Big Sexy: It's Anything But

I’ll admit, I’m a bit of a TLC junkie. Say Yes to the Dress, What Not to Wear, A Baby Story, and occasionally 19 Kids and Counting. It’s TV that doesn’t require much brain power, mildly entertaining and helps pass the time.

While watching one of the fine programs that TLC has to offer, they were spamming the commercial breaks with their “GROUNDBREAKING” new show “Big Sexy.” It’s a show that will be following the lives of five plus size women and their attempt to enter the fashion world as plus size models and/or designers.

Being “plus sized” myself, my interest was piqued.

I think you should to know that I don’t identify myself with the “girl power plus size” crew.  I don’t love the fact that I’m a plus sized woman, and I don’t hate it. I take it for what it is. The status of my body is due to years of emotional eating. I used food as my drug of choice to suppress my anxiety, sadness, anger, and even joy. I used it as a cop-out to not live a full life. Now that I’m aware of this, I am learning to treat my body with kindness, as often as I can remember I am taking ownership of my choices, and how my body has turned out is because of MY CHOICES.

I DON’T have a debilitating condition that requires me to be sedentary for long periods of time. I don’t take medications that made my weight balloon up. I’ve been fat my entire life. My brother and I like to call it being constant. We’ve been this way our entire lives, so it’s socially accepted among our friends and family.

One thing that really pissed me off was at the beginning of the show, one of the characters (and I say characters because all people on reality television are playing a role that is more likely than not scripted)

“All fat girls don’t wanna be skinny. Did I just blow your mind?”

 No, dear. You did not blow my mind. Because the insincerity behind that statement is written all over your countenance.

You give me one fat girl who wakes up in the morning and says, “Sweet! I get to carry around 300+ pounds around today.” Or a woman looks in their full length mirror with their cellulite and rolls staring back at them and thinks, “Damn, I look good. This is what men are attracted to!” And I’ll give you me that says you’re full of shit.

It’s your body. You own it. You should treat it with love and kindness. And when it’s not within its natural weight, it is a direct representation of what is going on inside of you. Which is not love. Or happiness. It cannot be.

Another thing I found fraudulent about this show was a scene where one of the women was getting dressed. She put on 3 types of body shapers.  Um, where is your confidence in you curves, ma’am?

Many plus sized women and regular sized women do wear girdles, shape wear, and an array of undergarments to smooth out their mid section, legs and back fat. It’s understandable why women do that and it can make clothing fit better.

I found it ironic, I suppose that these ladies would have any use for a garment that is used to mask or change their natural body shape.

Another scene in the show that aggravated me is when they went to a club, and were refused entrance for a period of time. Two skinny attractive women and some men were admitted in front of them. They were not required to pay the cover charge. The bouncers later returned to the plus sized ladies and requested that they pay a $30 cover charge. And they had the gall to be offended. Seriously, ladies?

I’m gonna say it.

Clubs are for young, attractive, skinny people.

And sometimes even young, attractive, FAMOUS skinny people aren’t admitted into a club. Exhibit A: Seth MacFarlane. (http://www.tmz.com/2008/11/15/seth-to-crown-bar-i-can-buy-you-b-ch/)

Why would you go to a place that will openly discriminate against you? It would be like me going to a Mason Lodge and demanding membership. It’s a fraternity. I’m not going to be admitted. I could scream and cry foul, but it is what it is. There are organizations for all types of people. Why make yourself a target? Unless of course, you crave the negative attention. Because even negative attention is attention.

It’s really frustrating to me how some people think they’re SPECIAL. And because they are SO special, they deserve to have whatever they want, when they want it. And when they don’t get it, IT’S A SOCIAL OUTRAGE!

Let me say this. You’re not special. Not anymore special than the person who rides his bike to work instead of driving. Or the person who spends Christmas morning feeding the homeless. You don’t deserve preferential treatment because you have an eating disorder. People need to get off their pretentious high horse and get back to their lives.

This show isn’t groundbreaking. It’s just like any other reality show. With fat chicks. They should be embarrassed.

Perhaps it’s the American dream for fatties and twigs alike to live stupid, artificial lives alongside each other.

 

I thank my intelligence and upbringing that I don’t have to belong to a special group to shape my identity and build my self confidence. That comes from knowledge, self love, healthy relationships (platonic and romantic) and joy.

So the next time that I see it on, I think I’ll pass.