The Marie Claire Mike and Molly fat-bashing blog

It's been making it's way around the interwebs.
If you haven't heard about it yet, hear it from me.
Marie Claire blogger Maura Kelly thinks fat people are disgusting (click here).

She, and many of the commenters on the offensive blog post
think fat people
are gluttons who just need to put down the fork,
are costing society money with our health care issues,
sweat too much,
smell bad because we can't wipe our asses,
inconvenience the "normals" by taking up too much room,
are in denial about how disgusting we are
and
are painfully unattractive.

All this because CBS has a new show called 'Mike and Molly'
about a couple who meet at an OverEaters Anonymous meeting
and yes, they are fat. (The show airs on CBS on Monday nights...9:30pm,  I think.)

The post (click here) caused an uproar online and was a topic of discussion on the "Today" show, "The View," "The Talk" and elsewhere. The writer and Marie Claire's editor have apologized, and Mark Roberts (the show's creator) isn't fuming over it -- "I feel like everyone is allowed to make mistakes," he tells Zap2it. But he adds that hearing such stinging criticism at his two stars "makes me sad." (click here)

He's not the only person who is sad.
I'm sad that I have to make choices about what to do in my life based
on having to avoid being
made fun of,
discriminated against,
not taken seriously
or outright abused
because of my size.

Maura Kelly's offending blog began in response to her editor who asked
"Do you really think people feel uncomfortable when they see overweight people making out on television?"
As if there are "people" and then there are "overweight people", the former being normal and therefore superior and the latter? I guess we are "allowed" to exist at the whims of the skinny?

Today I was wondering how to proceed with my career once I get my energy and mobility back.
They took blood at the lab today and will be sending results to my physician next week. This means they may be able to treat my anemia and get me back to an energized state. So, with great anticipation I began scheming and planning for the Spring. What will I do to forward my career?
Counseling?
Speaking?
Advocating?

With each option I came up with I shot myself down by thinking
I'm too fat to be taken seriously.
Then each time I shot myself down I picked myself up by telling myself
I can do anything I want and my body size shouldn't stop me.

Then the Marie Claire fiasco came to my attention.
Not only were Maura Kelly's words offensive (she's retracted and apologized)
but the comments under her post?
They were enough to make me crawl under my bed and never come out in the light of day.

ajjohnstone said:
" I think smokers are disgusting, and I also happen to think that obese people are equally as disgusting."

dresenpai said:
" Being obese isn't OK. It shouldn't be glamorized."


Penelope34 said:
"Obesity is just as unattractive and curable as bad hygeine. Am I disgusted by the dirty man who never showers? YES. Am I disgusted by people who don't brush their teeth and have bad breath (and teeth) because of it? YES. I am also disgusted by people who stuff their faces to the point that they literally can't walk!"


blundermonkey said:
"I am sick of fat people feeling persecuted when they have every option to change their lifestyle with a little will power. We are talking about a behavior based on laziness and lack of control that has led to a nationwide hike in insurance premiums, which you and I are paying for. And I am not talking about a little bit overweight, this is about obese people."

CMarieS27 said:
"Love your curves- not rolls."

juju75 said:
"People complain when people are shown smoking in tv shows and movies. Why not obesity? It is a choice for most people to be obese. Most medical conditions that cause obesity can be treated and most people just need to change their habits."

truthhurtsfatlard said:
"The truth hurts, and Maura Kelly spoke the truth, albeit not in the most diplomatic/tactful manner but she said what is on a lot of peoples' minds. And guess what fatties? This is what people talk about and think when you walk past 'em and in general, interact with 'em on a daily basis. Looking obese/morbidly obese is a non-verbal way of communicating what kind of a person you are. Lazy, thrown in the towel, a bazillion other priorities put before your own health. Get over it and get over yourself."

Need I print more?
I wont' because reading the comments is making me feel sick.
Sure, there are plenty of commenters who are expressing their disgust with Marie Claire and Maura, even more now that the fat-o-sphere is directing people to the article.
They are canceling their subscriptions in protest.
But the haters are among us.
They're out there in real life judging and being disgusted with fat people like me.

In her retaliatory blog, Lesley Kinzel of Fatshionista writes:
"Arguing that fat characters should not be seen on television is making the statement that fat people do not have a right to be seen -- or even to exist -- in media or in life. It suggests that fat people should hide themselves away in shame and not burden the public with having to look at them; by extension, it suggests that fat people are less valuable individuals than thin people. This idea harms everyone: it makes fat people feel terrible about themselves, and it makes thin people terrified of becoming one of those disgusting fatties. Everyone’s humanity is lost in the equation." (click here for the full  article)


I'm safe here in my kitchen office
in my apartment
with my cats
alone.
I can type and blog and Tweet and Facebook somewhat safely - safely meaning I can walk away from the computer and the flurry of negative opinions when it all gets to be too much.

But out in the big bad world?
I have eyes on me all the time.
I have 100s of eyes on me for a living (students can be judgmental too, ya know).

Jabs to my self esteem hit me hard.
They make me want to
hide,
protect myself,
starve myself down to acceptability (which I've tried many times throughout my life and failed).
It's hard enough fighting my own health problems without having to fight fat-prejudice every time I walk out my front door.
But it's there.
Fat hate is there, it's real and it's everywhere.
I hate the hate.

If I want to be a participant in the world I have to butch-up and handle it.
The Maura Kelly's of the is world aren't making this any easier for me...or any of us.

I'll have to live in spite of her.

*Lisa's Video Pick of the Day*
Oh, look!
Fat people out in the world doing sweet, social, normal stuff!!
Mike and Molly make me feel better about being a fat person
in public.
This is the show that started all the controversy.
click here or click below