On The Plus Side

Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in as a Supreme Court Justice on Saturday. This was a victory for the Obama administration, for women and for Latinas. Obviously. What you may not realize, is that this was also a blow to your friendly neighbourhood fatists. What's that? you say. Sonia Sotomayor is not fat. But not only were people using her weight as a tool to ridicule her, they used it as reason for her not to be confirmed for the job. I kid you not. Law professor Paul Campos pointed this phenomenon out at The Daily Beast, while sane people everywhere shook their heads in disbelief. Campos writes:

Within hours after the news broke that Souter was resigning, concerns arose that Sotomayor might be too fat to replace him. A commentator on the site DemConWatch.com noted that of the three most-mentioned candidates "the oldest (federal judge Diane Wood) is the only one who looks healthy," while Kagan and Sotomayor "are quite overweight. That's a risk factor that they may not last too long on the court because of their health."

It's a wonder she can get around without the aid of a motorized scooter, am I right?

Is that a double chin I see?

She's smiling because she's thinking of tacos.

Let's break this down. Scalia and Thomas both have the body of a layabout bureaucrat, big man guts and all. I don't hear anyone having any concerns about their ability to serve. Ruth Bader Ginsberg has been fighting cancer, but that's not something that's going to be a problem, cause she's skinny and she was before she got sick. So, you know, who could have seen that coming? No matter how brilliant you are and no matter what you accomplish in life, your size will always be used to judge your competence. If you're a woman.

Now, you guys know me. Or at least you've seen my picture. I am a nicely rounded-out woman, and by societal standards I definitely need to lose weight. I'm fat. I power walk, do cardio on my exercise bike, practice yoga and eat lots of fruits and veggies and whole grains. Could I work out more? Of course. Last week I didn't work out once. And I felt bad about it. But the week before I got three cardio sessions in and this week I plan on doing the same as well as attending a yoga class. I'm happier when I work out despite the fact that the motivation to do so is not something that comes naturally to me. Do I have an unholy love for fried chicken? I admit it. I have had actual dreams, like while I'm asleep, of the Colonel. Is that stuff that I could stand to keep in check? Absolutely. But it's all about balance for me and year after year my doctor tells me that my cholesterol is fine, my blood pressure is low and I am quite healthy. My doctor proves to me, every year, that the BMI is BS. Hopefully with every year that passes I'll be exercising more and treating myself to a few less pieces of fried chicken...but never with the goal of losing weight, only with the goal of STAYING healthy.

Does my fat make you uncomfortable?

I'm swimming in it!

Unflattering picture of a fat woman cooking a turkey! I bet she's going to eat the whole thing herself!

You know what doesn't help? Accomplished women in the public eye like Oprah and Kirstie Alley constantly yo-yo dieting and apologizing for their weight. Oprah: you are the most powerful woman in media. You work hard, you do good things for people, not to mention you are in your 50's and have a thyroid issue. STOP saying how sorry you are that you went up a couple of dress sizes and start START saying that you are sorry for unleashing Dr. Phil on the world. Kirstie Alley: STOP trying to find a quick fix. Eat better, move more and if the weight comes off, it comes off. If it doesn't, start a plus size clothing line for the over 60% of women in your country that are plus sized like you. Most of all, just SHUT UP ABOUT YOUR WEIGHT.

Ladies, everywhere, I beg of you...STOP being ashamed and START focussing on what matters. Live your best life, damn it, and stop being a part of the problem.

One more thing. Do me a favour: don't tell me I can't be a Supreme Court Justice because I'm fat. Tell me I can't be a Supreme Court Justice because I never went to law school, or because I'm not fit to judge a dog show or because I'm Canadian! But leave my fat, spanx wearing ass out of it. The same ass, which by the way, you can kiss. Two times.