it, then the less hurtful it becomes when people find it necessary to point out the obvious.

I recently ordered a teeshirt from T-shirt Hell that says: “If a Fat girl falls in the woods, do the trees laugh?” I find it widely amusing because I cannot count the # of times I’ve “bitten the pavement.” You’d think being bottom heavy (i’m a real pear) I’d have gravity on my side but alas that is not the case.

I think that one of the problems with being obese or morbidly obese is that everyone, especially us, feel it is a temporary condition. Therefore it is OK to make fat jokes. It is ok to walk up to strangers and say “Are you going to eat all of that?” or have their children shout out “Mommy look its a Giant” or something meaner.

Since the overweight, too, think of fatness as a transient condition, we tell ourselves that this treatment will stop when we lose weight. When we hear our co-workers or friends speak derisively about other heavy people, we say nothing. Or we laugh with them. Which is what has that defense mechanism that I kick in–Give it to them before they give it to me.

But what if we got “Mad as hell and not going to take it anymore?” type of thought process. How many times have we been at social events and our friends or co-attendees find it A-OK to talk about us as if we are invisible. How many times have we been in a room and sized it up to make sure there was someone fatter than us? Just the other day while at my son’s school orientation, I found myself doing just that. A new student and her mother came into the classroom, late. All eyes were on them and there were snickers in the back of the class. My 1st thought was not “STFU” to the snickerers, but “Thank the goddess I’m not the fattest one here.”

What about if we didn’t take that type of behavior anymore? What if we corrected the speaker of how the obese should lose weight with fact based acceptance speeches? Did obesity prevent me from getting an education? From running a business? From doing what I want? No, granted it might have been faster if I was thinner but certainly didn’t prevent it.

It’s time to own up. Not sit back and take it anymore. Just as racial jokes or gay jokes or handicapped jokes aren’t acceptable in mainstream media, nor should fat jokes. Even if they are from me, or Monique or Lavelle Crawford.

I was SHOCKED yesterday to see a show on MSNBC addressing this issue. At first I thought it was diabetics that drank their OJ .. then 5 minutes later threw it up after it worked. But this is far worse.

They interviewed several women and the mother of one woman who’d died.

People with Type I diabetes, those forced to take insulin are skipping their shots to LOSE WEIGHT.

One of the girls they were interviewing said that she was MORE afraid of being fat than she was of DYING. What is wrong with this picture????

Have we become so obsessed with what the MEDIA shows us a “normal” that we are willing to risk our very life to live up to that expectation?

Here is the complete article as published by MSNBC. What is amusing is they have a “kicker” headline that says: “Experts advise docs to be blunt, call kids ‘obese’ ” I find the irony here very amusing.

On one side we have women so obsessed with their weight they are willing to DIE or worse — a coma, loss of limbs, eyesight etc to stay thin. We aren’t talking like a size 10 or 12 which as we all know IS a decent weight. They want to be a size 5, 3 or 0. In a ‘related’ article “experts” from the American Academy of Pediatrics saying doctors should be BLUNT in saying that kids are FAT/OBESE.

How about this for an idea?? Lets try being BODY positive whether someone is a natural size 0 or a natural size 22. If you FEEL good about yourself you are going to BE healthy.

Make plans now to attend the next Club S.A.S event (Sexy @ Any Size) called:

Doors open at 9pm with DJ Atehcna spinning Rap, Old School, Top 40, & R-n-B.

Dress to impress with no gym wear or ball caps.

12 midnight will be the contest with both Men & Women participating!!

Check out their website for more information.

One of my favorite websites to surf is a site by Frank Warren called Post Secret

People make up personal post cards with their secrets on them and send them in. Some are light and fun, some are very dark but each one represents a single person in life.

This past week Post Secret posted its first video on YouTube. Turns out there are about 40 on there all with specialty secrets so I decided to make one as well saving the secrets and posting them here until I get enough to string together with music for a short video.

If you would like to participate in this project by sending in a secret on a postcard that you’ve made, drop me a line at omgnews at gmail dot com.

Our 1st Post Card:

This is day 2 of the Vendor Fair and our last chance to get the latest in trends, club wear and cute outfits. Of course you can always find great jewelry for plus sizes at the OMGoddess store. Did you miss the Vendor Fair? Didn’t find exactly what you wanted? Try Delightful Deals

*this site is supported by sales from our sponsors*

7pm: Formal/Semi Formal Dinner Ball
This is a dressy event - no jeans, t-shirts, shorts (you get the idea) This is the crowning event at the Bash, need to experience it to truly appreciate it !!
We have Master Hypnotist Thom Katz as our special guest Entertainer, so you or the person next to you could end up the Star of the show!
Rumor.. Our Own World Famous “Village People” Dancers will be back!

Midnight-4am: Club Bounce

Club Bounce - representing the West Coast!!
Club Bounce Blows Out our final BBW Club night with
several suprises and their famous Booty Bounce Contest Last night to shake that booty at our BBW Club Nights!!

One of the ongoing themes of the morning program “Today” is obesity. Almost daily they parade numerous experts to decry everything from McDonald’s marketing campaign to parental responsibility regarding obesity in children.

YET daily they have the “food” segment that offers everything from the new trend in cupcakes to saucy French feasting.

Al Roker, also a WLS alumni, is still a bit portly but always seems to ‘weigh’ in on healthy feeding.

Sometimes these food fest are in the same 30 minute segment of the show that the ‘experts’ are spewing how HORRIBLE it is that 66% of the USA is fat.

Such topics as:
5 Ways to help your child lose weight
Private gym aims to address teen obesity
Conquer your fears about losing weight
Secrets of women who lost half their size

The exact same day as “Secrets of Women…” they had a food segment on “Get fruity! Freshen up BBQs with sweet recipes” Nothing like a Sweet BBQ to make one want to run out and do 30 minutes of cardio before sucking down the ribs.

This Goddess believes the Today Show would be better served if they would perhaps run some “Body Positive” segments on acceptance rather than shunning those who are struggling with issues that we Phat Pholks seem to run into.

Word up, Al!!