Dear Ms. Kelly:
First of all, I have to say it pains me to do this. I have never considered a "Marie Claire blogger" a serious journalist. I'm not saying that I am a serious journalist but I'd much prefer to spend my writing time commenting on the ridiculous political schlocka happening at the moment, or perhaps some harsh words for the military commander who instigated those "sport killings" in Afghanistan. But, here I am, compelled to call you out on some serious bullshit.
I read your article, titled "Should Fatties Get a Room (Even on TV)?" which was featured on the Marie Claire website recently. I was directed to read it from a CNN.com article that was written in response to it. So I took a backwards route but I got there anyway.
First, I must ask you: is there nothing else going on in the realm of love and dating? Seriously? Ok, I'm over that--on to the content of your article. Apparently it started when your editor asked you if you feel comfortable when you see overweight people making out on television. In turn, you tuned in to an episode of Mike & Molly, a new CBS sitcom about two overweight people who fall in love while struggling to get their weight under control. Your first thought is that these peopel aren't overweight, they're obese, which, allegedly, puts them in a category called "sick." I know, I know, the "obesity epidemic" is on everyone's mind. More and more people are struggling with weight and food issues and we're finally talking about it. We're not *doing* much about it but we're certainly talking about it. But in the atmosphere we have today, "obese" means "sick" and/or "part of the problem."
You then decide that yes, that it would gross you out to watch two people "as fat as Mike and Molly" being physically intimate. Hey--everyone has an opinion. It grosses me out to see George Clooney kissing someone; I happen to find him unappealing. Know what else grosses me out? Celery. Too stringy and watery. Feces really grosses me out; it's difficult for me to clean my toilet and I do that every week. Ok, one more.... porn. Porn grosses me out. I'm not morally opposed to it, I just happen to find it gross.
I would be mildly irritated if the article ended there...but it doesn't. You go on to a) compare an obese person to a stumbling drunk; b) try to make all of it ok by saying you have some "friends who could be considered chubby" and c) dare to give the world weight loss advice.
Let's tackle each of these offensive and ridiculous things one at at time, shall we? You ready, Maura?
a) Alcoholism is a serious issue and it's a struggle for those addicted to stop drinking. Obesity is also a serious issue and it's a struggle for people addicted to food and/or over-eating to get control of the situation. But let's clarify one thing: you can live without booze; you cannot live without food. This makes the struggle to lose weight intensely difficult, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. Why? Because an alcoholic isn't struggling to make the leap from whiskey to light beer, Maura; they are trying to cease drinking altogether. Someone struggling to lose weight is trying to re-define their relationship with food because they must continue to eat in order to continue to live. It's not like quitting smoking; you can switch from fast food to salads but if you don't completely un-learn everything you learned that got you there in the first place, you will fail. So your comparison is moronic at best. Doesn't hold water. Or whiskey.
b) I am a woman of color, in addition to being overweight. People tell me all the time that their best friend is black. Know when they say that? Right after they say something that's super ignorant aand borderline racist. Their best friend isn't really black. And if you truly do have "chubby" friends, I feel sorry for them; while they think you're all just enjoying happy hour as a group of carefree girlfriends, you're actually secretly monitoring everything they put in their mouths and praying they don't kiss anyone in front of you.
c) This is my favorite part: advice for the obese on how to lose weight from a woman so clearly misinformed and insensitive. Do you hear that? That's the sound of me clapping for you. I'm in the midst of completely changing my life; I've lost a lot of weight, I've stopped drinking but I have a long way to go. Something just wasn't clicking...until I read your article telling me I can do it! Gosh, Maura Kelly, I had no idea I was capable of complete health until your words of wisdom fell on my fat ears.
Now that we've dissected your poorly written and truly offensive article, I have a few things to say to you. Not that Marie Claire was ever a beacon of intelligence or anything but knowing that you're a paid writer of theirs is enough to convince me that vapid, stereotyped thinking is what gets you a cube at that magazine. And no, obesity isn't something that "most people have a ton of control over", you drooling, senseless asshole. It's something we have to work hard to get control over but it's a long and sometimes painful process. I'd recommend you stick to penning things you're more in tuned with, like, "Panties: Thong or High-Cut?" or "How to Give Head When You're Strapped for Time."
Respectfully,
Dresden Jones
Oh...one more thing: Kiss my fat ass, honey.
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