Friday - Breakout #2

"Our Bodies, Our Blogs"

Chicagoan Wendy McClure talks about the evolution of her website into a blog into a book and how during the course of writing her book, she gained back the 40 pounds she lost. She only recently decided to talk about it. She's reviewing the push-pull feelings behind the Dove campaign. OOH, she doesn't want to be sold the idea that real beauty is real and that we should buy Dove to promote real beauty. OTOH, she also ridiculed men who were grossed out by the Dove campaign because they want to see skinny models. She doesn't get Love Your Body Day?!? I guess when she says she's cynical, she really is.

Laurie Toby, a photographer, uses her craft to talk about body image by photographing large women in the nude. She's speaking about how raising daughters raised her awareness of body image in our society - this was 25 years ago! She's been the token skinny woman on a panel of fat women discussing fat and feminism. Since then she's been involved in many aspects of body image including non-Caucasian women getting surgery to look more Anglo.

Yvonne Marie posts images of herself online as she goes up and down the weight scale. She got amazing feedback from other women after she posted a photo of her stomach with stretch marks. She so hated her belly, but was moved when other women shared their photos and realized she wasn't the only one.

Oohh...I think I see someone I went to high school with! Of course, we didn't hang out, so I have no idea what her name is. Oh, well.

A blogger in the Q&A talks about how she is "faking it until she makes it" by every day she looks in the mirror and says three good things about herself before she can leave the house. Her life has been much more positive since she started. Hmmm...maybe I need to start doing that. Then again, I'd never leave the house.

Laurie makes a great point that she doesn't want to talk about body image if we don't include men. THIS is exactly what I mean when I tell people that feminism is about men. Feminism gave women the vocabulary and lens to break down body image issues. When the diet & cosmetic industry "discovered" men about 10 years ago, it were feminists who I heard talking about it first & critiquing the tiny box our society gives me to be masculine.

Another blogger asked the panel how we can tsk the media for using 'fat ass' when there are some of us are trying to reclaim the term. Good question.

There are so many blogger friends that I wish were here with me.

blogher07