Katie Cow-ric

Veronica sends along this link which tells the story of a picture, released by CBS, that digitally removed weight from Katie Couric, who is, as we all know, extremely fat. It's always fun to see proof of digital manipulation, isn't it?



Katie's response: "Couric, who was made aware of the picture's alteration yesterday, joked that she liked the original better. 'There's more of me to love,' she quipped."

Clothes, People!

Okay, we found it: here is where you go for cute plus-sized clothes. The site is called Alight.com, and my friend Kaylin (alias Stella Maris) describes it as "hella dope." Features a ton of designers and boutiques, really a lot of dangerously cute clothes. Check it out. I'm sure one of you guys can rock this insane, recently marked-down top. And this dress is freaking adorable.

Where The Action Is

Sorry for the dearth of posts this week, but there's still plenty of excitement happening in the comments. For instance here, where Linda puts the smackdown on Mark. (And thank you, Mark, for giving us something to talk about.)

"You can't look at this issue without looking at how larger women are trained from infancy to treat themselves like shit. They are -- we are. And for many of them, they grow up buying what fits and getting the hell out of the store because they are made to feel like they aren't worth better. But when some of that 500-pound millstone of judgmental bullshit is lifted off their chests, they'd be perfectly happy -- and they'd prefer -- to dress attractively, distinctively, and stylishly, to the same extent as everyone else."

Also, Beth points us to another source for ugly plus-sized clothing here. And a whole lot of people think that I am Mo'Nique. Tragically, I am not.

Self-Esteem Gone Horribly Wrong

In the form of a group called the Nonugly Fats. I'm going to send you right to Trainwrecks for the scoop.

Project Runway

Tonight they had to design clothes for "the everyday woman." I stopped by TWoP to read the episode thread and thought I'd just quote this one, with which I agree completely:

"All the designers seemed so put off that these women were heavy. Like, we're impossible to design for. Look, I'm a 16-18, and you know what? Curves are fun to fit! We have huge, lucious boobs! We have nice legs! We have TASTE! We don't all need to be hidden! Vincent's sister would have looked gorgeous in a tailored-at-the-waist, low-cut jacket. Give these women shape! There is nothing more frustrating than shopping in a plus-size market, because the clothes are tragic. Women of size are stylish and know how to wear their clothes. Just because you bring something in toward the body doesn't mean it's going to be eaten by fat rolls. This neanderthal way of thinking is frustrating and pathetic and most designers are missing out on making a crapload of money on women they find hideous."

Thanks, boolise! I got kind of annoyed when the designers seemed to choose models from thinnest to fattest, and then again when Michael Kors said that plus-sized shapes need "drapes" in the fabric. Step away from the muu-muus, people. And I mean everyone.

For Your Blogroll

Nice. Anne, who I should clearly just add as a blogger on Big Fat Deal, sends along a link to Too Fat for Fashion. It's a brand new blog that features links to really gorgeous pieces, along with advice and ideas about styling.

"As a plus sized girl with a life long love of fashion it has not always been easy. Dare I say it its never been easy. Its hard finding things that fit, let alone things that fit well, look good and are in style. I've always felt like there hasn't been an outlet for women like me who aren't thin but still want to be well dressed and current."

I already covet half the stuff I see on this blog, and it's only been around since August 6.

Being An Asshole Is A Choice

I personally think this chick is just out for attention. Once she was Trainwrecked, she figured that pissing everyone off is the way to get blog hits. Now she's after us! It's just the usual weight loss is easy, eat less, move more, nobody wants to have sex with you, rant.

"If you fly on airplanes, you and other fat people increase the chance of everyone on that plane dying in a plane crash, because planes were not designed to carry so many fat people."

The comments are also very charming!

"YOUR FATNESS is imposing costs on OTHER PEOPLE, and thus we have every right to tell you to GET OFF YOUR FAT ASS, QUIT STUFFING YOUR PIE HOLE FULL OF CUPCAKES, AND GET YOUR NASTY UGLY FAT JIGGLY ASS DOWN TO THE GYM, PIGGY!"

Thanks to Anne for the link and for the post title. In other news, I am changing the name of this blog to the Künstlerroman of Mo Pie. Because with every post, I evolve as an artist.

And Posh Spice Used To Be Hot

A handful of people (thank you to each and every one of you) pointed me to the Details article which was supposed to be a tribute to curvy women, but which illustrated was illustrated with a picture of a pig in heels. The message, that the Liv Tylers and Kate Winslets of the world are more attractive than the Nicole Ritchies and Kiera Knightleys, is not a bad message:

"You see that look in the faces of formerly fleshy sexpots who have morphed into pinched, prematurely aged superwaifs. What do they do for fun? Food and sex are appetites inextricably linked in the human psyche. One could speculate that for those obsessed with not eating, even the boyfriend’s salami goes the way of the bread basket."

However, the article has still hit some nerves. Pandangon, for instance, contributes some pictures of the allegedly fat women, who are all both incredibly hot and not even remotely fat. I think the Details article is aimed more towards celebrating "normal" women as opposed to anorexic women, though, or at least that's what I got out of it.

Carry On

Anne sends along this rant about the supposedly "zaftig" model from last night's episode of Project Runway.

"If a size FOUR model with a TWENTY-FOUR inch waist is “zaftig” and “plus size,” then what are all the normal women walking around America right now? Never mind those of us who actually ARE plus size... A model with a 24-inch waist might as well go hit up Krispy Kreme right now, because she’s about to be banished to a life of modeling for Lane Bryant and Catherine’s. Well, Project Runway, Tim Gunn, Details magazine and all your cohorts have done your industry proud. You’ve officially made women everywhere feel like total crap, and isn’t that the point of fashion?"

I think the real crime here is that they eliminated... the person they eliminated. Who I loved. I wonder if all the "bigger model" stuff wasn't regarding her height? Is she one of the taller models? Other than that, I'm stumped.

Yeah, Cake Ones With Sprinkles

As much as I am loath to bump the previous post ("Let my fatties go" being my personal favorite) all good things must come to an end.

Flipping through channels a few days ago, I landed on Celebrity Fit Club. They were shaming Isaac from The Love Boat, who was very likeable. But, does the show have a lot of shaming? What is going on there? I've never seen it before; you guys have to fill me in. And there was also Carnie Wilson! Carnie! She's struggling with her weight again after giving birth to her daughter, god love her. She's like the anti-Star Jones, totally out there and honest about her weight loss surgery.

I hit Google to see if I could find some news about Celebrity Fit Club but much to my delight, I first found an article with the headline "Carnie Wilson: I get Horny When I Eat Donuts." The article can be found here, but really, what more do you need to know?

Let's Hear It For The Boys

Casual Male Big & Tall has changed its name to Casual Male XL to move away from the stigma of having the word big in the store name. Although of course no women's plus-size store would ever have the word "big" in the name (I refuse to go into Dress Barn due to the cow connotations) it simply had never occurred to me that men might have a similar feeling.

"We actually had people say, 'Do you have a paper bag I can use?'... They didn't feel comfortable having to walk down the street with a plastic bag with that big yellow logo and the words 'big and tall.'"

The move has already increased sales at the stores by 11%.

Let

Not That There's Anything Wrong With That

Chelsea Grider won the Seventeen reader-model contest. She is "not a size 0," which makes her plus-sized in model land. And so she models for Torrid, but they have to pin the clothes in the back. I've always loved Torrid, as you well know, and I thought they used plus-sized models; I'm a little disappointed that they're using a normal-sized model and pinning the clothes. Also, I'm disappointed that the normal-sized model gets relegated to modeling plus-sized clothing! Geez, do all models for "regular" sizes have to be stick insects? Anyway, her fellow teenagers seem to have a good attitude about the whole thing:

"Magazines always talk about positive body image, but they continue to put pictures of stick-thin models in their pages again and again. But Chelsea proved that you don't have to be a stick to look beautiful. Finally, someone I can relate to."

Curious

Jen Wade sends along this Kelly Clarkson ad as a follow-up to the whole "they told her to lose weight" "no they didn't" debate. As La Wade points out, she looks awfully skinny in that ad. Wade asks, "could they have done some digital slimming?"

I'm sure they could, and I bet they did. I remember at my previous job, we did a Britney Spears ad, and let me tell you, that girl was airbrushed to within an inch of her life. They made her arms and stomach, in particular, much smaller than they were in real life. And remember Kate Winslet and Harper's Bazaar? She was angry to find that her cover photo had been airbrushed to make her appear thinner, and spoke out against it. (If I recall, that's the same magazine that refused to photograph Renee Zellweger because she was "too fat" in the Bridget Jones era.) So, yeah. That's disappointing.

You Say You Want A Revolution

Ashlee Simpson has provoked anger in the readers of Marie Claire; her hypocrisy about her looks was the last straw for those who are fed up with lies about plastic surgery and weight loss from celebrities. (Incidentally I had no idea Marie Claire had readers. In fact, I had no idea that magazine even existed anymore.) Simpson was quoted as saying:

"Everyone is made differently, and that's what makes us beautiful and unique... I want girls to look in the mirror and feel confident."

And then she went and had a nose job. Marie Claire recieved more than 1,000 angry letters, many of which are being published in their August issue. Now the magazine promises to "shift away from celebrity inanity and toward more substantive topics." Seriously, this magazine still exists?

Weirdest Courtship Ritual Ever

Thanks to Pop Culture Junk Mail, I discovered a very funny site dedicated to mocking sexist, illogial, badly drawn, and otherwise ridiculous Stupid Comics. I thought of you guys when I read this one, in which a woman loses 56 pounds in 5 weeks, then hooks up with the boss who ordered her to lose the weight in the first place:

“Judging from the cover, this is either a story about a fat woman dreaming about being thin and having boyfriends, or about a thin woman bored with men who just wishes she could be alone and stuff her face for a change.”

It’s entertainingly horrifying, as are many of the other comics on that site. And it conveys a very important lesson: if you meet a fat woman and you think she's be hot if only she were skinny, just buy her an exercise bike. It works every time!