Star Jonesathon Continues

First, some recent comments:

"it sounds like you women or shall i say girls are very jealous of what star has accomplished in the last 2 years. i think it just simply beatiful and i wish i had her dedication. SO chill chill girls -iwish

Her dedication to what? Getting free stuff? Being annoying?

"Who cares how she lost the weight. She still has no real talent. She is even worse on the eyes than before. If they didn't fire her, thats too bad. Also, who cares what her husband does or doesn't do. Oh wait, SHE throws everything out there so people talk about her and she can be famous. So maybe she does deserve everything she gets... the only thing she can do and be a pious as she pretends in public is to forgive me. By the way, I found this by typing 'Star Jones is Ugly' into my search engine." -Anonymous

Yes, Star Jones looks like an alien.

"Star Jones is an awesome woman. Lawyer-Deputy D.A.-talk show host-stylist- daughter-granddaughter-Child-of-God! The latter the most important. Press on, Star Jones. I'm waiting for your autobiography!" -Anonymous

People, she is a child of God and we need to be nicer to her.

"How odd is it that according to the article her weight loss partly turned viewers off of her? Usually you assume getting thin will make people like you better, but I guess your attitude and personality really are more important." -Pasta Queen

I think the comment below addresses this nicely.

"My problem with Star's weight loss isn't her weight loss itself, it's how weird and shady she is about how she did it... I think Star is lame because IT IS LAME for a television personality to try and pimp as many freebies as possible to marry a gay man while daring to write AN ADVICE BOOK about how to to be spiritual and fabulous and to try and pretend to the world that her RAPID and DRASTIC weight loss happened because, why...she's a nice person? KISS MY ASS STAR JONES. -Anonymous

I also enjoyed Kim's take on the whole deal, which I totally agree with:

"I hate that Star and I love that they basically fired her because they realized that viewers can't stand her, and now Star tried to upstage Barbara Walters and play the 'Poor me!' card. Nice timing on the People story, and then trying to pretend like the announcement on the show wasn't premeditated to undercut Barbara. And I get the feeling that Barbara is one tough bitch, and not someone you want to mess with."

Star Jones Leaving The View! Surprise! Not.

There are a lot of people out there today searching for Star Jones news. It turns out she's officially leaving The View, after denying it for a while, like she denied all those gastric bypass "rumors." She also admitted to People magazine that she was fired.

"[Barbara] Walters said ABC network chiefs had decided last fall not to renew Reynolds’ contract because its research showed that Reynolds’ dramatic weight loss and 2004 wedding to banker Al Reynolds had turned viewers off... 'we tried to give Star time to redeem herself in the eyes of the audience, and the research just kept getting worse.' ... [Rosie] O’Donnell’s hiring had nothing to do with the decision, she said. That April announcement had led to widespread speculation over whether O’Donnell and Reynolds could co-exist. O’Donnell had made several caustic remarks about Reynolds, saying that it was dishonest for her to talk about losing more than 100 pounds through diet and exercise without talking about gastric bypass surgery."

But those of us in Big Fat Deal land heard the real story early last month. This is your place for cutting-edge Star Jones gossip, people, right here.

For instance, how about some divorce rumors? We all know Al is gay; maybe she's decided to try and hold out for a heterosexual man instead. She's denying those rumors, of course. Just like she denied leaving The View, and we see how that turned out. Seriously, does anyone ever believe publicist denials anymore?

No F-ing Way!

More plus-size clothing options are in the works at retailers like Macy's, Land's End, and TJ Maxx, who are all expanding their plus-size offerings. I guess people have finally figured out they can make money by actually making clothes that are cute and fit correctly. Who knew? Here's the most exciting part of the article in my world:

"Instead of keeping lingerie and undergarments in the back of the stores, Lane Bryant is redesigning its store format and creating side-by-side boutiques. One store carries clothing. The store next door is named Cacique and features lingerie... When shoppers walk past the Cacique stores they'll see displays similar to those at Victoria's Secret, where slim shoppers go when they want to buy something special and feel pretty."

One thing I still buy at Lane Bryant almost exclusively is lingerie, because it's the only place I can get a bra that fits (unless I buy it online). I hope they expand their sizes; I can't be the only chick that wears an F-cup, can I?

For Heather In The Comments

Reader Tamara sends along this Salon article (which you may have to watch an ad to read). The author talks about his love for full-figured women, and the stigma surrounding his preference.

"I knew, from the time I was old enough to know what a woman was, that I loved big women. As a kid, the 'before' photos in diet ads fascinated me. The bespectacled, round beauties hiding under Snoopy sweatshirts in the corner of the school cafeteria made my heart pound. A plump teacher, a full-figured classmate, a cushiony customer in the deli I worked at in high school -- all were early crushes."

The article is honest, interesting, and even confronts the question of whether he's a "fetishist" because of his preference. Plus, he stands up for all the fat chicks of the world! Required reading, I think.

And You Thought I Was Done Talking About American Idol

Well I was, until this article landed on the newsdesk here at Big Fat Deal headquarters. Katharine "I Hope She's Not a Scientologist" McPhee has come clean about her struggles with bulimia.

"In a new interview with People magazine, the season five runner-up reveals that she struggled with severe bulimia for five years, bingeing and purging in a destructive cycle that could have permanently ruined her singing voice and caused devastating consequences to her health. At her worst, McPhee says she was making herself vomit up to seven times each day, which she equates to 'putting a sledgehammer to your vocal cords.'"

If I'm understanding the timeline, it seems that she went into a treatment facility once she found out she was going to be on the show. So this was a very recent struggle for her. It seems that celebrities don't come out about this kind of thing until years after the fact, so yay, Katharine.

Thank You For Being A Friend

My favorite advice column, The Vine, features a letter from a woman who wants to know if she should tell her friend Stacy that Stacy's boyfriend is "disgusted by her" weight and basically using her:

"Stacy has no idea about any of this, she thinks he has been putting her off for financial reasons. While she's not happy with her weight, she's not actively trying to lose it, she is busy with work and social commitments, and it's a low priority for her. She is incredibly attractive regardless of her weight, and is whip-smart and funny. Roger told my husband he is disgusted by her and embarrassed to be seen with her (he did not mention any health concerns) and couldn't propose to her if she still looks like she does now. When my husband asked why he was still with her if he's that grossed out he said, 'I have nowhere else to live.'"

My heart totally goes out to this woman who doesn't know that her boyfriend is evidently a total dick. Sars's advice is right on, as usual, but man. I don't know Stacy, but I know she deserves better than this! I was reminded of this by The Golden Girls episode I watched last night, where Blanche's "model" daughter has gotten fat and is engaged to an asshole. And also has a really fake southern accent.

I changed the link to a permalink. It's the second letter down.

Hey There, Hottie

An article about how difficult it is for us to be happy with our bodies.

"Fat is not a feeling. When you say 'I feel fat,' what you mean may be 'I feel stressed' or 'I'm on my period' or 'The day is out of control.' McGilley says, 'Fat is not a feeling. We all need to spread the word.'"

Let's all try to be the "the too-fat or too-skinny Plain Jane who draws everyone to her, like moths to a flame," shall we? If you need help, you can always read Snackiepoo:

"[O]nce I had that self-confidence, I noticed that I had no trouble finding men, even the hot ones. To this day, I still get hit on until the wedding ring is noticed and/or I say that I am married, but thanks. Even the owner of the car wash discounts me cause he calls me 'hottie' and ladies, I am no skinny minnie at all. I think it is just a matter of confidence, so please love yourselves and kick those men under the rocks where they belong and be fabulous, okay!"

Okay!

Does My Fat Ass Make My Ass Look Fat?

The title of this book is How Not To Look Fat, which absolutely kills me. It reminds me of the magnet that Hausfrau gave me at this year's Weetapiecon. The saying on the magnet is the title for this entry and if there is ever a Big Fat Deal T-shirt, that is my nomination for a slogan. In slimming black, of course. Which actually brings me back to the book, which explains how to dress and stand so that you look less fat. Apparently you are supposed to stand pigeon-toed? I don't get that.

"'I think women should dress the way their bodies really are - not the way they wish their bodies were,' [Author Danica Lo] says. 'That's why you see so many fashion mistakes. So many women dressing so they look bigger than they actually are.'"

The book also brings up sunglasses, but doesn't mention what the verdict is. I think it's going to be pro- big obnoxious sunglasses, because small accessories make you look bigger, right? I hope so, because I dearly love big obnoxious sunglasses.

Integration Now

A chubby girl who works in an ice cream shop lands a starring role in a movie. Alongside John Travolta in drag. (Sure, pick the crazy Scientologist instead of my man-crush, Michael McKean. You'll regret it.) That's the kind of story that warms my heart, really. It could so easily have gone the other way, and then you'd have Lindsay Lohan in a fat suit. Although how could you possibly improve on the version of Hairspray that already exists? I guess with song-and-dance numbers!

The Wisdom Of John Tesh

Who'd have ever guessed John Tesh would ever be mentioned on this blog? And oh, I have a John Tesh story! Back when I was in high school, my father brought home a couple of John Tesh T-shirts from work, and gave them to me and my best friend Tim, I guess thinking we would enjoy proclaiming our John Tesh love for the world. Being smartasses, what we actually did was pull out a Sharpie and "autograph" each other's shirts. I don't remember what I signed, but I remember that Tim signed my shirt "Yanni sucks! Love, John Tesh." That still makes me laugh.

Anyway, I don't have a link for you, but I was listening to John Tesh on the radio today, and he was talking about a new study about stepping on the scale. The conventional wisdom is that weighing yourself daily is a bad idea, because of day-to-day weight fluctuations, and that you should instead weigh yourself once per week. Well, this study showed that people who weighed themselves daily actually lost twice as much weight as people who weighed in weekly. One caveat was that obsessive people should weigh in less frequently, because for those people, weighing every day might lead to weighing six or more times per day and isn't healthy.

It does make some sense, though. If there's something I'm doing every day--whether it be weighing myself or keeping a food journal or going to the gym--I'm more mindful and aware of what I'm choosing to eat. Anyway, I thought that was fairly interesting, and also a way that John Tesh can finally be a part of Big Fat Deal, which is I know what we've all been waiting for. Yanni sucks!

But Dads, You Can Do Whatever

Just to pile more guilt on the parents out there, if you are too strict or too permissive, your child will be overweight. Or should I say "tubby"?

"Strict mothers were nearly five times more likely to raise tubby first-graders than mothers who treated their children with flexibility and respect while also setting clear rules. But while the children of flexible rule-setting moms avoided obesity, the children of neglectful mothers and permissive mothers were twice as likely to get fat."

So if you screwed up your kids by feeding them dessert baby food and French fries, hey, you get a second chance! (Thank you, by the way, contributors to this post. It was especially great to hear from parents on that issue.)

Celebrity Fatwatch: Jennifer Aniston

Okay so she's not anywhere remotely approaching fat, but an entertaining debate over whether she is pregnant landed in my Big Fat Deal inbox today. To me she does not look at all pregnant, though. I mean, how skinny do people want her to be? She has a tiny curve. A shape. I'm going to vote no.

Won't Someone Think Of...

This article from Time Magazine is about establishing eating habits and food preferences right from the get-go and contains what are, to me, some fairly shocking statistics. Baby food companies offer dessert lines. 60% of toddlers eat some kind of pastry every day. The number one vegetable for toddlers is French fries.

"'When we're really young, our taste buds are especially attuned to sweet flavors. If you're offered bananas and berries at an early age, that level of sweetness will satisfy. But if you're given concentrated sweets, a taste for those intense sweets will follow you for the rest of your life.'"

Basically, the crux of the article is that eating habits are established early. I know there are a lot of pearl-clutching articles out there but feeding toddlers French fries above and beyond all other vegetables and feeding babies dessert baby food does seem like a flat-out terrible idea. Maybe the mothers out there will have some insight into this issue that I don't.