Halfway Hip

I weigh 185

I know I've written about being fat before, but it all bears repeating. We have to work hard to change the cultural messages we're given daily. I've been thinking about it a lot lately again for various reasons. Response to the always lovely Coco's Fat Tuesday photo gave me a lot of food for thought. I especially liked Coco's response to a not-so-admiring commenter:

"My goal here is to provide counter speech and an alternative view of fat that is not awash in the shame that is brought upon ALL bodies not specifically coded for sexual consumption and other aspects of consumer culture. I am sorry that you felt so much shame towards your fat body. I am sorry that these horrible feelings about yourself still plague you to such a degree that you feel justified in insulting someone who displays characteristics you hate about yourself. But please don't make the mistake of thinking that your emotional turmoil is universal, or that it is shared by me. You can tell yourself whatever you need to in order to justify your own self-hatred - that of course I must feel the same way you did, and that the years of self-loathing were appropriate. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that's all it is - justifications for time you wasted not loving yourself as you are. What you have said here only strengthens my resolve to encourage people of all sizes to choose self-love over the horror you so obviously carry with you."

And, please, watch this Fat Rant by Joy Nash. If you're fat, you'll love the validation and the points she makes about making excuses and not living. I also love her point about having a "built-in excuse" as well as her stats on diets and obesity, which I've heard/read elsewhere but they are worth hearing again. If you're not fat, watch it to unpack maybe just a little of your baggage, especially if you love someone who is fat.

The end of an era...

The end of an era..., originally uploaded by Halfway Hip.

Evan has weaned, at the age of 2 years, 4 months. It's truly the end of an important chapter in my life. Almost to the day, I had been pregnant or nursing for seven years straight. I can't lie; it's been so nice to have my body back. However, even after 3 weeks, I still feel little pangs that I might have ended it too soon. LITTLE pangs. :)

BMI Illustrated

Take a look at this BMI Illustrated set on Flickr. Very interesting. I just looked up my BMI, and it's 31.6..."obese."

On being fat and another feminist blog to love.

I've read about fat acceptance before in feminist mags like Bitch and Bust, but I had only just scratched the surface. The women at Shapely Prose will fill it in very nicely for me. Check it. Thanks for the recommendation, Tanya. Oh, and Tanya has also raved about a book called Rethinking Thin, which is going on my short list. All I know is that I'm so tired of thinking things like, "I can wear XYZ after I finally lose all this weight." I've eaten more healthfully this past year than I have in my entire life, and I have also exercised more than ever before. Even with a nursing toddler, I've only managed to lose just a few pounds. It's beginning to dawn on me that this might just be my normal, natural size. It's also beginning to dawn on me that I might be okay with that. All I ask is that I be able to find some flattering, fashionable clothes.

I am pro-choice.

It's hard for me to boil down the reasons why. That would be like wondering why I try not to be racist or why I think the poor and underprivileged are deserving of help. Thankfully, there's a better writer who can boil it down. Please go read her Blog for Choice now.