Emma Thompson Stands Up for the Right To Eat

Gotta quote this Feministing post:

I love this. Hayley Atwell is starring in Woody Allen's new movie, Cassandra's Dream, but Miramax Films asked her to loose weight.

Says Atwell: "I went round to Emma's one night and she was getting very angry that I wasn't eating all the food she was giving me. I told her why and she hit the roof." The no-nonsense Thompson was so outraged that she called the producers the next day and threatened to resign from the film if they forced Atwell to lose weight. Faced with Thompson - a two-times Oscar winner - on the warpath, Miramax Films swiftly relented.

Proof that ultimatums CAN do some good.

Woohoo! Spain is Awesome

I know some disagreed with Spain's decision to ban crazy-thin models from run-ways, but size 8 mannequins was a definite step in the right direction.

And now, they're really talking my language. The AP reports today that Spain is making clothes for...wait for it...non-stick women.

No, not a "cute" new marketing campaign for I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, it's a new set of guidelines from Spain's Health Ministry. Over 10,000 women took part in a 5-month study to standardize clothes sizing. There will be three measurements: bust, waist, and hips. Wow. It's taken them this long to figure out women are as different from each other as men are? I don't know why I'm surprised.

I only wish we could get the three size thing down over here. I've got some birthin' hips growing on me now.

Don't Resist Laughing at Those Scabby Ankles! It's Feminism!

Ugh. This Guardian article literally had me grinding my teeth.

Though, admittedly, there were some paragraphs I couldn't make sense of (I suppose it's that British wit I keep hearing about), I think I got the gist. Julie Burchill wants you to feel free to obsess over Jennifer's cellulite or Braxtey's dry skin. Glamour rags who feature the latest celeb-gone-wrong are ... promoting feminism!

"How so?" you might ask. I'll let Burchill tell you:

"Ooh, a hundred years of feminism gone down the drain!" a certain sort of killjoy Jeremiah is wont to whinge when they see a civilian chick sniggering over a Heat snapshot of some starlet's un-fake-tanned ankles. To which I would reply no, it's you that's a disgrace to our living, mutating feminism, with your apparent feeling that to be a "proper" woman one must never bitch, smirk or get a cheap laugh out of someone wealthier's imperfections. So a woman should be pure in thought, word and sense of humour, eh? A veritable Angel of the Hearth, indeed! How very Victorian - and how very boring.

I warned you about the Britishisms.

What Burchill has completely wrong (and I'm sorry if it's England moved to another planet where it's different) is the argument. Who the hell is talking about "proper" women? I hate these sad excuses for journalism (celebalism? sounds like the disease it is) because they make normal people like feel like shit. Maybe people are laughing on th outside, but on the inside, they're thinking, "damn, I wish I had that kind of body." If a size 2 movie star is getting criticized for her supposedly flabby stomach or her natural face, what kind of message does that send people like me? No, forget me, I'm old enough not to give a crap. What kind of message does that send to a self-conscious adolescent?

Not to mention the fact that Burchill's article only talks about women. The green light of crapmags only seems to hit famous women. Does Burchill not have a problem with that? Are famous men too real for her already?

Sorry to rant, but this is just ridiculous. Sure, if these were simply pictures shot with a goal of showing us real people in honest moments, Burchill's argument would stand. But I'm supposed to laugh at these women. I'm supposed to feel glad that I'm not them. Women are being criticized for being real.

And that's not okay.

Big UK Breasts

An Australian report details a British study that shows British women breaking their backs everywhere.

According to the article, the study shows average bra size has grown from a 34B to a 36C in less than ten years.

In less than ten years the average bra size has grown from a 34B to 36C.

Marks & Spencer say a quarter of all its bras sold are a D cup or above - a figure which has doubled in three years.

And, in response to customer demand, its range, which used to end with a G cup, now goes up to a J. Lingerie company Bravissimo has even introduced three different K cup bras.

K???? Jesus Christ!Several reasons are given in the article, obesity, estrogen taken during menopause, and fake estrogen, which we get through necessities like lipstick (and tampons and spermicide, but those fall more into the realm of real necessities), and alcohol.

It's not all bad news though, another possibility the article mentions is that women are exercising more. Bigger pectorals=bigger boobs.

But the increase could lead to a greater risk of breast cancer. That good news went by pretty quickly, huh?

I'm not sure how big a deal this is. I mean, what the hell are we supposed to do about it? Just another scare tactic to keep women in their place. "Quick! Make your breasts smaller, or we'll all get breast cancer! Go! Now!"

At least most guys will be happy.

Tiny Tees

The Ad Council and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have gone way too far.

They're spreading tiny t-shirts throughout New York laundromats. Random people are getting hit by the weight police via tiny tees in their laundry. Just a simple reminder to lose weight after the holidays.

Clever? Maybe. Offensive? Definitely. I've already got clothes like that in my laundry. I don't need strangers going through my laundry to send me a not so subtle message.

Subway will help your self esteem

I saw this commercial a week ago, and couldn't find it on YouTube.

Thanks, Feministe, for finding it.

Newsflash: Subway can make you fat too! But maybe it's the kind of fat that doesn't need therapy. Do you think that's what they're trying to say? Yeah, I don't think so. Oh, and do I have to mention it was a woman talking to a man?

The real subway pissed me off today too. No service at my stop? I don't care if it's safe or not...get the subway back!

Okay, I'll stop complaining about my personal issues. Back to the commercial.

I love that Subway is trying to be the health-conscious fast food place. And, of course, it's not enough to just be healthy (which, granted, some of their stuff is), they have to guilt you into going there. Well...yeah. Makes sense, right? Pay a little more for a meatball sub at Subway and you won't have to lose your self esteem because of all that weight you're going to gain. It's a magic meatball sub. I think I forgot to mention that.

Subway - either make your food holes completely healthy (and maybe clean them up a little) or shut the hell up and mind your own self esteem.

Man, I miss Evos.

Misguided

When asked who he'd like to feature on the new version of American Gladiators (yikes) , Hulk Hogan, freakishly blonde man/horse, said: "Without a doubt, Rosie O'Donnell. Somebody needs to shut that big mouth up."

First, let me say: what a fucking asshole. Sure, I think Rosie O'Donnell is a little annoying, but jesus christ. You could've just chosen not to answer the question.

Second, this was O'Donnell's response, which she posted on her blog:

(Rosie: you're not helping. I'm glad you feel you can speak your mind, as a proud, chunky, lesbian. Honestly. But dear god, stop writing poems. PLEASE!!!!)

Dead in Iraq

by Rosie O'Donnell

hulk hogan
the wrestler guy

wants to pummel me
isnt that sweet
and wildly odd

its like a gang of gross guys
a club almost
old dumb white and on tv

nearly 4000 dead in iraq
focus
we r in atlanta
for jane fondas b day
70 and stunning
she - i adore

GCAPP.ORG
peace out

Quiznos Commercial

Okay, first the toasted-sub chain aired a euphemism-heavy commercial, which seemed completely normal until a woman at the end said her sub wasn't "lacking any meat. And that's what women like." Cue the controversy. I didn't have a problem with that one.

The new commercial is a different story. I could hardly believe what I'd seen.



Okay, tongue in cheek, maybe. Still, the underlying theory is that women are unhappy. If you're beautiful, you constantly want to eat. If you're normal-looking, you're so down on yourself that you're actually PLEASED when a beautiful woman says that she hates you. If your willpower isn't overwhelmed by food, your mind is. While it may be true for me, it's not true for everyone, and it's offensive regardless.

Oh my God! Curves are good????

A new study shows that curvy women might be smarter and have more intelligent kids. You can read more about it EVERYWHERE (note: link is not to everywhere, just to one example).

Is this news? Sure, it's cool. I struggle with weight just like everyone else in the world, so yeah, it's nice to know there's something good about curves. "Curvy women" for this study meant women who's waist was smaller than their hips. The omega-3 fatty acids make us all brilliant.

The media has taken the opportunity to evaluate which celebrities are "curvier" and therefore smarter. Am I surprised? Guess not. But it's offensive and ridiculous. The New York Post has a whole photo essay detailing who's smart and who's not with ACTUAL hip to waist measurements. Who the hell cares?!? People are starving and dying. Why is this front page news?

"Jennifer Lopez's waist-to-hip ratio suggests she's got all that and is smart, too! (AP Photo/Henny Ray Abrams)"