December 2016 NAAFA Newsletter |
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2016: Looking Back and Looking Forward
by Darliene Howell
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The end of each year gives us the opportunity to look at what has been accomplished and formulate plans for things to come. In 2016 we updated the
NAAFA General Brochure, created the
Making a Case for Legislation to End Size Discrimination fact sheet and published the
Size Diversity in Higher Education Tool Kit. All brochures, fact sheets and tool kits are available on the NAAFA website at:
http://www.naafaonline.com/dev2/about/brochures.html
NAAFA has been vocal in support of your civil rights by contacting legislators, government agencies and others as issues arose. In 2016, we:
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Filed a public comment with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on rules governing wellness programs that could potentially invade the privacy of employees' family members.
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Sent a letter to the Centralized Case Management Operations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services countering a complaint filed by the Obesity Care Continuum (OCC).
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Spoke out against Oral Roberts University’s new requirement for students to purchase and wear a Fitbit; technology that has proven to be faulty. Information from this device is fed to the school and factored into their academic grade. NAAFA believes this to be a violation of the students’ rights.
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Sent a letter to ask the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health to vote against the passing of House Bill H.R. 1189, Preserving Employee Wellness Programs Act.
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Sent a letter to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce - Subcommittee on Workforce Protections in support of House Bill H.R.4266, the Nurse and Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2015, with requests for additional education and training.
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Asked members to support the efforts of college students by signing a petition against weight discrimination in the workplace.
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Asked members to write to their political candidates (local, state and national) to gather information about their stand on ending size discrimination so they can be informed when they VOTE.
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Sent a letter to the EEOC regarding their strategic planning for Fiscal Years 2017-2020, asking them to increase the focus on size diversity and decrease size discrimination in the workplace.
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Commented on the draft recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on “Obesity in Children and Adolescents: Screening”, urging them to change their final recommendations to be based on weight-neutral principles.
To reduce administrative costs, we introduced a new payment processing gateway with BlueFire, switched our phone system to Consumer Cellular, changed our newsletter provider to Benchmark, and eliminated the expense of two storage units in northern CA. All of these things will allow your membership fees and donations to go further in the fight for size equality.
We’re proud of what we’ve been able to do, and we couldn’t have done it without you! We need your membership commitment to accomplish even greater things in the coming year.
Things to Come:
Future projects include updating the 2009 NAAFA Size Diversity Toolkit, which was distributed to the Fortune 500 companies of the US. With the the new toolkit, we will offer a free consultation with a leader in our community to assist the company in making their business environment more size-friendly.
In 2017, we will offer free bi-monthly webinars presented by members of NAAFA’s Advisory Board on a variety of subjects; a result of your suggestion in our 2015 member survey. We have slated the following presenters and subject matters:
Joanne Ikeda – Health At Every Size®
Esther Rothblum - Weapons of Mass Distraction: How fat people can address the "but aren't they unhealthy" and "why can't they just lose weight" critics
Lily O'Hara - Human Rights
Paul Ernsberger - Food and Drug interaction
Sondra Solovay - Workplace Discrimination
Tigress Osborn – Plus-size Fashion
Keep your eyes open for a special email with more information on the January webinar with Joanne Ikeda!
These accomplishments, past and future, depend on help from members like you. We hope that you will continue your support. Our annual membership fee is only $15.00. It’s easy to renew today from our website at:
http://www.naafaonline.com/dev2/get_involved/join-give.html
Your generous one-time and recurring monthly donations are always welcome. Should you wish, you may earmark donations for a specific project. It’s not too late to make a donation and receive tax credit for 2016. Thank you for supporting NAAFA in the fight for Equality at Every Size!
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No Fat Shame This Holiday Season
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Crystal Newman, President of Fat Positive Louisville, shared these brilliant tips on Thanksgiving, and we share them with her permission now as we head into the holiday season. They’re also great tips for social gatherings all year round! For more info on Fat Positive Louisville, check out their Facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/fatpositivelouisville
The holidays can be rough for fat folks. I ask that you all be mindful by not promoting fat shame and diet culture. Here's some tips:
1. Their plate, their business. Please don't call out people over how much they have on their plate. Mind ya business.
2. No diet talk and food moralizing (good vs. bad food). That includes talking about how many calories x dish has, fear of becoming fat, "oh after this I'm gonna work this off so I don't gain weight", etc. Also, "that's not good for you," "that pie is so unhealthy.”
3. No unsolicited comments on another person's weight and size. "You got big,” "You gained/lost weight."
4. You see a person making rude comments, try to do something. Change the subject, pull people aside, comfort the person being fat shamed, whatever approach is comfortable for you.
5. Everyone, especially fat folks, be yourself. You don't have to wear/not wear certain things to look slim or flattering. You don't have to impress anyone. You don't have to restrict. Enjoy yourself.
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December is the “too much” month! Too much to do. Too much traffic. Too much drinking. Too much . . . “too muchness” usually leads to “not enoughness”. Not enough time. Not enough money. Those two probably cover most.
What to do instead? Here’s how you might make an end run around all that. As you are falling asleep at night, appreciate. Appreciate simple things like your pillow, your blankets, the roof over your head, pets if you have ‘em. When you wake in the morning do the same. (Use appreciation, it’s an active version of gratitude.)
See how long you can stay in appreciation mode. Sometimes I don’t make it past coffee, but I have fun trying. Next I meditate. It’s what I call meditating anyway . I put on a 15 minute audio and snuggle with my dogs while I hold my coffee cup. I learned this appreciation ritual from my spiritual teacher Abraham-Hicks.
It’s nice to start the day feeling good. Make as many decisions as you can from a good feeling place. You know how it feels when you’re clear about something? That place feels so good.
Now try this:
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Decide what you’re doing, or what you’re doing next from the clearest, best feeling place you can find
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Keep your attention on the “right now” as much as possible
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Find the smallest sweetest next step and just do that
I offer more practical holiday tips for keeping up your energy and good cheer in my
SF Bay Times column. Find out how to smile and breathe more right here:
http://sfbaytimes.com/avoid-these-holiday-traps/
Small Steps
This blog post shares how to make good use of your time when you are standing in line (too much standing in line during the holidays!) It will help you if standing in line is hard on your body:
https://cindersays.com/2012/12/11/make-standing-in-line-easy/
Remember to breathe, smile and enjoy your holidays!
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Flying While Fat
Fat activist Stacy Bias introduced an incredible documentary animation video this month that perfectly demonstrates what it’s like to fly when you’re fat. Stacy and her video were featured in articles in
Cosmopolitan magazine and on Upworthy.com. I am sure you will be able to relate.
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Health At Every Size and HAES are registered trademarks of the Association for Size Diversity and Health, and are used with permission.
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Why Fat Activism is Important in Trump’s America
by
Tigress Osborn
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As I contemplate the outcome of our presidential election, there are many things about which I am uncertain. But no matter what other shifts in culture we see as a result of these political changes, fat shaming will be alive and well in Trump’s America.
During the President-elect’s run for office, a street art campaign featuring naked Trump statues was unveiled in cities across the country. Size acceptance activists—including many who are vehemently opposed to Trump—spoke out against the body shaming and other oppressive attitudes inherent in the statues’ presentation. Many in the fat community stood up against using his physical appearance as representation of his attitudes, because those who share Trump’s body type do not necessarily share his politics. Our message: if you oppose the man, oppose him without making his body the receptacle for that opposition. We demanded this of conservatives and progressives and anyone else who mocked the statues. But we can't expect Mr. Trump to return the favor. Trump has openly mocked fat people, in particular fat women. There’s no reason to believe that the President-elect will encourage a political discourse that is free of insults and body blaming. Based on what we've seen, our future Commander in Chief will not be setting the example that fat shaming and bullying are unacceptable.
In early December, among the headlines about Trump’s cabinet picks, anti-Trump protests, and other post-election coverage, another story was breaking hearts. It was the story of 18-year-old Brandy Vela, who ended her life in what she saw as the only way to end the severe bullying she had been enduring at the hands of other teens because of her weight. Brandy’s pain is all-too-familiar to fat people of all ages; her loved ones’ pain is echoed in the hearts of others who’ve suffered loss because of bullying-related suicide.
The tragic end of Brandy Vela’s life is just one way that fat oppression is real. Size discrimination shows itself in everything from social bias to career barriers to medical mistreatment. Fat prejudice limits access to services and prohibits opportunity. Fat stigma is so pervasive that it makes people willing to risk their health and wellbeing in pursuit of thinness. The dehumanization of fat people is a daily occurrence in American culture. Yet, we enter another administration that is unlikely to fight such discrimination. In fact, the president-elect is more likely to call a fat person a name (or to insult a thin person by calling them fat) than to protect the rights of fat Americans. This should be of major concern to all Americans who care about freedom, about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Still, there are fat people who enjoy other privilege in our culture, particularly if they are fat people who are not minorities in other ways. Within fat community, we experience oppression differently based on our varied identities. It will be rough to be fat in Trump’s America, as it has been rough to be fat in anyone’s America for decades now. But as we think about those who Trump, his administration picks, and his supporters have targeted and will continue to target, fat people are not actually at the top of that list. On the one hand, the prejudices and harassment we have been experiencing are not likely to decrease. On the other hand, there is no discussion of a fat registry, a fat deportation plan, or a wall to keep fat people out. Fatness exists in deep prejudice in some ways, and (at least on its own) in privilege in others.
Based on that duality, there are two things fat rights advocates must do in Trump’s America. First, we must maintain our movement. Our demand for rights remains important. Our visibility prevents our erasure. The safe spaces we create nourish, fortify and sustain us. The love we give each other in a world that labels us unworthy is essential to our survival.
Second, we must continue to make fat activism more intersectional. Even when fatness isn't being targeted, members of our circles are under attack because of their other identities. We need to actively engage, individually and as a community, in actions that support anti-oppression for all. Our commitment to civil rights is because we understand the importance of those rights for everyone. Our demand for rights should be matched by supporting similar demands from others. Our visibility projects should be inclusive and boost the signal of others who are being erased. The love we give each other should extend beyond our fat circles into others that need it.
Whatever comes of our new president and his administration, we’re all in this together. May we continue to fight the good fight. |
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Media and Research Roundup
by Bill and Terri Weitze
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October 20, 2016: The old argument of how to deal with fat airline passengers comes up again, with the concept of passengers paying by weight. At least now there's also talk of providing fat flyers with seats that fit.
http://www.bbc.com/autos/story/20161020-should-obese-passengers-pay-more
November 14, 2016: Various fat exercisers explain why most of what you have been told about exercising is wrong and unhelpful, and share their tips for a good work out routine.
http://www.prevention.com/fitness/fitness-advice-for-plus-size-exercisers
November 15, 2016: A study finds weight cycling puts women at the highest risk for sudden cardiac death and coronary heart disease, especially for women with “normal” body mass index (BMI).
http://time.com/4571618/dieting-weight-loss-heart-health
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/134/Suppl_1/A12888.short
November 16, 2016: Melanie Pineda writes about under-representation in the media of large bodies, particularly women, and why it is time to stop obsessing about body images that are generally unattainable.
http://www.nyunews.com/2016/11/16/plus-size-representation-still-lacking-in-modern-media
November 17, 2016: Dr. Phil is once again in trouble, this time for exploiting Shelley Duvall’s mental illness for ratings. This is just one case of his long history of using vulnerable people, including long-time NAAFA member Maryanne Bodelay.
http://nypost.com/2016/11/17/inside-dr-phils-long-history-of-exploiting-his-patients
November 17, 2016: Chrissy Metz, star of This Is Us, is fat and beautiful and says that she thinks fat bodies are “awesome and sexy”. However, her contract for the show requires her to lose weight as her character does. Metz claims that the weight loss is for health. Guess nobody has told her that fat does not equal unhealthy.
https://www.yahoo.com/celebrity/this-is-us-star-chrissy-metz-talks-contractual-weight-loss-im-not-selling-out-the-big-girls-002726414.html
November 17, 2016: An interview with Corissa Enneking, the fat girl behind the popular blog and YouTube Channel FatGirlFlow, reveals her take on fat fashion and fat intersectionality.
http://www.pride.com/fallfashion/2016/11/17/fat-girl-flow-proves-representation-body-positivity-are-always-style
November 18, 2016: Soul and funk vocalist Sharon Jones passed away from pancreatic cancer. Leaving the music business for years after a record producer told her she was “too fat, too black, too short, and too old”, she returned after a few years and rose to acclaim with the Dap-Kings.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/sharon-jones-soul-singer-with-dap-kings-dead-at-60-w451517
November 18, 2016: The obesity “paradox” strikes again, as yet another study shows that being fat can protect against death in patients with deadly disease, in this case pneumonia. (The study looked at other types of infection and did not find any other similar relationship.)
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10096-016-2835-1
November 21, 2016: Curvy Girl Lingerie, based in San Jose, California and online, hosts a fashion show presenting sexy undergarments for women up to size 32. Author and fat activist Jes Baker is a featured guest.
http://abc7news.com/society/plus-size-lingerie-promotes-positive-body-image/1608583
November 24, 2016: Canadian fashion blogger Cynthia Ramsay Noel always loved glamorous clothes, but struggles with an eating disorder and a simple lack of options kept her from them. Now, at over 300 pounds, she's showing off high style at her blog Flight of the Fat Girl.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3967630/I-felt-disgusting-unworthy-Plus-sized-fashion-blogger-reveals-overcame-anorexia-decided-just-wanted-enjoy-life.html
November 28, 2016: A wellness blog out of New Zealand explains why a focus on body mass index (BMI) is hazardous to our health.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/86991252/why-reducing-our-wellness-to-a-bmi-number-is-hurting-our-health
December 1, 2016: Another article points out what we already knew: fat people have a tougher time finding a job, and are paid less on average when they do.
http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20161130-fat-people-earn-less-and-have-a-harder-time-finding-work
December 1, 2016: Author, activist, and lecturer Virgie Tovar writes about privilege, Jamaican men, fetishes, and fat. She challenges why desire for fat bodies is considered abnormal when desire for thin bodies isn't even questioned.
http://www.ravishly.com/2016/11/30/take-cake-thin-fetishism-more-common-fat-fetishism
December 1, 2016: An 18-year-old woman takes her own life in front of her family. She had been bullied online for being fat.
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/01/health/teen-suicide-cyberbullying-trnd/index.html
December 1, 2016: Maddie Baillio, star of Hairspray Live on NBC, talks about her journey to body acceptance thanks to the character of Tracy Turnblad.
http://www.refinery29.com/2016/12/129979/who-is-maddie-baillio-hairspray-live-tracy-turnblad
December 1, 2016: WooPlus is a location based dating app for fat folks and their admirers, creating a Tinder for the fat community. To provide a safer space, the app now includes a balance system intended to weed out those who harass and insult others based on size and appearance.
https://www.yahoo.com/style/plus-size-dating-app-will-now-ban-fat-shaming-fools-030409517.html
December 2, 2016: Chuck Norris understands that diets do not work and that stressing over food and calories can lead to weight cycling. Providing scientific backup, Norris talks about enjoying the holidays without food guilt.
http://www.wnd.com/2016/12/chuck-norris-asks-is-obesity-deadly-by-itself
December 5, 2016: Stacy Bias presents an animated documentary short about flying while fat, featuring voices of real fat airline passengers describing their experiences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eoiml0Co50Y
December 6, 2016: Ashley Graham, the first plus-size (size 14 UK) model to appear on the cover of British Vogue, is interviewed about her career, accepting her own body, and the haters she deals with because of her size and success.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-4006114/Ashley-Graham-reveals-told-kill-somebody-making-fat-cool-fires-cruel-body-shamers-plus-size-model-cover-British-Vogue.html
December 6, 2016: A group of fat bloggers created their own size 22 plus style lookbook, because they are tired of mainstream campaigns that feature women in the lower end of the plus size spectrum with hourglass figures.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/norawhelan/size-22-plus-lookbook
December 6, 2016: A short film, Dangerous Curves, features the beautiful Roslyn Mays sharing her life as a fat pole dancer and certified fitness trainer.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/opinion/dangerous-curves.html
December 7, 2016: After problems finding stylish well-made clothes, Baseball all-star and MVP Mo Vaughn comes out with his own line of clothing for big men (currently up to 4X but extending to 6X next year) with the help of family friend Diane Cutuli.
https://chubstr.com/resources/mo-vaughn-mvp-collections-stylish-big-tall-line
December 9, 2016: Jessamyn Stanley, fat yogi and the star of this year’s Adipositivity Project calendar, discusses her concerns about the body positive movement being co-opted by people who are looking to capitalize on the movement.
http://www.shape.com/trending/yogi-baring-it-all-very-empowering-reason-nsfw
December 14, 2016: Fat women bloggers talk about some common misconceptions people have about being plus-sized in this video.
https://thescene.com/watch/presents/7-things-plus-size-women-want-you-to-know |
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Founded in 1969, NAAFA, the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, is a non-profit human rights organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy, and member support.
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