What Happened to Andrae?

Okay, why did none of you tell me about this? Because I think it's been out there for a while. Torrid (yes, that Torrid, the Curvy Girl Store to end all Curvy Girl Stores) has an interview up on their website with none other than Andrae Gonzalo from Project Runway!

"Some of my commissions are women that are plus size, and it's a really new territory for me. I don't have a mannequin that's the right size... Coming over here I was thinking, because a plus size body is shaped different than a non-plus size body, it should also liberate you in terms of design. I think all through the history of fashion we've been augmenting [straight] sizes so they fit plus sizes. I've never seen someone approach it from square one, like, that this is the shape, and then just work around clothing that shape. That, actually, really fascinates me and would be something that I would love to explore in terms of a line."

And:

" I think one of the biggest mistakes [in designing plus-sized clothing] is probably hiding. Some of the most unattractive clothes are the ones that are designed to obscure the body... It's when the clothes are sort of pretend or make believe that a plus size woman is not a plus size. Any sort of self-hatred that goes into the design, that's a mistake. "

How is it possible that I now love Andrae even more? Seriously, to have a designer of Andrae's caliber designing specifically for the plus-size body... it wouldn't be an ugly mermaid dress, that's for sure. I love Andrae.

Commentroversy

Well, this week we've argued about Shallow Hal and we've argued about the KFC famous bowl--for which I thank you, by the way, it's been very lively!--so I figure we may as well talk about something really controversial: gastric bypass surgery.

Robyn has had it:
"I knew before I even thought about having weight loss surgery that I was going to end up needing surgery to get rid of loose skin on my stomach, legs, and upper arms, as well as a breast lift. I knew that, and I accepted it."

Anne is planning on having it:
"And I think what I’m doing here is justifying myself, which I did not plan to do. This is what I am doing, and those are the reasons I am doing it, and I’m doing it now, while I am still relatively healthy and young, and still devastatingly attractive"

GB Girl is telling the truth about it:
"I would have loved a site like this when I was trying to learn all I could. I am not saying that I would not have had my surgery if I’d known then what I know now…not at all. I just would have been prepared. Properly prepared for everything that could come down the pike, instead of continuously being taken by complete surprise by situations, as I still am, to this day."

And the Fatty McBlog girls are, as always, ready with an honest perspective:
"You might think that the more overweight the person is, the more supportive they would be, but the opposite is true. My chubby, fat, obese friends have mostly expressed shock, scorn, and disappointment that I would ever consider 'the easy way out'. While my thin friends all think it would change my life for the better."

What do you think about it? Is it selling out? Is it too dangerous? Is it potentially a good idea? Any success stories? Any horror stories? Have you ever thought about it? Would you do it? If these questions are too complicated to contemplate, I highly suggest going back to the previous two entries and debate more fluffy topics. Hell, do that anyway!

Also, while we're on the subject of gastric bypass, I do have to report my favorite recent comment about Star Jones, which was "Star Jones looks like a llama." Yes she does. Yes she does, my friend.

"It's Like Throwing Up In Reverse"

Recently, we read a review of the new KFC Famous Bowl in the L.A. Times, and we've been quoting the review every time we drive past a KFC. In case you don't know what a Famous Bowl is, let's hit the KFC press release:

"KFC's new Famous Bowls, a departure from the restaurant's popular family style bucket, provides lunch-starved Americans with the perfect all-in-one, 'made for one' remedy to their usual rushed and unsatisfying lunchtime routine. The new KFC Famous Bowls™ offer a hearty meal 'just like mom used to make,' with layers of mashed potatoes, sweet corn and bite sized crispy chicken, drizzled with signature home style gravy and topped off with a three-cheese blend - in one convenient bowl."

Yes, you read that right. Potatoes, corn, chicken, gravy, and three kinds of cheese, all mixed together in one bowl. YUM.

Here is what our new favorite reviewer, the Pulitzer-Prize-winning Dan Neil, has to say:

"It's one thing to say Americans eat like pigs, it's another to give it the force of literalism."

"It... brazenly exposes its own purpose: to economically pack the gullets of the poor. Gone is even the pretense that someone might eat this for its taste. This is gerbil food for the disenfranchised."

"Why not go all the way and top the Famous Bowls with an apple pie and pour Coca-Cola over them? To save customers the struggle to pocket their change at the drive-thru, why not throw it on top as well?"

Dress Like A Mermaid. An Ugly Mermaid.

Sometimes I visit plus-size websites and amuse myself by trying to find the best and most horrible item on each site. My vote for most horrible at Fresh Produce goes to this thing, allegedly a dress that lets you “cruise through sunny days and starry nights, in full bloom.” And it passes the "would my mother wear this?" test. (Which is to say, yes, my mother would totally wear it.) Man, I wish I wrote copy for that site.

“This fetching and provocative ensemble will make you feel breezy, cool, stylish, and comfortable. Throw on this all-purpose garment to do projects around the house involving wicker furniture and a Bedazzler, or dress it up with a chunky Home Shopping Club Tanzanite bracelet for a night on the town! Billowy fabric reveals a hint of curve while preserving the mystery of your true shape beneath a soft ocean of cotton. Like a remarkable seashell on the beach, your uniqueness will shine through your every magical step.”

I could go on… but I’ll never approach the perfection of "in full bloom" so I'll spare you. My vote for least horrible goes to the ensemble currently gracing the front page. It's cute! It's got potential! And the website has a cute design, too. It's too bad about the clothes being mostly hideous. Perhaps appliques are the answer.

Wide Screen: Sideways

In Wide Screen, our newest feature, your BFD film analysts (read: me) will be reporting on the portrayal of fat (or "fat" if we're talking about Toni Collette in In Her Shoes) people in films, starting with one from the archives, Sideways. Suggestions for future installments of Wide Screen are very welcome!

[Disclaimer: this edition of Wide Screen contains mature language. Cover your eyes, kids!]

Character: Cammi the waitress, played by Missy Doty.
Credits: A relatively modest list of other roles, including a role in an episode of Shasta McNasty called "Chubby Chick." Her character had a name, though. Whew.
Plot points: Cammi recognizes Jack (played by Thomas Hayden Church) as a soap opera star, takes him home and has sex with him, and then turns out to be married. Hilarity ensues.
Stereotypes: None, really, unless being a waitress, watching soap operas, or ending your name with an "i" is considered a fat stereotype.
Sex/Romance/Attractiveness: Although she's dressed down in unflattering waitress garb, hair pulled back, face shiny, Jack still finds her attractive, and she has sex with two men during her brief on-screen appearance.
Fat jokes: Before making a play for her, Jack says "I bet she'd be tons of fun... you know, the grateful type."
Overall: I started with this film because I'm somewhat conflicted about it. I don't much care for the "grateful type" remark, but Jack, the lothario, does find her attractive and sleeps with her, thus putting her on par with the unquestionably hot (and thin) Sandra Oh. However, one of the jokes is that they have anal sex, possibly buying into the notion that "fat chicks will do anything in bed." Her sex scene is played for laughs, but then again, so is Sandra Oh's. And she is shown enjoying very vocal (and hilarious) sex with her husband. I just wish the husband weren't butt ugly! Sorry dude, that knit cap isn't doing you any favors. Then there's the Giamatti issue: Paul Giamatti's character, although also pudgy, ends up sleeping with Virginia Masden.
The bottom line: It's nice to see a naked fat chick on screen enjoying herself in bed.
Rating on the offense-o-meter (10 being Shallow Hal): 2
But how's the movie?: One of my favorites, which is how I typed this whole thing from memory.

BFD Loves: America Ferrera

You've all seen Real Women Have Curves, right? And Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants? And you all love America Ferrera, right? She's got a new show coming out in the fall called Ugly Betty, which I hope lives up to her awesomeness:

"She's outstanding as the title character, a homely young woman working at a high-fashion magazine. Ferrera, of course, is much more attractive than Betty, but she's not as stick-thin as most young actors. Which is, frankly, a mark in her favor.

'I didn't even know I was fat until I started acting,' she said. 'I didn't know how fat and ugly I was until I started going on auditions.' Far from pity, there was empowerment in what she said and how she said it. She was great.

'I don't feel that way inside... To me it seems like the roles that mean something, the roles that really delve in and really make people feel connected to it and make me feel connected to it are roles that are flawed and the roles that nobody else wants to play.'"

I totally agree with the author of this article: if there's any justice in the world, America Ferrera will be a huge star. And are they making a sequel to the Pants movie? Because I effing loved the Pants movie so much.

It's Friday, Are You Feeling Retro?

Rosie sends along this link to Pin Up Girl Clothes, a site with fun retro clothes, many of which come in plus sizes. I'm tempted by this halter; you might like the turquoise Greta Garbo dress.

Sadly for those of us who wear larger sizes, the vinyl sailor costume only goes up to a size eight. At least we can get stripper shoes!

Weekly Star Jones Bulletin

The women of The View call Star's departure "liberating." Meanwhile, in this article, she's sorry for being a Bridezilla, and she also comes a little closer to admitting her weight-loss surgery:

"Asked about the issue by [Al] Roker, who himself has undergone gastric bypass, Reynolds would only say that 'a medical intervention, doctors, had to step in to save my life.' And she said found it 'disheartening' that ABC 'would use something so private ... at this moment.'"

There's also a website taking bets on what Star Jones will do next, as reported here. And finally, this well-written article is a little kinder to Mrs Jones Reynolds.

"But most of all, there’s something creepily apt about the way this particular girlie transformation has gone awry. Jones Reynolds originally cast herself as the jolly, yearning fat-girl neighbor and mouthy best friend. When she tried to remake herself—literally—as the heroine, she seemed to get it all wrong... In the pages of Us Weekly, you’ll be eternally too fat or too thin, but never just right."

Raison d'Etre

Richard sends in this Slate article, discussing some less obvious supporting reasons for the trend towards overweight. The article addresses those "reasons you haven't thought of," for example, that there are fewer smokers these days. I've seen this study floating around for a while now, but I guess I haven't posted about it! My bad.

I did enjoy my own personal philosophy being validated by a doctor who treats overweight teenagers. The doctor noted that:

"...adolescents who lose weight are more likely to have acquired a positive sense of themselves, because they've had some academic or athletic success, or some other notable accomplishment. Sometimes they have embarked on a successful romantic relationship. And often parents and other adults in their life focus on their strengths rather than harping on weight and appearance."

In other words, feeling good about yourself helps you lose weight. And that's why we're here, right? High fives, everyone.

Thinsanity

Have you seen Kiera Knightley's collarbone lately? I bet she could use it as a paper opener. Or, if she could bend that way, she could use it to shave her legs. Of course the problem is that she's still a role model to impressionable tweens and teens. And now there's a word for it: Thinspiration.

"More than half of teenage girls and nearly one-third of teenage boys adopt unhealthy weight-control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting, and taking laxatives."

I don't remember where I read it, but someone somewhere (help me out) was mocking the idea that in the land of the obesity crisis, that "thinspiration" could even be a problem. They were implying that it's probably a good idea to have kids panicking over weight and exhibiting anorexic behaviors, because at least then they won't get fat like everyone else. I don't want obese kids anymore than I want anorexic kids, though. I just want us to find a happy medium of health and acceptance, somewhere in there. Somehow.

Kelly Clarkson (The Real One)

First came the rumors that Vitamin Water was insisting that Kelly lose weight before promoting their product. Which was super disappointing, considering that she's such a role model (or idol, if you will) for impressionable tweens and... well, me.

Now her publicist is reporting that "nothing could be further from the truth" than this rumor; she's already wrapped her first photo shoot and hasn't changed her body at all. I hope that Kelly will continue to demonstrate that you don't have to have ribs and collarbones poking out of yourself in order to be healthy.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins Are Yummy

The lovely Shawn sends along this article on the important subject of the muffin top. You know, the phenomenon of poochy overflowing fat that results from the fact that you can't buy non-low-rise jeans anymore unless you resort to tapered Mom jeans?

"Yes, there are plenty of young women who can confidently say that they are happy with their less-than-svelte shapes — and that is to be applauded. But there are many others who in the rush to be fashionable are unable to admit that they are larger than they wish to be, or that their bodies just don't look good in the clothes they are choosing. Instead of reveling in their big, beautiful bodies, many girls instead are deep in denial, pouring themselves into clothes that are putting them in a python squeeze."

I'm sure my own Muffin Top has offended its fair share of people, but I've learned to embrace things like the Muffin Top and the Flappy and the Arm Flab Situation. This is why I work out in a tight tank top. Because if my fat offends you... well, I don't care. But is it a flattering look, the muffin top? Should young girls be covering up their fat instead? Do these girls strike you as being in denial? What do you think?

Looking For A Manifesto?

The fabulous Anne of Hello I Am Fat sends along a link from a blog called A Dress A Day. (I peeked at the latest entry and it looks like instructions for making a dress kinda similar to the Kara Janx kimono dress, don't you think? I bet if you knew how to sew, you could work with it.)

Where was I again? Oh, the link, right. Sorry, I've been in a car driving across the country for what seems like my entire life. Anyway, hand this card to the cashier the next time you have a frustrating shopping experience. It's a neat idea: an equal opportunity way for both XL and XS women to complain that stores aren't carrying their sizes.

"So write your size (whether it's larger or smaller than what's in the store) on the back of the card if you use them. If you would have bought a particular thing, write something like 'blue sundress, $100' too. Make it as real as possible. Turn that vague size-14 statistic into real money, and show them that money walking out of the store. The stores won't know that they're not serving your needs unless you tell them."

Obviously every store can't cater to every woman, nor carry every size. Bodies vary, not everything will flatter every shape, etc. But isn't it annoying when a store carries both "regular" and plus sizes, and the "regular" clothes are super cute, and the plus size stuff makes you look like Mrs. Roper? I hate that. Is that even relevant? Boy, I'm tired.

Got Comments?

I've turned off comment moderation for the time being as I am still traveling across the country. Don't miss these comments, as the author of the Salon article has kindly dropped by to offer a response.

Got Comments?

I've turned off comment moderation for the time being as I am still traveling across the country. Don't miss these comments, as the author of the Salon article has kindly dropped by to offer a response.