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Faux-acceptance and representation of fat people in media

Today my sister came over. I came downstairs to find her talking with my mom about some Disney channel show they were allowing my niece to watch. The way they were talking about it, I was wondering why they were letting my niece sit in front of it.

They were talking about the fat character in this particular show (I have no idea what show it actually was. I don’t watch that channel). My sister commented on how all the fat, or even just not skinny girls, were always the dorky friend. Or they were awkward, or just absurdly dumb. Or all the jokes made at this person, or even just the jokes this person made about herself, were either food related, or fat related.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be an isolated case with whatever Disney Channel show this was.

Is it too much to ask that there be a fat character, or characters, that are just…normal people? Or at least treated like normal people? It seems like the way fat people are represented in movies and tv is less about accurate representations of people with larger stature, and more about constantly reminding the audience that “HEY!! Don’t forget! This character is FAT.”

Sexual predators, double standards, and bullying

So I often see stuff on my facebook feed about resisting bullying, how guys should treat girls, how girls expect to be treated by guys, and a varying cornucopia of other photos, phrases and gifs. “Like if you’re against bullying” printed across a picture of a crying girl, with a group of other girls pointing and laughing behind her. “A real man listens to his woman instead of tuning her out” at the bottom of a photo of a guy in a large, flat-billed hat, gold chains and oversized pants (what that has to do with the quote in the picture I will never know…) etc. etc. These things appear so frequently, sometimes from pages I haven’t even liked, that ...

So I often see stuff on my facebook feed about resisting bullying, how guys should treat girls, how girls expect to be treated by guys, and a varying cornucopia of other photos, phrases and gifs. “Like if ...

Louisiana School claims “We didn’t know it was Illegal”

It recently came out in the news…well, not in wide, mainstream news (though I think it should have) that a school in Louisiana, Delhi Charter School, was requiring girls to take pregnancy tests, and kicking out girls who either refused, or who were pregnant.

I learned about this through the aclu website linked by Unitewomen.org. http://www.aclu.org/blog/womens-rights-lgbt-rights-religion-belief-reproductive-freedom/get-tested-or-get-out-school (There was also a blog about it on Feministing)

The article from the aclu appeared on my facebook page three days ago. However, Delhi Charter School has had this rule on their books since 2006. Why nobody did anything about it until now is beyond me, but they were able to get away with forcing pregnancy tests on girls for a good 6 years. That’s inexcusable.

But ...

It recently came out in the news…well, not in wide, mainstream news (though I think it should have) that a school in Louisiana, Delhi Charter School, was requiring girls to take pregnancy tests, and kicking out girls ...

Opinions on marriage

I’m getting married next year. Something I’m really excited about. We’ve had a long engagement, so we’re really getting ants in our pants about finally being legally husband and wife. We are really happy together and really looking forward to being married.

But according to some people, and I’ve seen this kind of sentiment rising lately, that makes us “brainwashed” “life-script zombies” and that our marriage is “just a piece of paper” and that “humans aren’t meant to be monogamous” and “there’s no such thing as a life partner. It’s pointless to get married.”

Okay, I understand that some people don’t want to get married. That’s fine. Some people prefer the single life, some people prefer cohabitation, open relationships, or what have ...

I’m getting married next year. Something I’m really excited about. We’ve had a long engagement, so we’re really getting ants in our pants about finally being legally husband and wife. We are really happy together and really ...

Feminist=Man-hater?

Something I’ve been thinking on lately has pushed me to make a blog about it. My fiancé and I went to the Unite Women marches to end the war on women last Saturday. It was a fun event, lots of people there, lots of fantastic speakers, men and women of all ages and races. There were some pretty clever signs too.

My fiancé sported a sign that said “A man of quality is not threatened by a woman of equality.” Very true, very powerful words. A little old lady at the march even hugged him and said “thank you.” It was so adorable. When we got home, we posted pictures of the march and all the cool people and signs we ...

Something I’ve been thinking on lately has pushed me to make a blog about it. My fiancé and I went to the Unite Women marches to end the war on women last Saturday. It was a fun ...

This should be a no-brainer

In the past two days, I’ve been really frustrated with the attitudes toward victims this (US) culture has. I’m aware that there are other cultures that also hold these attitudes, and that makes me more frustrated. We are living in a rape-culture and it appalls me what I’ve heard and seen in the last two days regarding the subject of victim-blaming and what constitutes a rape.

The first situation that made me angry arose from reading this blog:

In this blog, the author talks about how she was date-raped while she was drunk after firmly telling the man she was a virgin and not ready for penetrative sex. She had fooled around with him before, but didn’t feel ready ...

In the past two days, I’ve been really frustrated with the attitudes toward victims this (US) culture has. I’m aware that there are other cultures that also hold these attitudes, and that makes me more frustrated. We ...

My Childfree Rules

A member of a Child Free forum I go to made a list of “rules” about her life as a child free woman. I thought it was pretty good, considering I agreed with, and could relate to, about 98% of them. It’s kind of a handy reference sheet for people who don’t seem to really understand. I guess this could count as a follow up to my blog “10 Things Not to Say to Child Free People.” If you’re going to get offended, don’t read it.

1) I will not have children. Ever. In any capacity: This is what it means to be child free by choice. I do not want to, and will not, have children. Not biologically or adoptive.

2) ...

A member of a Child Free forum I go to made a list of “rules” about her life as a child free woman. I thought it was pretty good, considering I agreed with, and could relate to, ...

I’m not his slave…

I’ve been rather ranty lately. (And really, who wouldn’t be with all the anti-woman politics coming from the GOP?) So I shall do as any other person with a computer would do. TO THE INTERNET! *dunananananana*

All joking aside, this actually has something to do with the internet. I like to go to forums, I like to go to chats. I only go to one-on-one chats, because large chat rooms are just nightmares full of underage teenagers looking for internet sex, and creepy people trying to pick them up. Plus, with one-on-ones, I don’t have to register for any particular site or screen name, so no one gets any of my personal information unless I personally give it to them. And ...

I’ve been rather ranty lately. (And really, who wouldn’t be with all the anti-woman politics coming from the GOP?) So I shall do as any other person with a computer would do. TO THE INTERNET! *dunananananana*

All joking ...

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