mickeym | marie claire sucks

By way of

annella:

Who wants to see fat people in love? Not Marie Claire.

That is a link to a discussion of an article in fucking MARIE CLAIRE about how disgusting fat people are. Like Elle said in her post, I'm not linking to the article; it's easy enough to find it, and I don't want to encourage traffic to their site.

Here's an excerpt from the article: So anyway, yes, I think I’d be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other … because I’d be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything. To be brutally honest, even in real life, I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room — just like I’d find it distressing if I saw a very drunk person stumbling across a bar or a heroine addict slumping in a chair.

(I particularly like that the anti!fat writer misspelled 'heroin'.)

I feel...anger and sorrow at this. At the attitude toward obesity in general. There are so many reasons why people are overweight: genetic factors, emotional factors, health things like thyroid or blood sugar. For some it's a combination of things.

I weigh somewhere in the area of 430lbs right now. I am -- and probably always will be, to some degree -- one of those people that the author is talking about not wanting to see sharing affection/being intimate because of the gross factor. And it's attitudes LIKE hers that make me not want to step foot outside my house because I'm likely to be one of the heaviest people in any gathering. I don't want to open myself up for emotional hurt. I had more than enough experiences growing up of being called "fatty" and "fatso", and being picked last for kickball. I had to endure comments when I was older about how it must suck that my stomach sticks out further than my boobs. Whispers that followed me if I went into a store by myself.

Right now it's hard enough to make myself go outside and walk, move, whatever. It's physically painful and difficult, and it would be really easy to give up trying. It would be nice to think that when I do go out that if I'm being judged by anyone it's for what I'm saying or doing. That I'm judged for ME and not my appearance.

I know that's not the case. I am painfully aware that that's not the case. No doubt I've lost job opportunities because someone didn't want to hire someone who's obviously morbidly obese. I know there are people who feel obesity somehow affects intelligence, and that I'm probably being judged as stupid. There are days, depending on my mood and how my self-esteem is at that particular moment, I'd probably agree with them.

My husband left me for someone who is tall and slender--and dumb as a rock.

I HATE that there is so much attention paid to what people look like. The emphasis on being thin and "gorgeous" that's everywhere, in all forms of media.

I have as much right as anyone else to kiss whom I want wherever I want. If I'm losing weight, it's not because I'm trying to spare someone's delicate sensibilities. It's because I want to be healthier over all, for me. If I choose NOT to lose weight, that's also my decision, and if I have someone to kiss I will do so in public if I want...and if it bothers whoever might be looking, well. Don't look. It's your problem, not mine.

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This is absolutely appalling, and I refuse to sit back and let this bullshit carry on.

I've made my utter disgust for this article known on both my journal (http://sangre-fria.livejournal.com/82615.html) and through an email directly to Marie Claire's editor in chief:

Dear Ms. Coles,

I'm writing in regards to an article posted yesterday on MarieClaire.com entitled 'Should "Fatties" Get a Room? (Even on TV?)', written by Maura Kelly. I'm sure you've already received plenty of emails like this one, but I feel that the point bears repeating.

I was horribly offended by both the chosen diction and overall message of that article. Not because I feel personally attacked by it, but because it is one of the most deplorable things I have ever read. It showed a gross lack of sensitivity and maturity; it was mean, petty, and wholly lacking in any kind of substance. The entire point and purpose of the article was to point a finger at a group of people and go "Eww, eww, eww!" like an elementary school bully. This is the exact opposite of what publishable journalism should be, and I highly doubt that this kind of behavior is what you would like to become synonymous with your magazine.

I am not a usual reader of Marie Claire magazine; in fact, this article is my first impression of it. A scathing and disgusted discussion of this article appeared on the friends' page of my online network of choice, which I then followed back to its source at MarieClaire.com. Many of the people involved in that discussion have posted about it as well, which is spreading the word like wildfire. By tomorrow, hundreds (if not thousands) more people will be viewing and condemning the utter rot that your magazine has published. Media organizations are beginning to recognize the power of the Internet in this way; one terrible mistake like this can be heard around the world within hours, and I think that you should take more care in deciding what is published on your watch.

The update to the article, which issued an "apology", was so woefully inadequate that I could only shake my head. Maura Kelly's "apology" consisted of backpedaling like mad one moment ("...I would like to reiterate that I think it's great to have people of all shapes and healthy sizes represented in magazines..."), and then trying to justify what she had previously said by revealing that she herself has struggled with body issues in the past ("...my extreme reaction might have grown out of my own body issues, my history as an anorexic, and my life-long obsession with being thin..."). Sorry; even a sincere and heart-felt apology would be hard pressed to "fix" the debacle caused by the original article, and this certainly doesn't cut it.

This entire affair merely serves to reiterate the stereotype that fashion and/or teen magazines reinforce an unhealthy body image in young women. This incident almost feels like a behind-the-scenes look at how your magazine is run. Should I assume that all of Marie Claire's columnists are former anorexics, or is Maura Kelly the exception that just slipped through the cracks? I'm not condemning her for her past illness, but rather how she is letting those unhealthy behaviors color her writing about current issues. In light of her past struggles with her body, perhaps Maura Kelly was not the right person to choose for an article about the perception of obesity in the media; don't you think? Ms. Kelly herself admits "...I'm not much of a TV person...", and that she needed to be steered toward the CNN article before beginning her assignment. Clearly, in more that one respect, she was not the ideal blogger for this topic.

And in light of the current national focus on bullying, and the incredibly harmful effects that even verbal bullying can have on a person, this article will receive even more scrutiny than ever before. I would suggest that your columnists and bloggers be made especially aware of the effect that their words can have, and the potential backlash that can result when they don't choose them thoughtfully and kindly.

As for Ms. Kelly herself, I hope I never have to see her name again, let alone read another article. I know that this opinion is deeply biased by my current feelings (and the fact that a brief perusal of her articles only turned up the kind of shallow, mindless dross that I've come to associate with the worst kind of teen magazines: "How to Decide If He's Right For You", "5 Ways to Tell if He's Just Not That into You", "Sure Signs a Guy's a Player", etc.), so I don't feel that I could make a reasonable recommendation as to how to handle her as an employee in the aftermath of this incident.

Well....Actually, the recommendation would be very reasonable, but it would also be very petty and spiteful. And I'm sure that Marie Claire magazine doesn't conduct its business on the basis of pettiness and spite. Perhaps someone should send Maura Kelly that memo, if you choose to continue employing her.

Best regards,
Cassondra ------

That is an incredibly awesome letter. YOU are incredibly awesome. Thank you for sharing it here (and I hope you get a response from them!).

I hate to say it, but I'm definitely not holding my breath for a response. Apparently, Joanna Coles has already issued a public statement, and decided to stand behind the abominable trash that Maura Kelly was spewing. My instinctive response?

It's actually a wonder that my email to her wasn't just pure obscenity delivered with the full force of my capslock.

On the other hand, some really beautiful things have been brought to my attention by this:

On a more personal note, I'd like to take a moment to just say that I admire you so much. Sure, I may not know you personally; yeah, I'm a complete stranger. But you know what? I know you enough to know that you're AMAZING. If I had the kind of writing talent that you have, I could die happy tomorrow.

And I would gladly break my hand on the face of anyone who tries to imply that the world isn't a better place because you're in it. ♥

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