I saw this story on the local news tonight. The anchors were surprised and incredulous that people would be killed for their fat, but it has happened, and we shouldn’t make light of these terrible murders simply to crack fat jokes.

Next Thursday, families in the U.S. will be celebrating Thanksgiving. The day after Thanksgiving, known as Black Friday, officially kicks off the holiday shopping season as bargain hunters risk bodily injury to get $300 HD flat screen TV’s and whatever video game is hot right now.

There’s been a lot of talk this year about the economy and how retailers have stepped up their game to get people to spend money on presents, fearing the current economic condition will not ensure a happy holiday for the retail industry. But for a lot of fat people, finding the cash to fulfill wish lists comes second only to making sure we continue not to eat what we want at those holiday get-togethers, when it comes to the media.

From November 1st to December 31st, it seems we’re always getting advice on how to not to gain weight for the holidays and how to eat during those big family meals.  Now, I don’t encourage anyone to stuff themselves to the point of feeling physically ill, but we should be able to enjoy this time of year without constantly being told how bad we are by eating a few sugar cookies or having a second glass of eggnog.

It’s bad enough we have to put up with radio stations playing Christmas music even before the turkey comes out of the oven (some stations started playing Christmas music the day after Halloween!) and being mocked for not starting our shopping when the weather is still warm enough for us to wear shorts. But to be constantly reminded that eating means gaining weight and gaining weight is worse than committing murder, well, it’s enough to turn anyone into The Grinch.  Then comes January, which means even a bigger focus on dieting and finally making that New Year’s resolution to stop being a fatty fat.  ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!!!!

So here’s a quick piece of advice for y’all:

Don’t change your eating habits, and enjoy those holiday gatherings without guilt, without shame, and without attending a Weight Watchers meeting on January 2nd.

And since it’s Friday, I’ll end with a little fluff. Tonight is the premiere of New Moon, the second movie in the Twilight saga, so no doubt millions of teenage girls (and their moms) will be flooding the theaters rooting for either vampire Edward or werewolf Jacob to win the heart of damsel in distress Bella.  So while the Team Edward and Team Jacob fans battle it out,  I must answer the call of a more important question:

or

?

I don’t know, it’s going to be awfully hard.

Have a great weekend!

For those of us who live in a place where we do get winter, it’s important to have a coat, or two, or three. And these days, coats aren’t just about keeping us warm, but looking stylish while we’re out in the cold weather.

One good thing about coats is that retailers recognize even fat people have to wear them too, and for the most part, it’s not that hard to find one, even if you’re above a 3X. Coats are pricey, but they’re  something most people need, so it’s not wasting money on a throwaway item you’ll wear just once.

Short quilted coats with faux fur hoods have been a popular choice for teenage girls and young women the last several years.  Here’s a cute red one (also available in espresso, ivory and black) from Fashion Bug, priced reasonably at $49.99 and it goes up to a 4X (30/32). The hood is detachable and it also zips up.

I’ve really been impressed with the coat line Roaman’s has put out this season. This is my pick from their collection. I’m a sucker for coats and jackets with big buttons and I love the length. The faux fur hood zips off and underneath the buttons (which are just there for looks) is a double zipper.  The coat retails for $69.99 to $79.99 and goes up to a 5X. It’s also available in black, but I prefer the gunmetal color shown above.

Plus Woman offers several coats in their collection; here’s an all-fleece one guaranteed to keep you cozy. This can be custom made to your measurements for $143.00 and you have your choice of grey as shown, several reversible color combos and other colors, or a leaves print. Plus Woman’s sizes go all the way up to 10X and pieces are made in the USA for ladies who don’t want imported items. This coat is 38′ long and the model wearing it is 5′5.

Plaid belted coats are hot this season. Here’s Torrid’s take on the trend, for $128.00 and available from sizes 0-4 (1x-3X) in their signature fuchsia and black color combination.

Want a little color and bling while keeping warm? Try this cute quilted puffer jacket from Baby Phat for $89.00, available in sizes 1X-3X.  The hood is not detachable. Baby Phat also offers more stylish coats in longer lengths as well.

For ladies who need some warmth but not a whole lot of bulk, here’s a quilted jacket from Avenue/Jessica London.  Raspberry is the featured color here but it’s also available in cinnamon and a grass green up to size 28, on sale from $39.99 to $49.99. The site is also giving $25 off orders of $75 or more through Sunday. Happy shopping!

Now, I’m not condoning the criminal activities of this woman.  But it’s interesting to watch this old Unsolved Mysteries video and hear how people thought that with her weight and appearance, she possibly couldn’t have worked in a corporate position or had the brainpower to get away with her crimes. The perception of fat people as less than intelligent, working-class only citizens, even when they’re breaking the law, shows how much size prejudice is ingrained into our culture.

Here’s some food for thought as most of us are about to celebrate Thanksgiving and get ready for Christmas and any other end-of-the-year holiday we celebrate:

The average weight gain during the six-week span from Thanksgiving to New Year’s is just under one pound, according to a yearlong study of nearly 200 people published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Not the typical five to ten pound weight gain we always hear on the news and/or read in various articles.

Most still don’t want anyone, especially fatties, using this as an excuse to actually enjoy eating holiday meals with friends and loved ones, especially if we’re in public. But remember, we shouldn’t have to be miserable during the holidays because other people think we should, simply because we’re living life in a larger body.

The H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, has been hitting children and teenagers who are in fairly good health pretty hard. Surprisingly, the focus on the number of youngsters contracting the illness has not led to a real outbreak of reports (at least in my area) on how fat people, especially fat people who are considered “morbidly obese”, are prime targets just because of their weight.

This may be changing.

The link above is to a video of a CBS Early Show report which discusses a study of 268 obese and morbidly obese people hospitalized for H1N1. The study concluded that out of the total group, 58% of obese and 25% of morbidly obese (roughly 156 and 67 respectively) developed complications from the virus. The study does not list what these complications were, or how long it took to overcome these complications. Obese and morbidly obese people who contracted H1N1 but were not hospitalized apparently were never looked at.

With such a small number of people studied, it doesn’t make sense to automatically lump all fat people into the increased risk pool for H1N1. But as we’ve seen from the medical community, any ailment these days is caused by fatness, so why not stick H1N1 into the mix.

We know that increased weight is correlated with diabetes, heart disease, cancer and strokes, but we also know many fat and deathfat folks don’t develop these illnesses, nor is fat a direct cause.  It may be a correlation here as well that weight could factor in to someone contracting H1N1 and/or having a longer recovery period from the virus, but again, fat is not a direct cause of it.

Like the seasonal flu and lesser colds/viruses, they don’t target a specific group of people. Germs are everywhere, and eventually people will get sick, regardless of weight. I would hate to see the medical community yet again resorting to scare tactics and using small study samples to proclaim that an entire population might become sick because they’re too fat and deemed unhealthy. And even if some are unhealthy in other areas, there’s no real chance they’ll get this virus in the first place.

While browsing YouTube tonight, I searched for 80’s fashion and several runway collection videos from the 80’s popped up so I decided to watch a few.

Can you spot any current retro trends in any of these videos? The sweaters and oversized jewelry from the Bob Mackie video would be right at home in today’s 80’s fashion revival. I think Beth Ditto would be all over the first dress, especially if it was much shorter.  La Roux would probably go nuts over those loud printed jackets.

Also, it’s interesting to see that while the models were still thin back then, they were smiling, bouncy and more lively on the runway.  They don’t look like death warmed over.  And, unlike today, these shows didn’t shy away from using models of different ethnicities (and models that appear to be in their thirties as well) to sell their clothes.

Speaking of the 80’s fashion revival, I have been resisting it. As an 80’s kid, I didn’t need to start wearing clothes that resembled what I had drawers full of twenty years ago. But Saturday, I was in Dots at the Lancaster, PA outlets and ended up buying a gray and black striped long tunic that came with a black stretch snap belt. It screams 1986 and I look like I belong in a John Hughes movie, but it fit and only cost me $18. I can pair it with jeans, skirts, capris, dress it up or dress it down, and versatility is very important to me when it comes to clothing. I’ll have to get a picture of me wearing it and post it here one of these days.

A few costumes over the years:

Here’s me on Halloween, 1987. A family friend made this sorceress gown and I added purple sparkles. Unfortunately, I ended up spilling salad dressing on it after wearing it to a party for nursing home residents the day before.  (Yup, 12 years old and eating salad. Take that haters)!

I ended up working at the nursing home mentioned above in 2001 and this was a costume I wore on Halloween 2003.  With little time (and no talent) I wasn’t able to do a skull face, so I just applied some white and black makeup. More Hot Topic than Old Gothic, but it worked.

Technically this is not a Halloween costume but for a 70’s party my former activities department threw for the residents.  I’m adding it here because to be quite honest, I look pretty damn good!   The decals on the sweatshirt are just iron-ons from Michaels craft store.

I was unable to do the mummy face because my pumpkin was too short.  So I chose this skeleton coming out of the flames instead. This sucker was the hardest pattern I’ve ever carved and I had to do some adjustments so my little guy wouldn’t come loose. But all lit up it doesn’t look too bad.

And here’s me, about two hours ago. I had just come home from a day of shopping and stuck a witches’ hat on my head to get into the spirit. The shirt I’m wearing I bought from Roaman’s this summer.

I hope however you celebrated tonight, you had a spook-tacular time!

One of my favorite parts about Halloween is pumpkin carving.  A gifted artist I’m not, so I was thrilled when I did freehand carving, that it always managed to look decent.

But thanks to carving pattern books, I can achieve really cool results. To some, it may be cheating, but if you weren’t blessed with drawing ability, they’re a godsend. It still takes time and patience to carve the design, and when you’re done, you can’t help but be a proud pumpkin mama.

Here are some of my pumpkins from Halloweens past:

This was last year’s design, “Haunted Hal.”  The eyes are my favorite part and this was one of the easier patterns to do.

I call this one  “The Happy Vampire.”  He’s more cute than scary.

I carved this bat for Halloween 2007.

The Halloween Kitty prepares to greet trick-or-treaters.

I also carved a nifty spider that I didn’t take a picture of. This year, I’m doing a mummy face and I’ll be sure to snap a photo and show it to you all.

Happy Halloween Eve!

Inspired from NAAFA’s article:

When I was in my 20’s I enjoyed going clubbing. I always loved dance music, from the disco of the 70’s, to 80’s synth pop and now to today’s bass-driven beats.  I was never one for drinking and trying to flirt with guys, but when a man asked me to dance or saw me dancing and wanted to join me, I didn’t turn down the opportunity.

I also was never denied entrance to a club, despite being deathfat. But 10 years ago, fat people weren’t the public targets they are now.  I never heard of fat women being not allowed to go to a club until last year.

But sadly, it does happen, and this is why a handful of clubs, mostly in California, have opened that exclusively cater to fat people, providing a safe space for those who may be denied entrance  or ignored in mainstream clubs.

Some people may be turned off by the premise due to their belief it encourages chubby chasing and portraying fat women as sex objects. I am aware that Club Curves (which then had to change its name to Club Moxie due to legal problems with the chain of Curves gyms), one of the first clubs for fat women and men who have no problems dancing or talking to them, is now known as The Big Girl Club, focusing on a more urban clientele and a highly charged sexual atmosphere. The clubs mentioned in the NAAFA article seem to attract a more diverse clientele, from a mother of three to a man who lost weight, but still wants to hang with the fatties.

I think it’s great we have ladies like Lisa Marie Garbo and Kathleen Divine who want to provide places where fat men and women can have a good time without being the literal elephant in the room.  The next step is to show some of the mainstream clubs who don’t want us in their establishments that they need our money and our patronage just as bad as our fellow thinner clubbers.

Have any of you been treated badly or ignored at a mainstream club? Do you avoid clubs because of your size?  I’d like to hear your take on NAAFA’s story.