Yesterday, I heard about a counter-campaign by fat activist Marilyn Wann to help end discrimination, stigmatizing, bullying, and shaming of fat children... for that matter fat people of all ages, in response to the state of Georgia's misguided Strong4Life campaign to end childhood obesity.
A naturally chubby kid, raised in a shame-based family, where the standard was "the thinner the better," I ended up in the grips of a ten-year struggle with an eating disorder... thanks to bullying by parents and mentors/teachers in the dance world and my determination to be something unnatural for me, thin. Took me till age 55 to finally come home to my body at it's natural weight, and learn to eat normally. It's thanks to activists like Marilyn, bloggers like Ragen, Harriet, and Heather, and voices of sanity like Ellyn Satter, that I found my way, and am proud to say:
If you're FOR acceptance of people of all shapes and sizes and AGAINST bullying and stigmatizing based on body size, and want to participate in Marilyn's campaign, email a photo of yourself and your "I STAND:" declaration to marilyn@fatso.com. Be sure to send a high-rez photo.
