When I discuss the concept of health on this blog I include some version of the following:

Health is not an obligation, barometer of worthiness, completely within our control, or guaranteed under any circumstance.

Recently reader Deborah asked me to talk more about this so I thought I would do that today, taking it piece by piece

Health is not an obligation

Health is a complicated concept, it can be a moving target and different people have different definitions.  When I say that health is not an obligation, I’m saying that nobody owes anybody else “health” or “healthy” behaviors by any definition. People are allowed to make choices that not only don’t prioritize their “health” based on whatever definition, but that actively put their health, up to and including their lives, in danger.

People are allowed to play sports even though they lead to sports injuries in the short term and can lead to chronic issues. People are allowed to go mountain climbing even though only people who climb mountains fall off of them and get injured or die. People are allowed to spend tons of time outside even though it vastly increases the risk of skin cancer.  People are allowed to be sedentary and eat fast food.   People are allowed to participate in extreme sports with huge risk. People are allowed to be cast members of Jackass. People are allowed to be rockstars and not get any sleep. People are allowed to be professional football players and put their bodies at tremendous risk.  People of all sizes get to make choices about their bodies and health, and there are no obligations as to what those choices have to be. (Those who want to make a “but my tax dollars!” argument can check out this post.)

Otherwise it becomes a slippery slope – if there is evidence that eating a raw foods diet and practicing hot yoga are “healthier” than other choices do we all have to do that?  Do we all have to eat cashew cheez between downward dog in 120 degree studios?  If there’s evidence that going paleo and long distance running is”healthier” do we all have to eat a ton of meat while ultra marathons?  Do we end sports because there are activities people can do that have the same health benefits but are less risky?

People use this idea of “fat people not prioritizing our health” as a justification for their bigotry and poor treatment of us while being completely fine with thin people who behave in the same ways that they believe fat people do.  In order to refrain from sizeism and healthism, we need to stop acting like other people’s bodies and choices are our business. So unless the people discussing other people’s behaviors and health are excited about being told what they are allowed to do by the newly elected Overlord of Health, it’s time to stop making this argument.

Health is not a barometer of worthiness

It is completely, totally, wildly, inappropriate to use health as a way to judge people.   People who have health issues should be given accessible treatment options that have their decisions respected.  They should not be judged or asked to prove that their health issue is not somehow “their fault” because that is absolutely horrifying.  This is another area where sizeism and healthism intersect

It does not matter what size someone is, or the reason for their health status, or what their habits are, everyone deserves to be treated with basic human respect, and to have care options based on their own values and choices.  The only appropriate healthcare treatment is blame free, shame free, and future-oriented. There is no health issue, personal health choice, or health status that should cause someone to lose the rights to basic human respect and life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Health is not completely within our control

Health is multifaceted and includes genetics, environment, stress level, access to healthcare, behaviors (food, movement, sleep, etc.) Nobody is completely in control of all of these factors, and increasingly experts suggest that we are overestimating the amount of control we have over our health outcomes.  The number factors that each of us has control over varies depending on factors like socioeconomic status, ability to access care, social oppression like racism, ageism, transphobia, homophobia, fatphobia etc., effects of things that happened in our past and more.  The job of public health should be to remove barriers to health and fight the things that get into the way of health, the current model of public health wherein people try to make the individual’s health the public’s business is ineffectual and just plain lazy.

Health is not guaranteed under any circumstance

An extension of the fact that health is not completely within our control – no behaviors guarantee a specific health outcome, people get all kinds of illnesses regardless of their behaviors or body size. Thin people get all the same diseases that are correlated with being fat, so being thin cannot be a sure preventative or a sure cure.

When it comes to discussions of health and fat people I think it’s very important to make a distinction between the civil rights movement of Size Acceptance, and the healthcare paradigm of Health at Every Size.  I also think it’s important to speak out against the bullshit Good Fatty/Bad Fatty dichotomy, and to discuss the ways that healthism and ableism are used as tools to oppress fat people.

And I think it’s important to remember that health is not an obligation, barometer of worthiness, completely within our control, or guaranteed under any circumstance.

Like this blog?  Here’s more cool stuff:

Become a Member For ten bucks a month you can support size diversity activism, help keep the blog ad free, and get deals from size positive businesses as a thank you.  Click here for details

Buy the book:  Fat:  The Owner’s Manual  The E-Book is Name Your Own Price! Click here for details

Book Me!  I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information on topics, previous engagements and reviews here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

Dance Classes:  Buy the Dance Class DVDs or download individual classes – Every Body Dance Now! Click here for details 

I’m training for an IRONMAN! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com

A movie about my time as a dancer is in active development (casting, finding investors etc.).  Follow the progress on Facebook!

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to check out this post.

 

A common question I get from readers, including fat people and thin people who want to work in solidarity with fat people is how to intervene when they see fat shaming, or food shaming (or really any kind of shaming) happen.  Recently a reader asked about this situation:

I was wondering if you had any advice about what to do if you see someone else being shamed in that way, particularly children, who cannot easily stick up for themselves. As an example (and definitely not an isolated incident in my fat-phobic family): Several months ago, I was at a gathering with family and friends, and my SIL said to a child (not her own, a family friend), “Do you really need two of those?” (I think they were sliders or something like that.) The girl replied, “I always have two.” And my SIL said in an exasperated tone, “Alright, if you’re gonna do it, do it.” My heart sank for her, but I just froze and said nothing, and in the months since have kicked myself repeatedly for not supporting this preteen girl. But I just couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t further embarrass her. What would you have said and done?

There are several options and which option you choose depends on how you feel on any given day, your relationship with the people involved, and what you are comfortable with:

Immediate and Direct

Say something immediately in the situation – you can be serious or try a little humor.

• Wow, that’s seriously messed up.  I’m sure if she wants help with her food choices she’ll asked someone she trusts.

• If we want the food police we’ll call 911.  Let’s keep our attention on our own plates.

Talk About It Later

When you say something in the moment there is the risk of further embarrassing/drawing attention to the victim of the shaming, or giving them support that they don’t want. I suggest that you not use that tactic unless you are very sure that the person will be comfortable with you standing up for them. If not, then addressing it later might be a better choice.  For this you wait until later and then approach the two people separately.

You might share with the person who got shamed that you saw what happened and that you are sorry that they were treated so pooerly  You can share your own story of how you realized that the problem wasn’t you but the people who think that their beeswax is located on your plate (or body.)  You  might share some tools that you use to deal with it.

Then you might talk to the shamer, let them know that what they did was dangerous, that talking like that can lead to kids having disordered relationships with food and their bodies that can cause them to develop eating disorders, or see their bodies as bad and unworthy of care. Maybe tell them that even though you know they meant well, that you are really uncomfortable with them commenting on other people’s food choices.

Global Statement

In this option you follow up a shaming statement with a non-specific global statement, it can be a little more immediate but without putting any more focus on the victim of shaming.

• I wish we lived in a world where people didn’t make comments about other food choices.

• I wish we lived in a world where bodies of all sizes were celebrated.

Distract/Change the Subject

If you are going to go with the “Talk about it later” option, or if you aren’t planning to address it for whatever reason (a totally valid option) you can try to give the person being shamed some relief by distracting the shamer/changing the topic:

• How about that recent/upcoming sportsball game and the local and/or college sportsballing team?

• How are your bowel movements? (and if they look surprised you can say “I’m sorry, I thought we are asking each other inappropriate personal questions.”)

• I need to get this recipe from you – who knew that you could get this much stuff to float in jello! (This may only work in the South…)

To me the most important thing about understanding shaming is that the problem is the shamer’s bad behavior and not whatever their victim is doing. I’ve found it to be helpful to suggest that if someone who is being shamed is feeling embarrassment, they consider that they aren’t embarrassed for themselves, but for the shamer who is making a complete and total ass of themselves.

Have other ideas?  Please feel free to leave them in the comments!

Like this blog?  Here’s more cool stuff:

I’m one of 35+ speakers at the Brave Body Love Conference offering tools to help women of all sizes who want to improve their relationships with their bodies!

Become a Member For ten bucks a month you can support size diversity activism, help keep the blog ad free, and get deals from size positive businesses as a thank you.  Click here for details

Buy the book:  Fat:  The Owner’s Manual  The E-Book is Name Your Own Price! Click here for details

Book Me!  I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information on topics, previous engagements and reviews here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

Dance Classes:  Buy the Dance Class DVDs or download individual classes – Every Body Dance Now! Click here for details 

I’m training for an IRONMAN! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com

A movie about my time as a dancer is in active development (casting, finding investors etc.).  Follow the progress on Facebook!

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to check out this post.

 

 

 

 

Today a reader e-mailed to tell me about her experience in dealing with a fat shamer.  I was so inspired by the story that I want to share it in its entirely (with permission, of course), and then we’ll talk about it a little:

Here’s what happened.  Last year I started working on a project for production this spring.  It’s a play with 4 characters – 2 women in their 60s, one woman in her 40s and a guy of undetermined age, but probably middle aged.  My part was the woman in her 40s (for which I am very suitable).  The actor playing the guy character is a great actor and is very large.  We got a director and I thought he understood that the cast came ready made – the parts were already cast.  Two weeks ago he told me that he saw my character as a much younger and thinner woman – someone who could also persuade the audience that she can ride a bike (show mentions bike) – and someone who could represent a love interest. Effectively he didn’t want to cast me in my own show.  He said he saw the guy part as someone also much younger and thinner, with a toned and muscular body (play calls for taking off shirt).  He thought the audience would be uncomfortable with the guy’s fat.  I explained that the discomfort was part of the play and should be there, and that the actor playing that part had already been cast, and I wasn’t going to uncast him..

At this point I had a choice.  The old me (pre-Ragen) would have taken it all, and would have thought that he was right.  I probably would have let him give my part to someone else who was younger, thinner and prettier.  I would have been left feeling really bad and with zero self-esteem and wondering how my show had been hijacked.  But I fought back.

What I said was that the cast was non-negotiable, as was my vision of the play (I mean, I am the producer, right?).  If he could work with it, that would be great, and if not, then maybe we would work together some other time.  He decided that he could not compromise his own artistic vision in order to accommodate mine.  I said okay – I understood.  Now my artistic director and I are looking for another director.  Huzzah!!

I still don’t quite believe I managed to stand up for myself and didn’t succumb to the fat shaming.  As someone with very low self-esteem, it was really hard.  I was initially shocked and horrified that he wanted to do this months after the initial reading. It was really hard to stand my ground, and I could feel myself shaking when I was talking to him, but somehow I found the strength to do it.

There may be repercussions from the other cast members because the fat shaming director is a big shot in this theatre community.  I decided that if they want to leave, I’m not going to try to stop them.  We will just recast and move on.  I could not have done it without all of your help and the conviction that you bring to your work.  I’m very proud of myself that I didn’t let the fat shamer win.

First of all, I think that when the director said that he couldn’t “compromise his own artistic vision” what he was really saying was that he refused to examine or work on his prejudices about fat people  Then he tried to convince her that she should also give in to his prejudice because it’s likely that the audience will hold the same prejudice and wouldn’t she rather just perpetuate prejudice than challenge it?  This is the kind of bullshit that keeps bigotry in place and I’m so inspired by the way that she stood up to it.

Let’s be clear that at the idea of a fat woman riding a bike or being loved – things that lots and lots of fat women do – he feels the need to stick his fingers in his ears and yell “LA LA LA I CAN’T HEAR YOU LA LA LA THAT’S INCONCEIVABLE!!!” then work as hard as possible to perpetuate bigotry and stereotypes, and take his ball and go home if others won’t cooperate. Trying to sell this as “artistic vision” doesn’t make it any less an act of bigotry.  Of course fat people are not the only group to be subjected to this – this same bullshit is used to justify a lack of representation for people of color, women, disabled people/people with disabilities, queer and trans people, and people of various ages – especially older people, especially older women.

What this reader did is exactly what it takes to create change in a messed up world. Bigotry shouldn’t happen, the world shouldn’t be like this, we shouldn’t have to fight or debate for our right to exist or to be represented in the media. It’s not our fault, but it can become our problem. Risk is the currency of revolution. If we want to create social change (and nobody is obligated to do so) there will be risk involved. To create social change a lot of people will risk a little, some people will risk a lot, and a few people will  risk everything.  Each of us gets to choose what, if anything we want to risk, and when, and how, and there should be no shame or judgment for any of those decisions.

Interactions like the one above are how change happens.  When one of us decides No. Not this time. When one of us stands up, not because it’s the easy or safe thing to do, not because we are sure that other people will stand up with us, but because it’s time to stand up.

Years ago a friend gave me a custom mousepad with an Og Mandino quote on it.  I still use the mousepad and and read the quote everyday for inspiration. The last line is:

This is the time.  This is the place.  I am the person.

Damn right it is. Damn right we are.

Like this blog?  Here’s more cool stuff:

I’m one of 35+ speakers at the Brave Body Love Conference offering tools to help women of all sizes who want to improve their relationships with their bodies!

Become a Member For ten bucks a month you can support size diversity activism, help keep the blog ad free, and get deals from size positive businesses as a thank you.  Click here for details

Buy the book:  Fat:  The Owner’s Manual  The E-Book is Name Your Own Price! Click here for details

Book Me!  I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information on topics, previous engagements and reviews here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

Dance Classes:  Buy the Dance Class DVDs or download individual classes – Every Body Dance Now! Click here for details 

I’m training for an IRONMAN! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com

A movie about my time as a dancer is in active development (casting, finding investors etc.).  Follow the progress on Facebook!

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to check out this post.

One of the ridiculous reasons given for refusing to represent fat people in the media as happy or successful at anything other that weight loss is that fat people aren’t prioritizing our health and are therefore bad examples who must be kept out of the media.  For today I’m setting aside the fact that this is both completely untrue and that it even if it was true it would still be extremely messed up, to discuss the almost unbelievable hypocrisy that is committed whenever this argument is made.

Perhaps you’ve heard of a little game called Football (or American Football if you’re outside of the US.)

If we really believe that we should not give positive representation in the media to people who don’t “prioritize their health” then I’m pretty confused by some things when it comes our massive media promotion of those who choose to play football:

First is this incredibly long list of injuries for last season.

And what about the massive impact of concussions on players future lives (and the NFL cover-up thereof.)

Or the fact that the massive rate of bankruptcy means that most of them can’t likely afford the future healthcare they’ll need.

Not to mention that many of the players are “obese” based on their BMI.

Football players are given massive media exposure despite the fact that they are clearly not prioritizing their own health.  The NFL makes more money than any other sport and its commissioner has predicted that they will achieve $25 billion in annual revenue by 2027.  (That will still be less than half the current revenue of the diet industry but that’s a whole other blog post.)

So if we think that people who don’t “prioritize their health” are poor role models and shouldn’t be represented positively in the media, what was that whole Superbowl thing about yesterday?  Where is the hand-wringing that football players aren’t good role models because they aren’t prioritizing their health.  Where are the calculations about how expensive football players (at every level) will be – not just with sports injuries while they play, but with the fallout from concussions, and the constant pounding their joints take?

Where are the calculations of how much money could be saved if instead of playing football those who participate just walked 30 minutes a day 5 days a week?  Where’s the government-sponsored “War Against Football”? And all of that despite the fact that body size is complicated and not entirely within our control and we don’t have a single study where more than a tiny fraction of people were able to change their body size, but playing (and quitting) football is absolutely a choice.

The truth is that this whole “It’s because of fat people’s health” thing is just a crappy justification for size-based discrimination, and it’s long past time to stop using healthism to justify sizeism, and to end both of them instead.

Like this blog?  Here’s more cool stuff:

Become a Member For ten bucks a month you can support size diversity activism, help keep the blog ad free, and get deals from size positive businesses as a thank you.  Click here for details

Buy the book:  Fat:  The Owner’s Manual  The E-Book is Name Your Own Price! Click here for details

Book Me!  I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information on topics, previous engagements and reviews here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

Dance Classes:  Buy the Dance Class DVDs or download individual classes – Every Body Dance Now! Click here for details 

I’m training for an IRONMAN! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com

A movie about my time as a dancer is in active development (casting, finding investors etc.).  Follow the progress on Facebook!

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to check out this post.

I received an e-mail from a reader recently (who gave me permission to share it) that said:

 I was getting dinner out with my husband at a local hamburger joint, which has two sizes of burgers – the “Little”, which is a single patty, and the regular, which is a double. I ordered the regular.  The lady at the register looked at me and asked if I knew how big the regular was.  I replied that I was really hungry, and we continued with the transaction.  I was completely humiliated, especially when, while waiting for our order to come up, I was close enough to overhear other transactions with customers and she asked no one else that question.

In writing, it doesn’t seem like much, but that small 30 second exchange has really devastated me.  I fight with depression in the best of times, and now I feel as if I cannot get over that.  Every time I try to eat I get upset because I keep hearing that evil voice in my head that tells me I’m worthless and shouldn’t be eating like this, even if it is a normal meal/ portion size / whatever.  I hate feeling like this.  What can I do to get back to the mostly confident woman who understands that there is nothing wrong with me, and that it is the haters that are in the wrong?

In addition to the stigma and oppression that we face on a societal level (war on obesity much?), as fat people who are involved in public displays of fatness, we can also face a lot of shame, stigma, bullying, and oppression that comes in small bits every day – negative comments about our bodies and food choices, dirty looks, spaces that don’t accommodate us, seeing ourselves constantly represented negatively in the media.  Then there is another layer that happens when we talk about it and are told that either it’s all in our heads and/or it’s “for our own good”  so we should accept and even be grateful for this treatment, and other truly troubling responses. Finally are the well meaning people who tell us not to talk about it because they still believe that ignoring bullies makes them go away, or who don’t want to hear about it.

It happens so often that it becomes part of our reality and sometimes it can build up, and then suddenly something that seems small can just be devastating.  Some things that I have found that help are:

Putting the problem where it belongs

Remember that the world is messed up, you are fine. The problem isn’t that we, as fat people, exist. The problem is the bullying, shaming, stigmatizing and oppression that we have to deal with, and the people who are perpetuating it.  We are not obligated to try to change our body size to end our oppression – we have every right to demand our right to exist and not be oppressed in the bodies that we have.

When you feel shame because of stigma that is directed at you, one option is to redirect that shame into embarrassment/anger/frustration with the person who is stigmatizing you.  You can do this in your head, or you can do it out loud.  You can write a letter or e-mail and send it, or burn it, or whatever.

Create a Mantra

Just something quick you can say in your head when, as many times throughout the day it happens, you are faced with size-based prejudice.  Mine is “Hey, that’s bullshit!” but you can of course do what works for you.

Create a Supportive Community

Subscribe to body positive blogs so that you get them in your inbox, join Size Acceptance Facebook communities, join (or create!) Size Acceptance meet-ups in your area, tell the people that you spend time with that you are practicing SA/HAES and that you want them to support you but not engaging in negative body talk/weight loss talk etc. around you.

Engage in Activism

Size-based oppression is rampant right now and it’s going to take time, and a lot of activism to fix it. But this isn’t about that.  Nobody is obligated to engage in activism of any kind for any reason, but activism doesn’t just have to be about changing the whole world, it can also be about changing our world.  It can be about standing up for ourselves, a way to maintain our good self-esteem, and give our full-throated support to our amazing fat bodies.

Regardless of how you deal with it, please know that you shouldn’t have to – even though this becomes our problem it is not our fault.

Bring Me To You!

I’m booking talks for Spring and Fall of this year.  If you want me to come to your school, business, or organization (even if you’re not sure how to get it done), just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org and we’ll talk about the options.  If you want to bring me to your community but don’t have funding or an organizational affiliation, I can help you with that too – e-mail me and we can talk about the possibilities.  See you soon!

Like this blog?  Here’s more cool stuff:

Become a Member For ten bucks a month you can support size diversity activism, help keep the blog ad free, and get deals from size positive businesses as a thank you.  Click here for details

Buy the book:  Fat:  The Owner’s Manual  The E-Book is Name Your Own Price! Click here for details

Book Me!  I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information on topics, previous engagements and reviews here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

Dance Classes:  Buy the Dance Class DVDs or download individual classes – Every Body Dance Now! Click here for details 

I’m training for an IRONMAN! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com

A movie about my time as a dancer is in active development (casting, finding investors etc.).  Follow the progress on Facebook!

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to check out this post.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It will likely come as no surprise to you that selling the idea that we can manipulate our body size is big business – to the tune of over $60 Billion a year for the diet industry.  Of course, when you spend that much money to put out that many ads you have to get a little flowery with the language, and then you get no end to the euphemisms for intentional body size manipulation that we (including me) use all the time. Today I thought I’d take a closer look.

Lose Weight:  Let’s start here, with perhaps the most common term.  For me it conjures an idea of someone wandering around the neighborhood yelling “HEEEEEERE WEIGHT!  COME HERE WEIGHT!  WHERE’S MAMMA’S SWEET LITTLE WEIGHT?!”  hanging up flyers on telephone polls. Most people are able to make their bodies smaller temporarily, though in the long term almost everyone gains the weight back, so maybe “Weight Lost and Found” would be a better term.

Shedding Pounds:  This sounds like I’m going to find tiny bits of fat stuck to my furniture and clothes, like we need to develop a “pounds roller,” cousin to the lint roller.  I’m sure if the diet industry thought they could make money off of it they would make it, even if it’s not necessary or effective.

Reducing: I feel like they are going to put me in a sauce pan and simmer me until I’m half my original volume.

Diet:  In the good old days this just meant the food that someone ate.  Now it is a word loaded with meaning and connotation, made compound with terms like Paleo, Viking, and South Beach, and used to bore one’s dining companions and/or try to establish someone’s moral superiority through a big performance about their mastication.

Getting Fit:  This is just wrong.  Fitness is about conditioning the body for movement in one or more of four aspects – strength, stamina, flexibility and technique.  Nobody is obligated to participate in movement of any time, but the conflation of weight loss/body size with fitness is an unholy marriage that causes any number of issues including the mistaken belief that the only good/correct outcome of activity is a smaller body. If someone says “That person is fit” or someone says “I’m not fit” we haven’t been given any information about their body size.

Got some of your own?  Leave them in the comments!

I’m excited and honored to announce:

I’ll be the keynote speaker and teaching two cabaret dance workshops at the 2nd Annual Dangerous Curves Convention in Detroit June 12-14!

I’ll be one of the keynote speakers at the Weight Stigma Conference in Reykjavik, Iceland September 18-19th! (I’m also putting together a European speaking tour while I’m there so if you’re interested e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org.

I hope to see you there!!!!!

Like this blog?  Here’s more cool stuff:

Become a Member Like my work?  Want to help me keep doing it?  For ten bucks a month you can support size diversity activism, help keep the blog going ad free, and get deals from size positive businesses as a thank you.  Click here for details

Buy the book:  Fat:  The Owner’s Manual  The E-Book is Name Your Own Price! Click here for details

Book Me!  I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information on topics, previous engagements and reviews here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

Dance Classes:  Buy the Dance Class DVDs or download individual classes – Every Body Dance Now! Click here for details 

I’m training for an IRONMAN! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com

A movie about my time as a dancer is in active development (casting, finding investors etc.).  Follow the progress on Facebook!

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to check out this post.

 

It’s “Say Something Sunday,” a day dedicated, at least on this blog, to personal Size Diversity activism. I’ve got some suggestions below and/or of course you can do your own thing and feel free to leave a comment about it. If you have ideas of things to do for Say Something Sunday I’d also love for you to share those.

I did the math and if everyone who views the blog each week did one piece of Size Diversity Activism a week, it would add up to over 1.5 million body positive messages put out into the world this year.  Multiply that times the number of people who might see each of those messages and things start to increase exponentially. To be very clear, nobody is obligated to do activism so if this doesn’t appeal to you that’s totally cool, I’ll be back tomorrow with your regularly scheduled blog post!

My ideas for this week (these are just suggestions, feel free to change them to make them work for you, and if they don’t appeal to you feel free to do your own thing!)

• Head over to The Australian and tell them to give Colleen McCollough the respect that she deserves in her obituary.

• Notice when people are judged for their looks first and their talent second and speak up – in comments on articles, social media, television show discussion forums etc.

• Write a fan/thank you letter to a public figure who is fat and who has to deal with all the bullshit that comes along with following your dreams in a fat body.

If you want to do more of this kind of thing, consider joining the Rolls Not Trolls group on Facebook, it’s a group created for the specific purpose of putting body positive things in body negative spaces on the internet and supporting each other while we do that.  It’s a secret group so if you want to join just message me on facebook (I’m Ragen Chastain)

Have a great Say Something Sunday!

Let’s Hang Out!

Schools are back in session and I’m booking talks for Spring and Fall of this year.  If you want me to come to your school, business, or organization (even if you’re not sure how to get it done), just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org and we’ll talk about the options.  If you want to bring me to your community but don’t have funding or an organizational affiliation, I can help you with that too – e-mail me and we can talk about the possibilities.  See you soon!

Like this blog?  Here’s more cool stuff:

Become a Member For ten bucks a month you can support size diversity activism, help keep the blog ad free, and get deals from size positive businesses as a thank you.  Click here for details

Buy the book:  Fat:  The Owner’s Manual  The E-Book is Name Your Own Price! Click here for details

Book Me!  I’d love to speak to your organization. You can get more information on topics, previous engagements and reviews here or just e-mail me at ragen at danceswithfat dot org!

Dance Classes:  Buy the Dance Class DVDs or download individual classes – Every Body Dance Now! Click here for details 

I’m training for an IRONMAN! You can follow my journey at www.IronFat.com

A movie about my time as a dancer is in active development (casting, finding investors etc.).  Follow the progress on Facebook!

If you are uncomfortable with my offering things for sale on this site, you are invited to check out this post.