Love Thyself and Thy Big Body

After absorbing the witty and uber-positive prose of Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby, authors of Lessons from the Fat-O-Sphere, I’m really sitting here contemplating a no-judgment world of super happy, healthy curvy women and just-as-happy and healthy thin women harmoniously interacting, without any toxic thoughts of “her flab is fugly” or “her legs look like tent poles." Now, wouldn’t that be nice?

Harding and Kirby, both self-proclaimed fat girls, have founded the ultimate fat girl’s bible, with lessons of positive body image, healthy living, and most importantly loving yourself and being healthy in your current body and at your current weight. It’s possible to be fat and healthy, just as it is possible for someone to be slim and unhealthy. Interesting concept, right? It totally goes against society’s view of women, where skinny is in and fat is just not all that. We love us some revolutionary non-diet literature! And, not to mention, their witty firsthand accounts that go along with the life lessons for the rotund reader make them all the more trustworthy.

With a growing blogosphere of fat-pride blogs, fat acceptance is slowly making its way mainstream. It’s pretty crappy that there’s even a push for any sort of acceptance for fat people, but it’s reality. We love that Harding and Kirby explain that "fat" shouldn’t be the negative term that we’ve all made it. Fat is a descriptor, just like blonde or short—it's simple. It’s the fat acceptance movement that is finally helping change the negative connotation once and for all. We shouldn’t be afraid of the word "fat."

Top 10 reasons why Lessons from the Fat-O-Sphere is our positive and fun book pick of the week (and we love our bodies just a little bit more now after reading it):

• We’ve been saying this for months, ever since we launched this site—diets do NOT work. These chicks have got our backs because they say it, too. Skip those diets and just accept your body for what it is, love it and treat it right by living healthily.
• They tell you to find a workout that you think is fun, which is exactly what we do. Seriously, they’re out there. It’s the most simple and practical advice but sometimes we just need a little reminder. We’ve all got to exercise.
• They talk about intuitive eating, where there’s no such thing as a good or bad food. Eat what you want when you want it. Although, it’s still about self-control. If you enjoy ice cream now, you’ll be more likely to have greens or fruits later. It's true—your body can have enough of something (even chocolate) before you want something else that might just be good for you.
• They further emphasize why judgment is the root of catty female evil. Once you start judging others, you become more insecure about yourself.  
• They have hilarious, yet honest, dating tips. I.E. Chapter 12, called "Don’t Believe That Only Sick Freaks Would Want to Date Fat Women." So true.
• They provide practical and much-needed reminders: Stay away from people that say negative things to you or people that say negative things about their own bodies. They even include what to tell your drunken uncle that likes to make fat jokes at Thanksgiving.
• They’re not afraid to seek out images of happy, healthy, hot, fat women. Um, we kind of love Queen Latifah.
• They shop plus-size and they buy fabulous clothes. No need for settling for what fits. Flaunt that fabulous figure.
• They’re not TV fiends. FYI: Quit watching so much television and poisoning your mind of what society expects you to look like. Instead of sitting around and feeling bad about yourself, go out and do something active and fun.  
• The have the best mentality and this describes it all “defend your own honor as vigorously as you would a friend’s.” Would you badmouth your best friend? Didn't think so. Well, you are your own best friend and there’s no self-loathing in this fat-o-sphere. It's all about L-O-V-E.

 
Kate is the founder of ever-so-popular fat love blog Shapely Prose and Marianne writes The Rotund. For more information and to purchase the book, visit Amazon.com.