WHAT WE'RE ABOUT
We are constantly redefining our own perspectives, and therefore tend to write a lot about our personal experiences. Many followers and contributors are living with anorexia, bulimia, body dysmorphic disorder, depression, and a variety of other body image disorders or mental illnesses, so please be respectful and remember that health applies differently to everyone. Any and all potentially triggering content will be prefaced with a trigger warning.
RBI supports all races, genders, classes, and sizes. We try our best to make this a safe space for everyone. If we are not doing our job or checking our privilege, we invite you to please inform us.
Some of the artwork you see here has been created by our founder or moderators, some sourced when applicable. Please be kind enough to source this blog whenever you share it's content.
We are not health professionals. Any and all advice provided on this blog is supported only by our own research, studies, and personal experiences; nothing more.
This blog is part of the Safe Space Network.
So the first part of the Spring13 Collection is up on my plus size clothing website, Big Bang Boutique! I’m always trying to push plus size clothing forward, and really listen to what you (and I) want. The collection is full of bright florals, leopard prints, deep and bright colors, hi-low dresses, and tons of mesh paneling! And! Crop tops made for plus size ladies! I’m really happy with all of these pieces and I hope you guys enjoy them, too.
As a thank you for being lovely, amazing readers, use the code FGG10 to get 10% off your entire order. <3
I don’t usually reblog things that are obviously ads, and I have no idea about the clothes or the prices, but god-damn these amazing diverse women all look fucking incredible! BAM Doing Fatshion Right! Fearless.
“Fashion Week’s Models Are Getting Whiter”
That was the headline the other day at Jezebel, which came up with the above graph after some exhaustive research.
What’s up with New York Fashion Week?
In reporting on the issue myself, I realized that this isn’t just about a bunch of women on runways. It’s about the very perception of wealth. In short, the faces that we see in ads for luxury products — makeup, handbags, sunglasses — are almost invariably white. Black and Hispanic ladies: good luck.
Ashley Mears, a sociologist and former model who’s studied the issue, says high fashion is looking for girls who project youth, unattainability and a sort of sexual purity. Over the centuries, those qualities have come to be reinforced with whiteness in the West.
“Throughout colonial history, non-white women have often been marked as sexually deviant, hypersexual, sexually available,” said Mears. “Not just women, but also men.”
For black models, that means being repeatedly told they should get nose jobs, or that their rear ends are too big.
To be fair, some industry insiders take this seriously. But others, not so much. One designer who’s show I attended at Fashion Week was Nicole Miller. About a quarter of her models were non-white, and she had this to say.
“I had 5 diversified girls, plus a redhead,” said Miller. “Which is the most diversity. Because the lowest percentage of the population is redheads. So you have to include them in the diversified group.”
There you have it: redheads as women of color.
i’m laughing to keep from banging my head on the table
redheads as women of color…..
wow really?
LOL omg.
Redheads are their own race, now. OMG AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA
Did you know…
You can love your body without hating someone else’s.
You can enjoy having curves without bashing thinness.You can be fit and love exercising without criticising or labeling those who don’t.
You can be a size XS without ridiculing a size XL.
You can be attracted to one body type without slagging off another.
You can shave your legs, pubic area or armpits without labeling those who don’t.
You can not shave your legs, pubic area of armpits without shaming those who do.
You can be a muscular man and still be just as much of a man as a skinny man.
The degree of a woman’s womanliness should not be measured by her physical appearance.
The degree of a man’s masculinity should not be measured by his physical appearance.
QUIT THE BS ALREADY.
Choose to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.
This is an important mantra for many different levels of body positive topics. The biggest thing to remember is to be inclusive and intersectional. Don’t uplift one thing by standing on the shoulders of something else. Love vaginas, but remember that women aren’t the only one’s that have them. Love fat bodies, but remember that this does not denote “a real woman”, thin women exist too. Celebrate the butch, androgynous, masculine women without demonizing the femme. I’m probably leaving out some important ones here so please feel free to chime in followers as well fellow mods.
Feeling weird about your boobs?
WELL YOU SHOULDN’T because they’re fucking brilliant.
Check out the Normal Breasts Gallery website to help you realize the full extent of breast diversity and beauty :3
Love your boobies, babies!
So there has been a lot of discussion surrounding this response to white fat activism from People of Color in the fat justice movement. I have only been a spectator in the midst of the uproar until now. Even before these discussions I have been quietly watching and learning, recognizing my privilege and understanding how I can make Redefining Body Image as inclusive as possible.
Marianne Kirby’s blog post on the topic has been monumentally helpful in explaining what I can do as a fat, white ally to people of color (as well as a cis-gendered, straight ally to trans/genderqueer individuals.)
Creating a project or atmosphere of any kind that is welcoming to people of color involves more than an invitation to participate. That’s the tiniest step you can take in getting people of color involved. What you actually have to do – and if you don’t know how, that’s again why google is so very useful – is make your project or atmosphere actually welcoming. You have to create a space that invites diverse people to participate without fear of ridicule or hatred. That is hard damned work. And I don’t think anyone is perfect at it.
The really great thing though is that no one is really expecting perfection. A genuine effort and a willingness to listen when we screw up is half the battle that we as fat white people trying to create diverse spaces have to fight. Screwing up is not the end of the world! It’s uncomfortable – we’re embarrassed and our feelings get hurt and we kind of flail around a little wishing no one had scolded us – but discomfort isn’t going to kill us. In fact, discomfort is a really great teacher, if we pay attention to it.
So I’d just like to take this opportunity to say, as founder and primary contributor to RBI, that I will try my best to make this space as inclusive to all races, genders, classes, and walks of life as possible. You have my support, my love, my admiration. And if I’m not doing something right, please let me know how and why so that I might check my privilege and learn how I can be more inclusive.
More from Marianne’s post:
There is a difference between saying a person of color is welcome to participate (and solve the diversity problem their own damn selves) and saying that it’s something that will be addressed. One is a deflection of responsibility – the other is an acknowledgement that it hasn’t happened yet but we want it to, we’re trying to make it happen.
I recognize that despite my best efforts, perhaps not all people will feel welcome or included in this space, and I open myself up to any and all criticism regarding this issue.
From this point forward I will be more active than ever before in seeking out those whose voices and backgrounds are different from my own. I will be dedicating my own time to improving the inclusivity of this blog, but do feel free to help guide me along the way. If you know of any body positive blogs dedicated to PoC/trans/genderqueer individuals, or possible contributors to RBI who might help diversify the content featured here, my submission page is ready and waiting!
I put one woman’s stats into a BMI calculator to see what would happen. A physically fit athlete at 6ft 2in and 240 pounds is apparently considered to be “obese” - What?