Q: How cool is this? A: Pretty cool!

[fflo]

upcoming "Fat and the Academy" conference at Smith

There's an "emerging field of Fat Studies"? With a "current flourishing of scholarship" in its multi-disciplinary self? Hunh. Wow. I mean, I know about people working in the area, and a scholarly element of the resistance, but the notion of a toehold in the academy is news to me. Leave it to one of the Five Colleges/Seven Sisters to organize such a conference. And I used to make fun of them "sweater girls."

Some people & titles:
• Kathleen LeBesco, "Queer Tactics in Fat Politics: An Assessment"
• To The Earth (Tribal Bellydance), followed by the Royal Renegades (the Philadelphia Drag Kings)
• Paul McAleer, "Blog This: How You - Yes, You - Have Changed the Media's Stance on Fat."
• Stefanie Snider, "Fat Girls and Size Queens: Visual Productions of the Fat and Queer Self in Contemporary American Culture"
• Pattie Thomas, "Fat as Social Problem, Social Stigma as Solution"
• Paul Campos, "Ask Your Doctor if Cultural Hysteria is Right For You"
• Marilyn Wann, "Fat Liberation 101 - Life's Too Short for Self-Hatred & Celery Sticks!"

Comments

[bigfinedaddy.livejournal.com]

Wow, that's exciting. Only $50, too. And I've not yet been to Northampton. Hmmmm.

Re: Related in sort of an askance way...

[fflo.livejournal.com]

I'd say jump into the fray yourself, but you have rather a lot on your plate right now.

Re: Related in sort of an askance way...

[fflo.livejournal.com]

I dunno. You almost certainly have by FAR the bulk of your adult life ahead of you. You ain't seen nuthin' yet!

[onstar.livejournal.com]

i wanna go!!

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Me too.

[bigfinedaddy.livejournal.com]

Oooooh, good. I'm hap to hear that you're both interested.

[eve-l-incarnata.livejournal.com]

Keep on making fun of those sweater girls. When I lived in Brattleboro, they all had geometric haircuts and nice coats (that I couldn't afford).

I'd love to attend this! I LOVE Marilyn Wann! I keep trying to show the "Fat!So!" book to fat friends, but they usually think its "too radical". I'm looking forward to the day when they stop hating themselves.

[bigfinedaddy.livejournal.com]

You've got to warm them up with the flip-through dancing in the upper corners. Perhaps I'm easily amused, but I absolutely LOVE that!!

[lovelikeyeast.livejournal.com]

I know, this looks great!

I'm going to be just getting back into town that sunday, so am going to miss out. Katie LeBesco, Marilyn Wann are amazing!

[vjsmom.livejournal.com]

So, are you gonna go? I think this sounds awesome! What the H happened to my icon(s)?

[fflo.livejournal.com]

I'd love to be there. Don't know how I might manage it, but there's time to ponder, anyway. Might you be into it?

Icon-wise-speaking, at the moment you appear to me to be a B/W woman at a music stand. Or is that a small desk, or a steno machine?

[keryx.livejournal.com]

You have no idea who I am, but queerbychoice told me you rock, so I had to come see for myself that lo... you do indeed rock. And the first post I read is basically the exact same post I just made. I hope it's alright with you if I claim you as a friend, person I don't know.

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Whoa---I'M made of ATOMS, too! (har har)

Certainly you may claim me. You appear, from a cursory glance, to have rather rockin' qualities your own self.

[atleastdefiant.livejournal.com]

Sounds exciting, especially Wann. Academia and movements always a little scary when you're personally invested. I turn into some nitpicking fiend, wanting every nuance exactly right. In this case though, I'm sick of the push to disprove and rebuff the negativity. Screw the negativity. I wish chubbies could cut to the chase and get to the "Fat is Beautiful" stage. Because it's so, so sexy, and acknowledging that shouldn't be a revolutionary thing.

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Duuude. So right on. Though of course my inner American fat chick has its kneejerk backlashy hesitation at your closing enthusiasm there.

I've kinda always thought this particular struggle is destined to lag behind, perenially winning the Least Envelope-Pushing Award. Even trannies have zipped ahead in self-celebratory acceptance, and have the boost of a certain (resultant?) cachet, at least for the moment. (In the long run, of course, who knows what'll happen there.)

Maybe we need an equivalent of the Power fist. The fat-related defiant gesture. It's just so hard to do anything quick and simple with your bare ass...

[atleastdefiant.livejournal.com]

That's what I mean, right there. It wasn't enthusiasm, just plain statement of fact: Many fat women are sexier than many skinnies, and there are attractive physical elements that only come from fatness. Like the fuller cheekbones, deeper dimples, curvy shoulders, and that's staying above the neckline. But we'll never win acceptance in the mainstream beauty spectrum (is that actually the point?) if we can't even see it ourselves. When we said "black is beautiful" in the 60s, we weren't saying because previously we didn't think we were beautiful per se; but because the mainstream only promoted very light skinned blacks as beautiful. the media is a powerful weapon. So saying "black is beautiful" was a way to acknowledge the truth beyond the much-hyped lie that it wasn't.
That's what many fat girls are missing. The real belief in their own beauty, beyond an academic analysis of fat suppression and invisibility. Like, the ability to look at their own naked bodies without hating everything.

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Fer shur!

Do you think the analytical/academic pursuit may be one path further down the road of not hating that reflection? I must say, I don't think my growth in comfort with my shape has much to do with the theoretical pondering. Though I think I like having the theoretical stuff to talk about it with, or justify it in some way. Which, of course, implies that it requires proof, which implies that liberation necessitates the consent or agreement of those who (at least at the moment, and including ourselves) are buying the larger culture's take.

I guess psychic liberation is the liberation from giving a rat's ass what people think, but political liberation is not being fired or not hired or denied health insurance or stuff like that there. And that's where the movement needs its rhetoric.

[(Anonymous)]

True that! That's real life, on the ground stuff I didn't take into consideration.