(no subject)

[pat]

We went swimming at Rengstorff Pool. Kevin is at a curious stage -- he doesn't want me around (he's only 6!) but he doesn't swim as well as he thinks he does. He keeps ordering me back to the deep end. Which is okay, I guess -- I just need to keep watching him so I can yell if he gets into trouble. He seems to be doing okay.

I am a large woman. Large women are not supppose to appear in public in bathing suits, are not supposed to go swimming, and especially not go off the diving board (hasn't everybody seen "Shallow Hal?"). Well, screw that -- I've decided I like going off the diving board. The only down side is the tops of my feet hurt (poor diving form -- I haven't been pointing my toes enough and they keep slapping the top of the water).

I really don't want to make dinner, but I want to leave the house to get food even less.

Kevin decided that he wanted a bagel dog for dinner. Ignoring instructions that he was to wait until I could make dinner for everyone else, he decided to make his own bagel dog. In the toaster oven. In the plastic wrapper. Fortunately, the wrapper acted like shrinkwrap and didn't stick to the oven rack. I'm still not letting him eat it, partly because I'm not sure something nasty hasn't leached into the bagel dog from the wrapper, but mostly because I don't want to encourage him to ignore what he's been told.

Comments

[brian1789.livejournal.com]

Good for you! Screw social expectations! You paid your admission, same as anyone else.

[daltong.livejournal.com]

It took me years to get to the point where I don't care what anyone else thinks about my fat body--in a bathing suit or elsewhere. It's so worth the effort. If you're interested in some fat positive literature, let me know.

I am a large woman. Large women are not supppose to appear in public in bathing suits, are not supposed to go swimming, and especially not go off the diving board (hasn't everybody seen "Shallow Hal?").

I deliberately have not seen Shallow Hal because I know it will piss me off and make me feel bad at the same time. I'm strong, but I'm not that strong. I mean no judgement here, I'm just curious: why did you watch it?

Kudos for ignoring all the crap and diving anyway. You're a lot braver than I am...I never did like diving! Too scary!

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

Actually, I *didn't* see "Shallow Hal." (I was trying to be sarcastic, I should have made that clear, sorry). I *did* see the trailer for "Shallow Hal" (with its "woman jumps into pool and half the water splashes out" scene, among others) and it made me feel so humiliated that I nearly left the theater without seeing "Moulin Rouge."

I have read that the Farrelly Bros claim that they were making "a love letter to fat people," but I fail to see where repeating fat jokes and vicious stereotypes (I have been over 300 pounds, and have never broken a chair or capsized a canoe because of my weight) helps encourage others to see inner beauty. That's a little like saying that depicting people of color as lazy, shiftless, and ignorant but goodhearted promotes racial tolerance.

Oh, and that scene in the trailer with the horse with the broken back? Funny thing, Dan Blocker (who played Hoss in "Bonanza") was a big guy, and *he* rode horses all the time. Oh, I forgot.... it's far worse for a woman to be fat than a man. (Look at the sitcoms on television -- "King of Queens" or "Drew Carey" comes to mind -- where pudgy guys have fashion model wives/girlfriends.)

Sorry, didn't mean to start ranting.... off to wipe foam out of my mouth....

Although it does feel good to finally get that off my chest.

[daltong.livejournal.com]

I was trying to be sarcastic, I should have made that clear, sorry

Gah, I should have picked up on that!

it's far worse for a woman to be fat than a man

Of course! Just look at the clothing options for each gender in substantive garments. It seems as though men have more choices...although I could be wrong about that, I haven't done an extensive comparison.

Sorry, didn't mean to start ranting.... off to wipe foam out of my mouth....

No no...rant away. I didn't mean to lecture in my comment; and it sounds like you have the fat positive attitude down pat.

You sound like a nifty person. I hope we meet sometime!

[geekchick]

Sorry, didn't mean to start ranting.... off to wipe foam out of my mouth....

But an excellent rant it was. I couldn't make myself watch even the tiny bit of that movie that I caught by accident when I was in Blockbuster and they had it on. *twitch* I'd rather my love letters not be full of jokes at my expense, thank you very much.