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Comments
It wasn't even that hard. I quit beer (which I've broken like 3 times), I quit fried foods, I quit sweets, and I quit chips/snacks. etc. Then I went running every day (something I've never done in my life).
You can lose weight if you want. You just don't want to because you're lazy. I was like that until this year, and I was like "What the fuck, being fat is stupid."
You know what tastes better than doughnuts? Not being fat.
Dan is a dick
How wonderful for you. How wonderful that this is YOUR experience.
Now, tell me - I work out five days a week, I don't drink beer, I don't eat fried food, and I have maybe one "sweet" a week. Why aren't I losing weight? Am I just not as awesome as you?
PS - fuck off.
People who will shame fat people will shame practically anyone.
@ Lindy, do you have a blog anywhere but here?
I so <3 you, it's not funny. BTW. In your other post (RE: Ban Fat Marriage), I slogged (ha) through the Savage Love archives to find examples of Dan talkin' 'bout obesity. (#79).
Great photo, Lindy, & cute shirt too.
hell to the fuck yeah!!!!
Thank you for being a voice for those who are too scared/shy/embarrassed to stand up for themselves.
Thank you for calling out the unfair prejudice people face due to their size/weight.
Thank you for being proud of who you are. I hope you continue to be an advocate for 'people of size' (I hate that term but it's better that 'fatties') and remind us that we should be able to come to terms and follow your example.
You are an inspiration. Thank you.
Dan for the epic fail.
p.s. you can easily lose weight by not eating so god damn much and getting some exercise, you just have to decide to do it like quitting smoking.
I love how skinny people think fat is lack-of-will and how ripped muscular people think skinny is unmotivated and how heteros think that gay is a choice. And the world goes round... ( : =
har!
I already knew you were awesome, and taking on your boss for his hypocrisy just makes you that much more awesome. Are you taking applications for best friend?
There is absolutely no way 5'9" 263lbs is acceptable and this is a classic example of not thinking you can fix it because you don't know how to fix it.
Here is a tip: stop reviewing burger joints!
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/uneed…
U certainly didn't "needa" burger.
"Oh, and also, aside from the chocolate milk shake (AWESOME, even though it was technically a black-and-white, which I usually do NOT condone), everything else was kind of legit gross. Onion rings ($4) were battered so thickly they resembled Krispy Kreme doughnuts with a fryer-fat glaze of visible grease. And a small Cobb salad ($5)—despite a promising abundance of hard-boiled egg—was weirdly both sweet and bitter, with a dressing reminiscent of frozen Minute Maid lemonade concentrate. We picked out the bacon and left the rest. But you know what? Guess how much I cared? Zero. Zero much. I am smitten with another."
Gross.
All the other things folks have said about fat on this blog in the past 48 hours - wahh! I'm touching a fat body on an airplane! wahh! Looking at fat people is icky! - is self-absorbed bullshit.
The health problems of obesity are worth discussing in a serious, non neener neener fatty, kinda way. But part of living in the world is occasionally seeing & being put into contact with people you wouldn't have chosen to. Grow up.
Look, I love Lindy as much as anyone, she is 95% the reason I come to this site (the rest being Mudede).
My point is: you don't get to say "Being fat is like being gay" when in reality you have complete control over being fat.
PS @10 You are clearly not as awesome as I am. What a dumb question. Also, I won't fuck off because this is the internet, silly!
That was harsh, and says more about you than it does about her.
Best wishes, Lindy!
You rock, Lindy.
<3 a loyal reader
It is not paternalistic, antrho-chauvo-swinocentric, or anything else to find rolls of fat unsightly. Most people feel this way, in the same way that most people find open sores unsightly. Maybe they're wrong to do so. But it is, bottom line, a statement of fact (inasmuch as a "fact" for a word like "unsightly" is inherently subjective).
Be fat. Enjoy it. Awesome! It's going to be downright attractive to some people, especially with your intelligence and personality. But the rest of us have no obligation to pretend to find fat people attractive when, in fact, we do not. It is unfortunate that there is social pressure on children to conform to fitness norms... in the same way it is unfortunate that there is social pressure to brush your hair and teeth.
And please wait to compare fat people to gays until you aren't allowed to marry. Most gay people don't care if some jerk in Alabama thinks they're going to hell. Gay rights are about equal protections under the law, not muzzling people who find homosexuality offensive. I hope the number of people who feel that way declines over time, just as I genuinely hope the number of people who find fat people to be unattractive declines. But in the meantime, I would never presume to tell those people that they can't speak their honest mind because it violates our right to approval.
And someone might want to mention to Dan that sometimes it isn't about the gay, it's about the jerk.
Although I am not fat, there is a part of me in my brain that tells me I'm fat every single day. Guess what? Sometimes it wins and I feel like a piece of shit. And sometimes the old bulimia comes back.
Guess what else? Sometimes there are affirming voices like yours that say "No, you're fine. Go do what you're good at and wear clothes you like, regardless of the number on the tag. Be like Lindy West, who does what she is good at (making jokes! eating burgers! whatever).
So thanks again.
And yeah, there does need to be more of a FUCK OFF approach to dealing with the trolls (and Dan, whom I love). It is too easy to loose sight of the point (dignity and joy) and get caught arguing on their terms. You are my favorite. Hands down. My boyfriend and I read your reviews aloud to each other as soon as you post them. And although I'm sure the shitstorm will be kind of heartbreaking, at least for me, thank you so much for going for it. Seriously. Really admirable. Really impressive. And very kind. Wow.
There is absolutely no way 5'9" 263lbs is acceptable and this is a classic example of not thinking you can fix it because you don't know how to fix it.
Here is a tip: stop reviewing burger joints!
http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/uneed…
"U" certainly didn't "needa" burger.
"Oh, and also, aside from the chocolate milk shake (AWESOME, even though it was technically a black-and-white, which I usually do NOT condone), everything else was kind of legit gross. Onion rings ($4) were battered so thickly they resembled Krispy Kreme doughnuts with a fryer-fat glaze of visible grease. And a small Cobb salad ($5)—despite a promising abundance of hard-boiled egg—was weirdly both sweet and bitter, with a dressing reminiscent of frozen Minute Maid lemonade concentrate. We picked out the bacon and left the rest. But you know what? Guess how much I cared? Zero. Zero much. I am smitten with another."
Gross.
I'm a regular reader (and almost-never commenter) and Dan's posts drive me crazy, but I chalk them up to him needing to grow up a little and having insecurities about himself and his own appearance. That doesn't make it right, though, and I find it alienating as a reader.
@46 It was Dan that started the gay-fat comparison, yo.
To me, it's like safe sex. Once the public service message is out there about healthy eating, everyone should just pay attention to their own bodies, and not judge other people for theirs.
And a big "FUCK YOU" to #2, #29 and especially #46, and anyone else missing the point. SERIOUSLY: OPEN SORES?! I call insane troll logic.
Not my ordering. It was a direct response to the OP's 1/2/3/4 list. I didn't address 4, but #1 was shaming someone for daring to say that rolls of exposed flesh was "unsightly." Tough shit if that hurts Lindy's feelings -- that's something that turns that person off, and she's gotta deal.
>>But part of living in the world is occasionally seeing & being put into contact with people you wouldn't have chosen to. Grow up.
Yeah, people like those who say "ewwww." When it comes to attraction, fat non-acceptance is exactly as valid as fat acceptance. The important battle that overweight people should be fighting is the one against themselves -- their self-talk, their self-hatred. That's the utility in "fat acceptance." The outward-pointing rage? That can fuck right off. Being fat is not rocket science: barring the very slim (lol) minority with thyroid/medical problems, it's a matter of caloric imbalance, brought on by impulsive eating habits and their lack of activity. It isn't anyone else's problem. This is the woman who reviews burger joints and eats beef served between two halves of a Krispy Kreme donut. I doubt very much that "sorry I reject your ewwww" is a more defensible denial of someone's right to be who they are than someone's preference not to witness exposed flesh rolls. It might feel good to pretend that it is, but it is valid to be repulsed if that is their reaction.
Not my ordering. It was a direct response to the OP's 1/2/3/4 list. I didn't address 4, but #1 was shaming someone for daring to say that rolls of exposed flesh was "unsightly." Tough shit if that hurts Lindy's feelings -- that's something that turns that person off, and she's gotta deal.
>>But part of living in the world is occasionally seeing & being put into contact with people you wouldn't have chosen to. Grow up.
Yeah, people like those who say "ewwww." When it comes to attraction, fat non-acceptance is exactly as valid as fat acceptance. The important battle that overweight people should be fighting is the one against themselves -- their self-talk, their self-hatred. That's the utility in "fat acceptance." The outward-pointing rage? That can fuck right off. Being fat is not rocket science: barring the very slim (lol) minority with thyroid/medical problems, it's a matter of caloric imbalance, brought on by impulsive eating habits and their lack of activity. It isn't anyone else's problem. This is the woman who reviews burger joints and eats beef served between two halves of a Krispy Kreme donut. I doubt very much that "sorry I reject your ewwww" is a more defensible denial of someone's right to be who they are than someone's preference not to witness exposed flesh rolls. It might feel good to pretend that it is, but it is valid to be repulsed if that is their reaction.
Thank you. So much.
Lindy, I am so glad you posted this.
lindy, you are an inspiration. and hella hot.
1. Awesome, awesome post.
2. You are a very beautiful woman.
great post.
You are beautiful.
1) Fuck
2) Off
i am skinny and i want that space. it's mine and i paid for it and your matronly, batwing upper arm rolls need to stay on your side of the armrest. if you want more space either lose some density or buy a second seat.
you do that and you can be as fat as you want, i don't care deal?
also, perhaps your mental health would be better if you didn't have to spend all your time coming up with excuses as to why you are happy being fat. your health - and my insurance premiums - will only get better if you put down the krisy kremes. that's a fact.
but again, if you want to be fat, go for it. that's your business.
(i do, however, agree that "rolls of exposed flesh are unsightly" is totally NOT a fact and any idiot who writes a column dedicated to sexual fetishes should know that...)
I don't think we have an obesity epidemic as much as we have a poor health problem. People do not get enough exercise, or eat the right foods, or take care of themselves. Sure some of those people are fat, but a lot are thin. Focusing on weight as the issue misses the point that it is not really how much someone weighs that matters, but their overall level of health.
But when it gets right down to it, while we can help people make better choices or address how areas of low socio-economic status tend to be less walkable and have fewer parks, sometimes people want to make the choices they do and thats their right.
I mean what business of mine why someone weighs what they do. If they really like food and find it a fine trade off, good for them! If they just have a naturally larger body, good for them! I'm bit on the heavy side myself from a combination of those two things. I'll never be thin, but I also know that I certainly do not always eat a healthy diet and could stand a bit more exercise.
i am skinny and i want that space. it's mine and i paid for it and your matronly, batwing upper arm rolls need to stay on your side of the armrest. if you want more space either lose some density or buy a second seat.
you do that and you can be as fat as you want, i don't care deal?
also, perhaps your mental health would be better if you didn't have to spend all your time coming up with excuses as to why you are happy being fat. your health - and my insurance premiums - will only get better if you put down the krisy kremes. that's a fact.
but again, if you want to be fat, go for it. that's your business.
(i do, however, agree that "rolls of exposed flesh are unsightly" is totally NOT a fact and any idiot who writes a column dedicated to sexual fetishes should know that...)
Loved the line: "My brain rides around in it all day and comes up with funny jokes."
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for putting this into words, in a way I never could. Let me say it again: you are AMAZING.
When I swam for two hours almost everyday, I was only one size smaller than I am when I don't exercise at all.
Human variation, genes, etcetera. Small sample size, yes. But it's enough to remind me not to judge others' sizes.
I'm going to have her read this tonight. Thank you, Lindy.
None of us are perfect. There is no such thing as a perfect state of grace in terms of being accepting of all. We all seem to have an irrational "ewwwwww" or two in us. Maybe your post will help Dan get over his moralistic loathing of fat? I sure hope so.
And one more vote in the 'Lindy is Foxy' column, please?