Q&A with Wendy Shanker
Why do you use the word "fat"? It's
so insulting!
Not to me. The
more I use the word "fat,"the more comfy I feel
with it, and the less potential it has to hurt
me. I don't
know what people picture when I describe my body
as fat; maybe one of those women Richard Simmons
has to suck out of a house with a forklift. By
now I've said the word so many times that it really
doesn't bother me anymore. Sure, I could use
overweight, or plus-size, or curvaceous, or any of
a million others, and I do. But why not call
it like I see it? The word that I like the most,
and the one that I think aptly describes my body, is fat. The opposite of thin. I
like it.
Isn't it unhealthy to be fat?
Not
necessarily. Scientific
studies show that it's generally unhealthy to be
fat and sedentary. That is, if you eat
a lot of crappy food and never move your body, you
are definitely risking some health problems. But
plenty of research suggests that obesity – at least,
a clinical definition of obesity – is not nearly
the death sentence that most media outlets and weight
loss companies would have you believe. There
are a lot of companies making a serious load of cash
money by preying on your body image insecurities. But
no one makes money telling you to eat a balanced
diet and take a walk.
So how fat are you?
Last
time I checked I was clocking in at 5'7"and 220. I wear a size 18 or 20. But it's hardly
like you'd look at me on the street and think I was
some gigunda human being. You'd look at me and
say, Hey, there's a beautiful girl with a seriously
curvy bod. I don't get too caught up in numbers,
unless we're talking cholesterol or triglycerides…
How much does the average woman weigh?
According to Shape magazine
(November 2002), the average
American woman is 5'4"tall and weighs 152 pounds,
but the average American model is 5'11"tall and
weighs 117 pounds.
How many ways have you tried to lose weight?
Every way there is.
How do I know if I'm fat?
You tell me.
What do you hope to accomplish with this book?
I'm
tired of all this weight loss stuff. I'm
tired of people pushing away bread baskets in restaurants;
I'm tired of hearing women talk trash about themselves;
I'm tired of being told how worthless I am because
my body looks the way it does. I'm hoping to
change our attitudes about
this whole body image business. It is a business. It
is an image. But it is YOUR body, which contains
YOUR mind, which can be a whole lot easier to change
than the width of your thighs or the shape of your
ass. I think we should be able to laugh at an
issue as silly as cellulite, but we don't. Can
we at least try to evaluate beauty on our terms instead
of the terms we've decided to accept from Vogue and
Hollywood and your Aunt Gertrude and the girl who won
"Best Booty"in high school? Shouldn't we teach men
to lust for something other than women with little
girl bodies and Playboy Bunny breasts? And can't
we figure out a better way to spend our time and money
while we're in the process?
What's the most surprising thing you learned from
writing this book?
I was shocked to learn that I'm completely fabulous
in just about every single way, and really always have
been.
So am I supposed to just stop dieting?
I did what's good for me; I suggest you read the book,
then do what's good for you.
Can you recommend some good shopping resources
for women who wear a size 12 or higher?
Absolutely. I love designers like Emme, Richard
Metzger, Anna Scholz, Donna Ricco, Marina Rinaldi,
and INC. Whenever I travel, I track down local
boutiques that sell my size clothes, like Viva La Femme
in Chicago and Harari in Los Angeles. And here are
a few websites to start with: Torrid.com, Junonia.com,
LaneBryant.com, SizeAppeal.com, Alight.com, Nordstrom.com,
Newportnews.com. I always try to support department
and chain stores that sell plus-sizes, magazines that
show plus-sizes, and I ask snooty salespeople when
they are going to start carrying plus-sizes (there
are more of Us than there are of Them – 68% of women
in the U.S. wear a size 12 or higher!) You can
also check wendyshanker.com for more resources, shopping
and otherwise.
So I have another question
for you…
Go ahead and ask me at wendy@wendyshanker.com.
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