I have been a naughtly blogger! Like so many others that whole "silly season" caught up with me. One of my new year resolutions is to post here more often, so hopefully you'll be hearing more from me!

Another resolution? I have made a determination to no longer be silent when I encounter fat-hate in my day to day. Whether it's directed at me, or at someone else.. I will speak up. I'm not going to be an a*shole about it (even though whoever's speaking probably is).. but I am not going to give my assent through silence, either.

This has already changed how I have reacted to a couple of situations. Let me share a couple of moments of sass with you.

The other night we went to St Kilda Night Market. Beautiful! The sun setting over the ocean and Luna Park, the market stalls covered in pretty lights, cool crafty things to look at, drummers playing.. wonderful night. I recommend.

While I was there I overhead a woman talking to two of her friends. She was speaking loudly, and I'm sure I wasn't the only person in the crowded market who could hear her. "Ohmygod!" she was saying, "Did you see her! She sure had a pair of thunder thighs on her! And those legging things! Disgusting!"

Now, I didn't see who she was talking about.. but that doesn't matter.

I made eye contact with her, smiled and said archly "Good thing we're all perfect, Hmmm?".

She went the colour of tomato. "OMIGAWD NO ONE WAS MEANT TO HEAR THAT!" I just smiled. She was hugely embarassed. I hope I made her think a little bit about the hate spewing out of her mouth and if nothing else - how bad it made her look.

The next example, fresh from yesterday, was directed at something said about me by a total stranger.. You know what it's like when some idiot says something stupid/derogatory to you - often you are left open-mouthed, hurt and confused.. and it's not untill the moment is long gone that you think of the perfect comeback..

Not this time! My wits didn't fail me..

I was waiting for the lights to change outside Flinders St Station with a big crowd of people. Just standing there, tired after a long day. Behind me, a voice. "HEY LADY! You have REALLY bright hair for such a fat chick!". I look around - nope, no one else with fire-engine red or any other wild colour, he must be talking to me..

I whip around and smile and say, nice and loud so everyone waiting can hear "HEY FELLA! You have a REALLY big mouth for someone with such a weak jaw!". Still smiling I put my fist against my chin, in a "thinking" gesture.. just in case he doesn't get the "weak jaw" reference.

He gapes. (No way. Did that fat chick just threaten to PUNCH ME IN THE FACE?) His mixture of confusion, shame, and embarassment is a joy to watch. Other people laugh. At him. A lot. The lights change and I march across the street, feeling pretty good.

It's good to talk back, to speak up, to show a bit of sass. If you haven't already, try it sometime, you might enjoy it as much as I am! :)

 

 

It has been awhile, but I'm finally back!  Actually, I have not really been away - just insanely busy at work and busy socially and, well, a wee bit lazy.  OMG FAT STEREOTYPE.

Anyway!  My wonderful parents asked me earlier in the year what I'd like for Christmas, and I replied, "A sewing machine!"

I have fond memories of being poked and prodded with pins and measuring tapes for most my childhood.  My mother is an excellent seamstress, and the bulk of my clothes except for my socks, school uniforms, and some special occasion gear, were made for me until I was about eight or so.  My mother made my senior formal outfit (that's prom, for the non-Australians), medieval costumes when I was at university, the works.

Now, I wanted to be able to alter my own clothes, and begin making my own too.  First I learned how to do the basics - thread the machine, fill a bobbin, and sew straight and zigzag stitches.  Although I've never sewn before, I've spent years around my mother and her machine, so it wasn't too hard.  So I asked my mum to help me make a breezy summer top.  This is what we did:

Made a rough mock-up using one of my tank-tops and an old bedsheet, fitted the mock up, made a pattern out of newspaper, and cut the pieces - one centre back and two centre front pieces. After putting those together at the shoulder seam and sewing the darts, we decided that it needed facings, so cut out armhole and neckline facings, ironed on interfacing paper and added that. Then mum got the bright idea that we should understitch the facings.

It pulls a little oddly on the left shoulder, but given that we drafted the pattern mostly from scratch, I wasn't expecting a perfect fit.  I'm slip-stitching all the facings down at the moment (neck done, one and a half armholes to go!), but other than that it's finished

 

Apologies for the cruddy webcam headless fatty shots, but my camera was not playing nice this evening with the self-timer for some reason.  Also it is wrinkled, because I had it crushed in my lap while I sewed the facings down and watched The West Wing (which is an awesome show for sewing to, by the by).

I feel inordinately proud myself, and really inspired!  However, it's clear that I need a lot more general sewing experience before I get to the stage that I want to be, which is to be able to draft my own patterns from scratch.  Going by measurements, I am right at the top of the plus-size spectrum in commercial patterns, and I want to have the skill to make what I want, when I want it!

I got rather excited when I saw these two patterns from Simplicity, as I can fit (just) the 28W, and I absolutely adore 1940s vintage stylin'!  I was disappointed to discover that these seemed to be limited to the US as well, though!  Isn't that just awesome - not only is the range of ready-to-wear clothing in Australia shitty, but patterns are equally difficult to find. :/  I'm in love with some of the Burda patterns I've found too, but of course their online store doesn't ship to Australia.  I know Burda is commercially available here; I just hope there's a similarly awesome plus pattern availability.

There's a happy ending though - I found both Simplicity patterns on eBay from a seller who ships worldwide, AND it was cheaper!  I can't wait to try them out, though I'll probably start with the skirt, as it looks the least difficult.  My goal is to channel Katharine Hepburn and make a fabulous pair of high-waisted, wide-legged pants.  First step is to buy some calico or muslin, as I'm far from proportionate, so there'll be adjustments, no doubt.

So tell me!  Do you sew?  What are some of your favourite patterns, tips and tricks?  What do you find most difficult when adjusting for fatness?

 

(BONUS PHOTO:  I had my hair dyed blonde at the beginning of December.  EXCITING!  I won't apologise for this being a webcam shot, it's from my dailybooth stream)

 

 

 

Tonight on Australian TV I've seen at least five ads for The Biggest Loser. Not for their tv show, but for their weight loss website and weight loss products. Enough! Add onto that the Jenny Craig (for men, mind you), Weight Watchers and other crap that they are pushing towards me and I just want to scream.

Do they have any idea who they are talking to? Oh right, they do.

There are millions of people out there in Australia who are insecure about their bodies. This number comes from the fact that most people I know have some insecurities about their body. Even I do. I just don't run to the nearest weight loss product advertised and spend up big on something that won't work.

Others do. Which is why they put this crap on air to start with.

What I would love to see is a program that discussed healthy eating. Not "You have to stop eating to lose weight, fatty." What I'm talking about is information on the foods that are nourishing. What is there out there that I haven't tried before? Show me different ways of making different things with the foods I already cook with.

If the risotto requires copious amounts of butter and oil, that's fine. Butter and oil is nourishing just as much as fruit and vegetables are. I wouldn't eat a block of butter in a day, but that's because I could think of nothing worse to try and do. Not because I've got some devil mask wearing health freak going "oooh obesity epidemic" telling me what to do.

Don't make people feel shame for being who they are. Let them eat as they please. Educate them on healthy, nourishing food and show them all the different things that are out there to eat.

Food is neither good or bad. It is food. It's not about weight loss. It's about eating in a way that makes you feel good on the inside and look good on the outside. That's possible at 60kg and it's possible at 160kg.

amplecurves!

If you could email us your details, we will forward them on to Cortney at Shop Translated so you can claim your prize and get shopping!

Thank you to everyone who entered. It was a difficult decision to make and we appreciate the time you took making your comments and entering the competition.

 

Thanks to those who entered our Shop Translated competition! We are currently reading the comments and will announce the lucky winner shortly.

Fresh out of my inbox, City Chic are bragging about Amber Riley of Glee wearing their clothes. City Chic is one of the only youthful plus size fashion labels in Australia, and while many of us groan about the prices and the quality, I've discovered that a lot of American fatshionistas can't get enough of the brand, including the fantastic Ms. Riley! 

I've got to say, I love the dress she's wearing in this photograph. City Chic have brought in a lot of florals this season and when I went to the Chermside store last week I was quite impressed with the range. The sizing is still all over the place unfortunately, and that's a shame because I was almost about to drop some money on some dresses but I held back because of fit issues that couldn't be solved by switching down a size. (For the record, the only fit issue I usually have is with pant length!)

Just for a second, can I gripe about City Chic's usage of social media for marketing? They invite us to become friends on facebook, but their page is an actual personal profile instead of a "Page" which means I have to wait until they approve me as a friend before I can see extra info they've put on their profile. I was hoping to grab some photos of Amber Riley to pimp in this entry, but I can't find any except for the tiny ones used in the email blast. 

So uh, City Chic - I'm a fashion forward fatshionista who knows how to use social media. We should talk. But in the meanwhile, give bloggers some material so they can give you [free] press! I've been wearing the label since you started (oh, remember Big City Chic!?) and a lot of Australian bloggers, despite being critical, will probably be more than happy to give a homegrown brand a leg up. 

Apparently it's Cyber Monday in the US today, a thing I had never even heard about before Shop Translated approached us for the giveaway (enter here!) I wonder if Australian online retailers will jump on the November sales bandwagon in years to come? 

Did you see Sonya's latest post? In case you didn't, you could win Win WIN! I've copied the competition details from Sonya's post below.

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Leave a comment telling why you think you should win. The best comment will be chosen by the administrators of Axis of Fat to win two items of clothing from the Shop Translated store. Does not include their "New Arrivals - INES products".

Comments must be left on this post to be eligible to win.

Entries close at 11:59pm AEST (13:59pm UTC) on 14th December. Judges decision is final.

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If I could win (and if I looked good in women's clothing) I'd probably look at one of these two items. You probably have better taste than me, so I'm sure you'll find something that you love.

I'll leave this post at the top of our site until the competition is over. Good luck everyone. And if you don't win, there are details of a special discount offer for Axis of Fat readers on Sonya's post too!

Recently, Axis of Fat was contacted by Cortney, from Shop Translated. She has generously offered Axis readers a discount (and a great deal of clothing is already on sale! So that's like, double plus discount!) of 25% when they enter the code: axisoffat25 from December 1st.

She has also offered readers the chance to win two items of clothing of their choice in their size from the range (excluding the New Arrivals - INES products). So leave a comment telling us why you think you should win. Competition closes 14th December.

Consumers assemble! Aaaaaaand go!

Errr, from the 1st of December that is.

 

Competition Details

Leave a comment telling why you think you should win. The best comment will be chosen by the administrators of Axis of Fat to win two items of clothing from the Shop Translated store. Does not include their "New Arrivals - INES products".

Comments must be left on this post to be eligible to win.

Entries close at 11:59pm AEST (13:59pm UTC) on 14th December. Judges decision is final.

GOOD LUCK!

Today I'm going to talk about Health at Every Size and what this means to me. I'm going to mention the word diet a few times along the way. Right now so that there is no confusion, I want you to interpret the word 'diet' as meaning "what someone (or something for that matter) eats" not "the restriction of food intake to try to lose weight". All animals have a diet, like squirrels live on a diet of nuts and berries (or so cartoons taught me). Humans live on a varied diet depending on which region of the world they live in and how plentiful different types of food are (or conversely, what little food is available).

What is Health at Every Size? Wikipedia lists these three components:

1. Self-Acceptance: Affirmation and reinforcement of human beauty and worth irrespective of differences in weight, physical size and shape.
2. Physical Activity: Support for increasing social, pleasure-based movement for enjoyment and enhanced quality of life.
3. Normalized Eating: Support for discarding externally-imposed rules and regimens for eating and attaining a more peaceful relationship with food by relearning to eat in response to physiological hunger and fullness cues.

The first one is what the fat acceptance movement is all about. Learning to become comfortable within your body and accepting who you are RIGHT NOW! Not in three weeks time, or in a couple of years or "when I've lost 10 kilos/pounds/<insert unit of measure here>" but just as you are. I think this is something that we should all be looking to achieve. I'm sure there are skinny people who don't accept themselves either!

The second component is physical activity. It should be activity that you enjoy and that you do to enhance your life, not because someone says you have to do it to be a better person. Many people (me included) enjoy walking or running or jogging or cycling. Some dance and jump about, or play team sports. It's about moving to have fun and enhance your life.

The final component involves diet. Eating food in an intuitive way and trying to determine what works for you. If you feel sick after eating a packet of chips, then you probably need to reconsider that. Does fried food give you the shits (literally)? Then perhaps abstain. Do you come out in a rash when you try and eat a salad? Don't bother!

It isn't "thou shalt eat 1200 calories a day, spread over 6 meals exactly 3 hours apart" like I've seen some at work do. It means eat when your body wants you to or needs you to. Eat what you think your body wants you to, and listen to the outcome. Work out what works for you and what doesn't work.

Due to reflux, I don't have chocolate, coffee, tea, tomatoes, too much oil or fat and some other things. I feel sick if I have them. I might lose weight because I'm not eating these things, but perhaps I'll substitute them with other foods that will mean I maintain my weight. The goal is to eat as much nutrient rich food as my body requires, and it takes time to work out your own body cues.

Something that I feel that the Health at Every Size movement is trying to promote (as well as the fat acceptance movement) is that just because I'm fat doesn't mean I should be treated differently. Therefore when I go to a doctor, the doctor should treat me for my symptoms/illness and not just go "lose weight, fatty". It also means that when you go to your doctor and they suggest a treatment option that doesn't work for you (like weight loss surgery) that you tell them this. 

If the treatment your doctor is suggesting is proven to work for the illness in question, you should consider it carefully and probably latch onto it for all it is worth. I'm not a doctor so I'm not providing medical advice. If doctors provide the same treatment options to you as to a thin person, that's all we can ask for.

I think it is important to remember that everyone is different, so some things will work for you and some won't. Crap happens.

What I don't get is this: a doctor tables treatment options for an illness such as weight loss or a change in diet or move physical activity where the same options would be suggested to others that aren't considered fat. I think sometimes as fat people we get triggered as soon as the "weight loss" flag is waved. Perhaps the issue is the "weight loss" tag has a stigma.

I guess my point is that sometimes when you are unwell, your doctor is going to say "you need to change what you are eating' or "you need to get some more physical activity" in order to get better. As long as it isn't "ok, so since you are fat you are sick" but "you are sick and the best treatment options are...", I have no issue with that.

The fat acceptance movement is not the Heath at Every Size movement. Many people who consider themselves part of the fat acceptance movement do not subscribe to the three components I've outlined above. The common ground we share is that first one; accepting yourself as you are.

Anyway, that's probably quite enough for now. I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on the issue.

Who's moralising food now? Why, Sumo Salad!

Let's get this out of the way - I LOVE salad. Don't keel over in shock or anything, but I think there's nothing so refreshing in a stinky hot Brisbane summer as a fresh and crisp salad. Occasionally when I'm out in a shopping centre, I'll get a hankering for something to eat and the best out of a bad bunch will be food retailers like Sumo Salad. I've had it approximately twice in my life (I don't really go shopping much!) and every time I've been there, their staff (teenagers) have closed down the hotplates early so they can go home on time. I've had to settle for the premade salad in the bain-marie those times, but last night I snapped and turned on my heel so I could write a passive aggressive tweet about it. When I'm hungry, I'm grumpy. I like to avoid being grumpy.

I felt justified in my wroth when Leigh linked to Sumo Salad's new ads which brought on waves of non-hunger related grumpiness that can only be assuaged by blogging furiously. 

And anyway, that "cankle" isn't even one. Fat and skinny people, and lots of people in-between, have cankles - you're born with them and you may as well make peace with them!

Similarly, many men (from skinny to fat and back again) have "moobs" that they were born with - they weren't made by chicken nuggets at all.

Hey, Sumo Salad! Your mascot is fat and appropriated for Maude knows what reason because none of your food is even remotely Japanese. Your salads are wilted and bland! I will now add you to the list of Foodcourt Retailers I Avoid - fear the angry fat lady's wrath! I'm so over the body shaming and food demonising and I don't understand how insulting your target market will entice them into your stores, unless your ads aren't aimed so much at fat people but at people who are afraid of being fat. Sumo Salad, you are douchebags (and I like to keep douchebags away from my lady bits!)