• Private IX | Glorifying Obesity •

• Private IX | Glorifying Obesity •

Luziehtan von Katarina Kühl

Illustration: Katarina Kühl
“This is unhealthy!”
“You’re gonna get diabetes!”
“You’re slowly killing yourself!”
“Look in the mirror, this isn’t beautiful!”

“Stop glorifying obesity!”

Just a few of the comments regarding fat people’s health. The commenters seem to be interested in their health but truth is: they’re not really concerned about me having any problems because I’m fat. They’re concerned about having to see me being fat.
And they’d actually love to see me feel bad because then they could say: “See, I was right, look at you now!”

If people are so interested in playing doctor with me, why don’t they also ask if I already visited my gynecologist? Why don’t they remind me to go to the dentist twice a year? Why don’t they ask me about my mental health? About my diabetes, which I already have because I was born with it and haven’t “gained” through being fat?

Why don’t they tell every smoker to stop smoking because it’s indeed unhealthy?

Why don’t they tell every ballerina to stop dancing because it ruins their feet?

Why don’t they tell every driver to stop driving because it’s dangerous?

Why don’t they tell every boxer to stop beating one another because of serious facial, head and therefore also brain injuries?

Why don’t they tell everyone in summer to stop sun-bathing because it causes skin cancer?

The thing is: people just feel uncomfortable seeing fat people who feel good and are stylish. Because we keep being told that fat isn’t good, that we need to lose weight to be beautiful and sexy. That fat people can’t look good, because fat is ugly.

So when these people see someone fat who’s not that society and media stereotype (fat and ugly, disgusting and not taking care of themselves, eating like a pig, not working out, not styling themselves and all those stupid prejudices), they just don’t know how to deal with the fact that someone fat DOES look good, that someone fat is beautiful and stylish, takes care of him or herself and just feels so confident about it that he or she shows it to the world.

So they come up with all those excuses that allow them to shame those people, calling them unhealthy and claiming that they glorify obesity, which is complete bullshit.

Please let me explain why I (and pretty sure other plus bloggers too!) do all this – the blog, my outfit posts, the Private column, encouraging my readers to wear whatever they want, whenever they want:

I blog because I want people to know that you should love yourself and your body, no matter which size you wear – because it’s about feeling good and you can definitely feel good with a larger size too. And as I always say: being healthy and feeling good are the most important things in your life! And if at least one of them doesn’t work for you anymore, you have to do something about it. Be it weight loss or something superficial, like a new outfit, a new hairdo or a new make-up – there are many options.
Above all, I want to celebrate diversity. Celebrate that there’s not only this one ideal but many other forms around it, bigger and smaller.
Glorifying obesity is not my message, and honestly: who gets the feeling “I have to gain weight and be fat too!” when he or she looks at my pictures? I dare to say: not one single person. Because my message isn’t to get fat or like being fat, but to feel good – even though you’re fat. And that’s something different.
I want to inspire, show outfits and “support” my reader’s – your! – creativity when you see me and my looks. I want you to feel that being fat is no stop sign for fashion, for feeling beautiful and loved and that being fat is okay, as long as you accept yourself like this and feel good and healthy. There’s no need to change for someone else and especially not for our society.

Nobody has to copy me, but everyone’s invited to do so.

Just a few lines about the illustration: Katarina asked me if she could do an illustration of me, and since I always feel truly honored and flattered that people really take their time to draw me (I mean: me, I’m not even famous or so!), I said yes and she surprised me with this incredible picture! I thought it’s funnily perfect for this post since I look like a saint (talking about glorifying). :) Thank you again a thousand times for this amazing illustration – can’t wait to put it on my wall. ♥

• Private VIII | Fat •

• Private VIII | Fat •

“You’re not fat, you’re beautiful!”

I very often read this and it is probably one of the comments that hurt fat people the most, even though its intention is to make someone happy and feel good. And even though at first it doesn’t even sound so bad, if you think about it, it’s not as nice as you might think.

You’re beautiful. Period.

Unfortunately, our society is still not open-minded enough to understand that “fat” doesn’t equal bad or ugly while “skinny” is the synonym for beauty and everything positive.
Being fat implies that at least one thing about you is negative – your body. And because of that you can’t be beautiful in the eyes of our society. Why’s that? This is completely wrong!

You can be skinny and beautiful and you can be fat and beautiful. There is no right and wrong.

But then again, there are those people who like to say: “If you just lost a few pounds, you’d be gorgeous!” – oh really? If you used your brain, you might be able to say something more intelligent!
If people think that I’m beautiful, why would they recommend that I lose weight to be “perfect” in their eyes? Just because I don’t fit in their manipulated idea of beauty, I don’t have to change for them. It’s them who need to change – to open their minds and start accepting diversity, other forms of beauty and that we don’t have to fulfill the beauty standards of our stupid society.

Please stop these insulting compliments! Because it’s not nice to tell someone that his or her beauty depends on their body shape – and your opinion about it.

“Stop calling yourself fat!”

Why should I? I’ve accepted my body and I’ve accepted that I am fat. Because I am fat. I am overweight and I wear an average size 44. There’s nothing wrong about it – as long as I am healthy and feel good, as long as I accept myself like this. And if I don’t, I should change something about it. May it be weight loss or a change of my look, my clothes, my hairstyle – everything is possible to make myself feel better.

It’s not about someone else telling me what I should think about myself or what I should call myself, even though telling me that I’m not fat is supposed to cheer me up. And it’s also not the right compliment to tell me that I’ve lost weight or look skinnier – it just feels like it because in our society, being thin is the ultimate and if you’ve achieved the goal of being skinny, people will be amazed by your “power” and “strength” and “discipline” – because fat people are non of this, they don’t have power, aren’t strong and discipline’s not part of their vocabulary. Oh hell!
Let’s start complimenting people by telling them how great they are, how amazing their characters are – not their bodies. Of course it’s right to compliment someone by telling them that you can see the change when someone’s working hard to feel better, but “you lost weight – you look great!” isn’t the best way to do so. It will continue to brainwash us all to think that being fat is the worst thing you can be.

I am fat.
AND beautiful.
AND happy.
AND sexy.
AND successful.
AND funny.
AND strong.
AND proud.
(AND SO MUCH MORE.)

♥

• Private VII | Diversity •

• Private VII | Diversity •

UK size 14 ♥ UK size 24

Sooo, it’s not been too long since I wrote my → #ImNoAngel post. And currently we’re back at this whole model thing topic because of “Germany’s next Topmodel”. I know that most of my readers, you, are already open for the #bodypositive movement, open for self-confidence and self-love, open for diversity. But there are still enough people out there who like to use this show for two very negative things:

Belittling themselves: The first group sees these young girls, skinny and beautiful, and forgets that their beauty doesn’t mean that they’re ugly themselves. Just because you think that someone is beautiful doesn’t make you less beautiful! You’re beautiful in your own way, your uniqueness and – most importantly – you are beautiful no matter what you think is ugly about yourself. Please understand that beauty has many faces and skinny is as gorgeous as fat, tall is as charming as petite, and disabled people are as beautiful as non-disabled people,… EveryBODY is beautiful and that’s why diversity is the most wonderful thing we can celebrate when it comes to our bodies.

Bodyshaming: The other group loves to use those young girls’ skinny bodies as an example for sickness, the reason for eating disorders in our society (even though this may be true in some way, but that’s not the girls’ fault!) and call them ugly and disgusting. They come up with those discriminating quotes (dogs and bones, you remember?), calling them names and being pretty horrible, insulting young and easily influenced (by our society’s ideal) girls that they don’t even know – just because they’re skinny. Yes, there’s not only #fatshaming, but also #skinnyshaming. Shaming people because of their appearance is never acceptable. It’s not cool to shame fat people and it’s also not cool to shame skinny people. And it gets even worse if you want to stand up for one of these body types and use this as an excuse to say horrible things about the other.

#bodypositivity = all bodies are good bodies!

Both reactions are wrong. Absolutely wrong. #bodypositivity means that all bodies are good. Skinny bodies, fat bodies, white bodies, black bodies, tattooed bodies, disabled bodies, bodies with scars, bodies with cellulite, bodies with stretch marks, male bodies, female bodies, trans bodies, heterosexual bodies, homosexual bodies,… (you get it – the list is looooooong because “every body” means EVERY BODY).

You know, looking at this picture above makes me happy. There’s mannequin diversity – because we need it, because we’re all different and because there’s not only a size 14 but also a 24, like there’s a size 4 and a 34. DIVERSITY is the key – and if there’s mannequin diversity, why don’t we accept that there’s body diversity too? Why don’t we celebrate that we’re all different and unique, a product of love and happiness, the biggest wonder of mankind? Why do we prefer to call ourselves ugly and disgusting, make others feel bad because of their looks, and even put ourselves down because we don’t look like that model on TV? Why do we accept and ask for diversity in every other area but not when it comes to ourselves?

I want you to know that you’re absolutely great the way you are. No matter how your body looks. Because – yup, there’s some cliché coming! – what really matters is the inside. Of course, human beings like to judge from the first look, that’s in our nature. But we should never stop after that first little glance at someone. Let’s get to know each other. Accept our differences and be curious, get to know them, talk about them, fall in love with them! Fall in love with others and even more with ourselves! Instead of spreading hate and destroy everyone’s confidence, we have to be open for diversity. Wouldn’t’ it be pretty boring if we all looked the same?

♥

• 5 Resolutions for 2016 – #bodypositive •

• 5 Resolutions for 2016 – #bodypositive •

1 - Lu zieht an.®

Photos: Falko Blümlein
T-Shirt: Beth Ditto x Jean Paul Gaultier
Earrings: Dior “Mise en Dior”
Tribal Earrings (mixed)
Bracelet: Hermès

I know, it’s almost February but there’s still enough time to give you some ideas about how to make this year a #bodypositive year.

I’ve never been someone to make New Year’s resolutions, but since 2015 was a year full of great moments in terms of plus size, I wanted to share some ideas with you. Things to try and live by this year. And I’ll hopefully be good help with that with my blog.

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