Sunday Sundries: Grrrrrrrr...

This week's Sunday update could have gone one of two ways- I was either going to tell you about things I've watched recently (I have serious feelings about Ducky from Pretty in Pink) OR I was going to rant about a couple of things about fat that I've read recently. Since I seem to have woken up in a bit of a mood, guess which of these it's going to be...

(Aside: Hi, guys! In general life, things have slowed down a tiny bit, although I've still been way busier than I would like. Notable things this week: I ate about a million pizzas (or, you know, 3), said goodbye to my beloved housemate/friend, celebrated my other friend's birthday (with pizza), and got a little bit promoted at work- so all in all, not too shabby! Flip side: papa's still in hospital, I'm still tired, I haven't been running for about a month. Aiming to change at least the last of those today)

So. Here are the two infuriating things, let's discuss.

1) I read this article on the Daily Mail website (I know) a few weeks ago, and pretty much responded to it, out loud, with a string of profanity and then some throwing of my phone (onto my bed, I'm not an idiot). If you don't want to read it, because you're a sane and sensible person who doesn't want to stab themselves in the face today, the title of the article is 'Why are today's young women so unashamed about being fat?' (I KNOW) and it's basically an attack on fat people who dare to be happy in front of her.

Literally, this idiot's starting point is in an airport, waiting to go on holiday, and she's upset that there are fat people in front of her who are happy. When they're also waiting to go on holiday. From this starting point, this clearly means that all young, fat women are happy, all the time, and how dare they? Don't they know that they're disgusting flabby messes who should be constantly ashamed of themselves, and shouldn't be happy until they've starved themselves to a size that will please this one, stuck up, moron?

The main issue I have with it, though, is that this person literally thinks we live in a world where fat people are more accepted than skinny ones. This is an actual quote:

"We live in a society in which it has become ok to shame people for being skinny, but to come out and say 'You're fat. Not healthy, not a good look' would be tantamount to a crime."

I don't know where she lives, but it can't be here because that's the least accurate description of British, and Western society I've ever read. We actually live in a society where if you're not skinny, then you're nothing; where fat is discriminated against and openly mocked and commented on in the street, and where bitchy writers can be bitches online and think it's ok to comment on other people's bodies. You know what? It is not ok to comment on other people's bodies.

Since she probably doesn't actually know any fat people, she absolutely has no ideas what the girls she sees at the airport (or generally in the streets- you know, the ones she wants to tell to go on a diet) go through on a regular basis, and even if they don't get shamed for their bodies on the regular, and genuinely are happy with themselves, then they are fucking unicorns and there's no way that's a bad thing.

Basically, privileged white ladies who don't know anything about anything shouldn't write things for national newspapers. But when that newspaper is the Mail, then what the hell did I expect. And I know, I know, clickbait, but Jesus Fucking Christ, just why? Why.

2) In slightly less depressing news, but along the same lines, the Great British Bake Off is back (wooo!)  and the first contestant to leave was Claire Goodwin, a *gasp* fat women who is also adorable and has a pretty great fringe. During the airing of the show on Wednesday night, Goodwin actually had to put up with a whole string of tweets calling her fat. Which is just fucking fabulous, nice work Britain.

So, in response to said unnecessary tweets, Goodwn wrote a blog post that's pretty great, and has been summarised on Buzzfeed here, but this is hands down the best part:

"If we cannot as human beings monitor our own social conduct, then we must look to our companions to guide us. So maybe that is the answer. These so called trolls don't have any significant social contact to help them monitor their own behaviour. No one cares enough or is close enough to guide them. I'd rather be fat."

Translation: Yep, I've got a belly, but you guys have literally no friends or family that cares about you. Get a fucking grip on yourselves and start forming relationships before you DIE ALONE. I'll just be over here, enjoying my cake and my life and my social relationships.

The main reason all of this is so incredibly frustrating is that we're never talking about men. We're never talking about flabby dudes, chubby guys, men with guts. Their bodies belong to themselves, and they're not taught to be ashamed of them in the same way women are, over and over and over again. Any time a woman is being fat shamed, it's basically like saying to them 'what are you doing? Why are you trying to be unattractive to men? Do you even want to get married?' which is so ridiculous that I can't even because OH MY GOD not everyone has the same taste in people, and OMG maybe that's not all we can strive for in this world, you know? Men are allowed to do what they want because they are the menfolk and we must bow down to them, but women? You'd best be doing exactly what they tell you to, or you've pretty much failed at life.

THE END (I will probably be less angry next week. Perhaps.)