Friday, May 27, 2011

Thank you Oprah.

As Oprah concludes her amazing television tenure, I thank her for letting us experience her weight struggles. Her vulnerability documents society's view of large people plus the struggle in a world with the thin ideal. An Oprah weight struggle montage concludes with this message from Oprah:


"I know the battle has not ended."


This reminds me of phrases we hear often:
Battle of the Bulge. 
War on Obesity. 
Fighting Fat.


I hope in her transition, Oprah decides to put down the big guns and stop keeping score. I hope she changes from a battle cry to messages of self compassion and acceptance. A kind truce instead of another fighting diet. It is only in stepping away from the battle that she will find peace.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Poor or unemployed? Maybe its because you are too fat.

After reading this article, I feel discouraged by the missed opportunity to help instead of further harm and perpetuate stereotypes. This article reviews recent research suggesting larger women, unlike larger men,  are paid less and more likely to be unemployed.

What a cruel world we live in where a person is still stereotyped as less deserving of compensation or employment because of appearance. I suppose the civil rights movement has yet to sink in.

Instead of recognizing the discrimination, the author suggests larger women should conform and change to avoid the stereotyping. Weight loss tips conclude this article rather than questioning our society's oppression of larger women.

As I type, I recognize the author lives in this same society as the stereotype. This collective unconscious oppression would be off the radar as an unquestionable normal assumption. So sad for all of us.

Our job: keep talking (loudly!) about size discrimination. Promote Health At Every Size. We may feel like salmon swimming against the stream yet we have the power to plant powerful seeds to change future generations. And equal pay.
 
Header Image from Bangbouh @ Flickr