The ‘famous’ Fat Necklace – pre-orders being taken now
Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
Since I know there are some readers of Axis of Fat who have missed out on these before, I thought I’d post a quick reminder that Natalie’s fat necklaces are back on sale. This time she is taking pre-orders so that no one needs to miss out or take whatever colour is left rather than the one you want.
Orders close on Monday 18th October and this could well be the last run of these necklaces. So don’t miss out on what could be your last chance to get one of these necklaces by visiting her store.
Fat – don’t just throw it about willy nilly
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010
One of the aims of the Fat Acceptance movement is to reclaim the word “Fat”. That doesn’t mean we should throw it around willy nilly though.
For years, the word “Fat” has been used as a pejorative. Cries of “Get off your FAT ass”, “FAT prick”, “Look at the FAT f#@ker”, “Oh look, another FATTY!” have been used to beat down and belittle fat people. So it’s right that we go out and try and reclaim this word.(It’s strange though that fat has also moved into other areas, such as “Fat beats” and “Fat wheels”.)
Fat should be in the same class of adjective as tall, short, slim, etc. It is merely a word describing a physical characteristic. It makes me uncomfortable to think that people have to mince words to try and describe my physical shape. “Big boy”, “Bulky”, “Well Build” are all just covers for the word “Fat” because people are scared of being offensive. Hey, I’m FAT.
However we need to remember that not everyone is up to the same stage of self-acceptance as the next person. A lot of people would still be offended by being labelled as fat.
So what do we do? Talk.
I think it is important to talk to our friends and family, fat or not, about how we are happy to be labelled as fat and WHY we think it is important to reclaim the word that has been held to be so offensive for so long. The more that we educate others around us, the less impact the word is going to have and less times are we going to hear it being used in an offensive manner.
I actually think I’ll be long past my prime before the word fat loses all offensive undertones, but the small steps that we make today mean that fat people in the future don’t have to be offended by using an adjective that aptly describes them. Fat.
Blatantly Obvious – Being Pregnant isn’t the same as being Fat.
Thursday, June 17th, 2010
To me, the crux of the “Fat Acceptance” movement is a core belief that hating yourself, and specifically hating your body, is a bad, bad thing. I see it more of a “Body Acceptance” movement, to be honest. All of us, fat, thin and everyone in between needs to be a little kinder to ourselves. None of us are doing ourselves, or anyone else any good by hating our own, or other people’s bodies.
We all know that body-hate is fashionable. Many of us in FA World also realise that body-hate is really damaging, and that it’s an epidemic sweeping our society that’s doing a heck of a lot more damage than the supposed “Obesity epidemic” the media is so fond of talking about.
Sometimes it seems as though this particular form of hate has become so acceptable it’s considered normal. So normal, in fact, that it seems it’s a suitable riff for a paid blogger on a national media site.
Case in Point: Alison Godfrey, and her recent rant on her blog “The Naughty Corner”. Her blog entry is entitled, “Third trimester pregnancy – what it’s really like.”
At the time of writing her entry Alison was 35 weeks pregnant, right in the home stretch of pregnancy. Unsurprisingly, she’s uncomfortable and cranky.
So cranky, in fact, that she didn’t have time to spell check her entry, let alone determine the difference between “your” and “you’re”, but we can forgive her these minor infractions. After all, she has a new life growing inside of her, and as any woman who’s ever been pregnant can tell you this is not only a wonderful, joyous time, but also an extremely uncomfortable time, physically.
In the third trimester, one would expect that morning sickness (who ever named it that, clearly never had it) would be well and truly over, thankfully. Unfortunately Alison seems to be choosing to continue to erupt with bile right through her pregnancy, and this vitriolic outpouring of hate directed at fat people is just as odious and unpleasant as anything that nausea-causing-hormones might make you produce.
Apparently it’s not the muscle-relaxing hormones flooding her system, causing every bone joint to loosen and ache that’s making her uncomfortable. It’s not the baby inside of her, dancing a tango on her bladder and digestive tract, altering her centre of balance and pushing her stomach acids upwards for heartburn and reflux fun that is the cause of her grief. It’s not the fact that she has a small person occupying some of the space where her lungs used to be that’s causing her to huff and puff if she exerts herself. It’s not the fact that her entire body is using all of its energy to GROW A WHOLE NEW HUMAN BEING INSIDE OF HER that’s making her feel utterly exhausted…
Oh no, it’s because she is “Fat”. And in her newly “Fat” state, she has gained an intimate understanding of what it is like for all people everywhere to be fat.
It would not take a genius, one would think, to realise that having a living, moving little person occupying your abdominal region is a vastly different physical experience to having fat deposits in various places all over your body. This simple fact seems to elude Alison. We’re treated to several paragraphs of how what she is experiencing must be in all ways similar to the living hell that any fat person must be residing in on a daily basis – in her dystopian fantasy world.
WHY would anyone choose this, she asks plaintively. Why indeed, Alison? Let’s ignore the irony that Alison perhaps chose to get pregnant and definitely chose to stay pregnant, wilfully and stubornly exposing herself to these various physical discomforts.
Why would anyone choose to be fat, when they are ridiculed, scorned, and when hating them is so accepted by society that something like this makes it to publication?
Perhaps, dear Alison, it’s because they don’t actually have a choice. Perhaps, and I know this sounds an utterly LUDICIOUS idea, but try to contemplate it for a moment.. perhaps they are accepting of the body they have, and not consumed with self-hatred. Perhaps, even.. they’re fat and healthy, and NOT experiencing symptoms day-to-day that are the same or similar as a woman in the third trimester of her pregnancy.
Some women experience the darkening of their skin when they are pregnant. This can be quite pronounced. Some women get what’s called a “mask of pregnancy”, and their skin gets all blotchy, with light and darker patches. Would it be acceptable for a woman who was experiencing this symptom to rant and rave on a national news site about how she had a new understanding of the lives of other darker-skinned people? “I’ve got a confession to make – having Cholasma faciei/melasma makes you intolerant of black people. I can’t find a makeup base to match my skintone, it’s terrible! Why would anyone choose to be dark-skinned, it’s just so hard, why don’t they do something about it?”
Would that have made it past the editors to publication? Would that induce anything but horror and rage and disbelief in all who read it?
It would have been completely, utterly unacceptable to publish – as this nasty piece of hatred should have been.
She admits in the first line of her entry that what she’s saying is blatantly discriminatory. In the same way that any sentence that needs to be begun with “I’m not racist/sexist/homophobic, but…..” should not be uttered at all, let alone published, this collection of ill-informed hateful words should also never have made it past an editors desk.
Shame on you, News Ltd, and shame on you, Alison.
Activist Fatigue.
Saturday, April 10th, 2010
So things have been pretty quiet around the Axis of late. I speak only for myself, not the other members, when I say that I am exhausted.
The constant barrage of negative messages, encouragement of self-hate, fat hatred, body hatred, you name it – it is so hard to keep one’s head above water when fighting this kind of thing. And I’m tired. I have recently changed jobs, and will probably be changing again soon. I’ve moved house. I’ve been supported my sister during the split from her partner (which involves children and domestic violence, amongst other things). I am worn out, and there is only so much headspace I can devote to fighting the good fight without drowning in the negativity.
I find myself thinking diet-y thoughts. Self-hating thoughts directed at my body, chastising it, maligning it. And I don’t like it. It’s an uphill battle that never gets easier, but I’m trying.
So I’m taking care of myself. I’m buying pretty clothes. I’m looking for new ways to exercise and to enjoy that exercise. I’m eating good food that I have the luxury to able to afford. I’m reading books. I’m studying Japanese. I’m playing videogames.
I’m giving myself permission to take a break. And if the world is getting you down, or your activism is becoming too draining? You should too. Rest, recharge, and come back to it. Rest assured, it doesn’t look like fat hatred is going to disappear while you’re gone.
Now Get Excited And Make Things: Sewing fat?
Monday, January 11th, 2010
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
[img_assist|nid=159|title=|desc=|link=none|align=center|width=600|height=481]
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)
[img_assist|nid=160|title=|desc=|link=none|align=center|width=450|height=360]
It’s never easy, and it never goes away.
Sunday, October 18th, 2009
Possibly triggering – some diet/weight-loss talk.
I don’t own scales.
I haven’t done so for a long time now. There were a pair in the laundry in the house I lived in in Japan, but they didn’t work properly. In my current house, there are some in the downstairs bathroom, but I live upstairs.
So I haven’t weighed myself, in, oh, at least six months. Because it triggers me. I slip back into self-loathing, disordered eating thoughts.
Last night I was at a friends house drinking cheap wine and watching silly movies. I went to the bathroom, and there’s a pair of scales.
And I stupidly weighed myself. I’ve gained approximately ten kilos since leaving Japan. And straightaway my mind went to “If you just go on that shake diet again, you’ll drop ten kilos in two months! Then you’ll be back to normal!” And somehow that thought seemed okay, because if I lost ten kilos, I’d still be deathfat.
Not gonna lie, the temptation was overwhelming.
I’m still learning how to be a size acceptance activist, and it’s constant struggle to fight against those ingrained thought patterns. Even as I type this, there’s a little voice in the back of my mind reminding how easy it was diet when I last worked in an office. And there’s an underlying fear that no matter how much I do or don’t diet, I’m just going to keep gaining weight.
I know, objectively, that diets don’t work. I went on my first diet at 79 kilograms just on ten years ago, and I now weigh 114 kilos. Throughout that time, I’ve dieted, restricted, binged, and purged.
It doesn’t work. I know this.
Every day is a struggle. So every day I read Notes From The Fatosphere, every day I read Fatshionista, and every day I try and surrond myself with people who love me for who I am, and who are as passionate about acceptance as I am.
Sometimes it isn’t easy being fat. That’s OK.
Monday, October 5th, 2009
Being a fat acceptance blogger doesn’t mean you won’t feel down sometimes. It doesn’t mean you will come across things that make you question what you believe. It doesn’t mean you can brush off all the hurtful words as ignorance. But that’s OK.
So over the last few weeks I’ve been feeling a bit anxious here and there when a few medical symptoms have come on. Also during the last few weeks, I’ve been really into myself about being fat yet again. I’ve equated fat as being bad and that to be healthy I need to not be fat. That doesn’t sound very fat accepting, and it isn’t. However I went there and I’m happy to admit to my flaws.
I’m fairly new to the fat acceptance concept compared to some of the other bloggers on AoF (like my wife) and so I still sometimes struggle with the idea. I still have thoughts of “well it’s not healthy to be fat, that’s why I’m sick” or “I feel so tired – if only I wasn’t so fat!” What is important to remember is that even the best of us at some stage can go back to old, more familiar habits without realising it.
When I think more clearly, the issue is clearly a health one. If I exercised more, I would be healthier. If I ate better (fresher foods; foods that don’t upset my reflux; smaller portions which is also important for reflux) then I would be healthier too. Doing these things would help me to be healthy.
“So?”, you say. That’s a weight loss program.
Yes, it is. But what if I lost no weight? You can eat the perfect diet, and do the perfect amount of exercise and still be fat and healthy. What’s so wrong with that? If I have a general level of fitness and a generally good, nutritious diet, then so what?
Weight loss isn’t the goal. Healthiness is the goal. If I aim for health and achieve it, it doesn’t matter if I’m fat or not. What matters is that you accept me no matter what shape I am, or what level of health I have.
To me, that’s fat acceptance as I understand it.
Disagree? Talk to me.
Axis of Fat People in Art
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
I’ve been a member of Red Bubble since 2008, creating art and selling it as prints. I’m an illustrator (primarily) and like to use lots of different body shapes in my art but back when I was at university studying visual art I noticed that I enjoyed life drawing sessions with larger models. Somehow, it feels much more natural for my hand to follow my eye when the lines are loose and flowing! I thought I’d show you a few of the artists on Red Bubble who are inspired by the fat form.
[img_assist|nid=96|title=|desc=|link=none|align=none|width=367|height=550]
Urban Attitude by TokyoCandies
[img_assist|nid=97|title=|desc=|link=url|url=http://www.redbubble.com/people/paul/art/2575766-2-play-nice|align=none|width=550|height=506]
[img_assist|nid=98|title=|desc=|link=url|url=http://www.redbubble.com/people/paul/art/3177573-2-soulmistress|align=none|width=549|height=526]
[img_assist|nid=99|title=|desc=|link=url|url=http://www.redbubble.com/people/bglatzeder/art/3213750-2-venus|align=none|width=550|height=400]
[img_assist|nid=100|title=|desc=|link=url|url=http://www.redbubble.com/people/samdurkin/art/266764-10-the-fairy-of-cakes|align=none|width=549|height=550]
The Fairy of Cakes by Samuel Durkin
[img_assist|nid=102|title=|desc=|link=url|url=http://www.redbubble.com/people/definatalie/art/2602252-3-the-dolly-dimples-diet|align=none|width=392|height=550]
The Dolly Dimples Diet by Natalie Perkins
(Woops, did I get a little self-promotion on this post?!)
I was hoping to support artisans on madeit.com.au by featuring plus sized garments and other crafts, however a search yielded nothing. Nada! I’m hoping this is just a failing of the search engine on the site… can you point me in the direction of Australian artisans and makers of plus size items? I started with madeit.com.au because it’s Australian, and this blog is primarily concerned with an Australian take on fatness, but if you’ve got Australian Etsy links I’d love to see them!
Tell me about your favourite art with fat people in it!
“Stop empowering fat people.” Wait, WHAT?
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
Seriously, that is the title of the op-ed piece that’s been spewed across the front page Australia’s biggest news website, news.com.au, and printed in the Herald Sun.
Now, I’m kind of pissed off, so this blog isn’t going to be all tra-la-la citing studies and the like.
It’s a visceral fucking reaction to the idea that fat people are empowered. Um, NO. In fact, I would go so far as to say EPIC NAH. Because we aren’t empowered. We’re fucking marginalised.
Let’s dig a little deeper, shall we?
First, some standard skinny-bashing:
Indeed, this month’s Fashion Week In Melbourne abandoned the usual stick insects for some models who were size 14-18
Can’t have thin women feeling good about themselves, nope.
Let’s be honest.
Oh, this ought to be good.
While these women might make us feel better about our bulging butts and guts, the truth is, few women over a size 14 are in a healthy weight range.
So feeling good about yourself is unhealthy? I’m just going to time out for a second here, and point out that your mental health is so important, and so often pushed aside in favour of the more visible physical health. Healthy self-esteem is incredibly good for you.
As for the horseshit about being over a size 14 and OMG OBESE, I shall direct you to Kate Harding’s BMI Project. See what underweight, normal, overweight and obese really look like. It might surprise you.
Most of the women on catwalks are freaks of nature and it is only right that the pendulum is swinging towards more achievable bodies.
So if you’re skinny, you’re a freak, but if you’re a size 14, you’re OMGOBESE?! Narrow standards of beauty indeed.
But there is a limit. I know it’s not fashionable to say this, but some of the women being embraced as positive role models and ambassadors for larger people are obese and should lose weight for health reasons.
Oh heehee, I know it’s not PC! UR SO EDGY BB.
Except, you’re not, because you’re espousing a view that is the norm. THE NORM.
And of course, it’s not because people are ew yuck gross fat. It’s just for their health. Of course. Because by looking at someone you totally can guess every aspect of all their health issues. Great! No more going to the doctor – just email them a photograph and they can diagnose you like that?
Also, hey, Susie O’Brien? You’re not an MD. SO SHUT UP. (Come on, if she was an MD, she’d have mentioned it. Just sayin’).
Okay I need to point something out here:
And, reflecting the expanding girth of many Australians, more and more retailers, such as Myer, Sportsgirl and even Ed Hardy, are jumping on the bandwagon, and offering larger sizes.
Sportsgirl goes to a SIZE SIXTEEN. That’s one size above the national average, and is considered a missy size. And last time I was in a Sportsgirl (admittedly a long time ago, because it’s overpriced Supre-esque cack, in my humble opinion), the size sixteens are not generous. At all.
Yes, larger teens deserve to be able to wear fashionable clothes, like everyone else. But the discourse of self-empowerment surrounding the move is stopping us asking why so many young people are size 16 or more in the first place.
No, it’s not. Fat teens can wear fat clothes while you pontificate about losing weight. It’s not an either/or situation, people.
And this is nearly making me cry: a discourse of self-empowerment.
Why, why, why do people want others to feel bad about themselves? How is it productive? How is it helpful? Whether it’s being fat, skinny, or any other trope, why is being different so offensive?
Sure, such moves reflect the reality of a rapidly growing population, but they also serve to normalise a size that is not healthy for most young people.
And back to the diagnosing entire swathes of people based on how they look.
Ooh, cognitive dissonance time:
In recent weeks the debate has been spurred on by the larger thighs and flabby tummy of 20-year-old model Lizzie Miller in Glamour magazine in the US.
Readers in the millions embraced the image of the gorgeous, naked young woman letting it all hang out for the cameras. But at 180cm and 76kg, she’s hardly plus-sized.
Okay, so she’s got large thighs, and heaven forbid, a flabby tummy.
But suddenly she’s not plus-sized? WELL GEE, WHO’D HAVE THOUGHT. Whose side are you on, anyway, Susie?
Losing weight is hard work. It takes sacrifice and effort. As a mother of three in my late 30s with a new gym membership, I know this first-hand.
The tiniest violin in the world, bb. And maybe an *emotear*. Seriously, you have post-pregnancy weight? Maybe it’s just because you gestated three new human beings inside you. That’s pretty awesome, and tends to change your body shape. Yeah. And as for sacrifice – well, yeah, if you mean sacrificing your mental health, probably your physical health once you gain it back (because why would we have a diet industry if we could all lose weight and keep it off?), and hell, any interesting kind of food. I don’t know about the rest of you, but food’s pretty awesome.
It’s much easier to accept the pro-fat manifesto than hit the treadmill.
Just, no. If it was easier to be pro-fat, we’d have taken over by now.
Let’s face it, Australians – like Americans – do not need any encouragement or permission from role models in the media to put on weight.
Thanks for fighting the good fight against positivity and healthy self-esteem in the media, Susie! Fortunately for you, size-acceptance is still a significant minority in terms of media coverage, so not to worry there. A nice underhanded anti-American slight too – very smooth.
Alarmingly, a new Australian study of more than 30,000 people shows obese and morbidly obese men are less depressed and less suicidal than those of a normal weight.
You know why Susie? You really want to know why? C’mere, I’ll tell you a secret.
…
FAT PEOPLE EAT. People who don’t eat or diet tend to (anecdotally, this is my experience) feel like absolute shit because they are hungry all the fucking time. It messes with you.
But it’s time to get real – fat people may be happier but they’re also digging their graves with a fork, and we’re all paying for it.
Well, you should be happier that we’re killing ourselves! Because then you’ll get to stop paying for us! (As stupid as that concept is, because we have semi-socialised healthcare here).
And we get to the crux of the article. Underneath all the ‘but it’s for your health’ hand-waving, Susie O’Brien just thinks fat people cost too much. And are ugly.
Look, if you don’t want to give us nice clothes to wear, that’s fine. Just get us a clause to go around naked.
Source: News.com.au (careful of the comments, they tend to represent the lowest common denominator.)
On Being Fat and Career Minded
Tuesday, August 25th, 2009
I’m currently a public sector employee and I’ve been in the sector since 2002. Up until then I was either unemployed or working part time jobs like Chinese Food Delivery Driver or Franklins Checkout Chick. I was lucky to get a traineeship with the State Government and my career world has expanded from there. (Lucky I was a male – I seemed to fill a required quote!)
Seven and a bit years on, with only a three month foray as a temp in the private sector, I’ve done pretty well for myself. I don’t have a university degree, but I have a degree in “working your way up through the public sector.” My Year 12 (final year) high school Accounting has become very handy over the years, and I’ve gone from an Administration Officer, Procurement Officer, Senior Procurement Officer (titles are everything!), Assets Officer, Finance Officer and now Senior Finance Officer (there’s that title thing again!). At the moment I’m an Acting Team Leader. I think that’s pretty ace.
So now that I’ve given myself a massive ego trip, onto the point of my post. I feel like I’ve achieved a lot in my career. I worked hard and taken some knocks. It took five years to get myself a permanent position rather than hanging onto my career by a thread. Another two to get a permanent promotion. And yet I’ve been FAT all the while.
There is this idea that there is a glass ceiling that if you are fat you will never succeed in business. You never see fat men and women in movies or on TV running corporations or even being middle management. Usually the fat guy is the one middle management are picking on. It doesn’t have to be that way.
I have some tips to help you in order to success in your career while being fat and fancy.
- Always be fancy. By that I mean dress well, make sure you have well fitting clothes that suit your figure. Don’t show too much skin and dress according to the general feel of your working environment. A couple of days in any organisation will show you what is expected. (You could always ask – no one will bite!)
- Be confident in your abilities. You were hired because they thought you would be good at your job, so be good. Do your best and ask for help. Don’t get into the mindset that you have to work it all out on your own. Sure, show some initiative but you need to get stuff right.
- Don’t play the fat card. You know what I’m talking about, and I’ve done it plenty of time. This is where you are all talking in a social situation and you are talking about this and that. “Oh, I’ve never done that – but I can’t cause I’m too fat!” Perhaps be honest and say “It’s never really interested me” or whatever the truth is. Also don’t do the fat jokes. Been there, and people aren’t laughing with you – they just feel sorry for you.
- Be yourself. You have to be there eight hours a day. If you want to have that chocolate bar, have the fecking chocolate bar. If you want to go for a walk at lunchtime, go for a walk. The only caveat here is that if you like to chat with your workmates a lot, don’t let it impact on your work. In fact, nothing should impact on your work.
Actually when I think about it, just about all that could be used for non fat people too. Just replace any reference to fat with skinny or normal or whatever defining word you want to use and it still makes sense.
So in conclusion, being fat doesn’t make you a poor employee, so don’t sabotage yourself, get in there and work hard. If you get knocked back for that promotion, ask why. Get feedback. Find out what things you need to improve on to get to the next level. They cannot deny you because you are fat, so don’t give them any other reason to say no.
I note reports that fat women have more issues in the workplace than fat men. This could be true but I’m not really in a position to comment myself. If you feel that this is the case, leave me some comments. If there is enough feedback perhaps I can form it into a future post presenting a female perspective on this topic.
