WDAL – “WADDLE”

 Last Sunday night I attended the fat-abulous Marilyn Wann’s (author of Fat!So?) premiere event for her midlife “oasis” project – WDAL (Weight Diversity Activity Lounge), pronounced waddle. 

 What a great time and what a great idea. Marilyn’s dream is to buy real property where she plans to reside (in a corner), with the rest of the space available for size-accepting folks to gather.  She envisions a space that would include pool, hot tub, dance floor, kitchen facilities, etc. with everything totally accessible.  A safe place for fun, learning and acceptance.

 People of all sizes came to the Humanist Hall in Oakland for an evening of good food, great music and wonderful company. 

 Of course,Marilyn wouldn’t settle for just one activity at her event:

 The great band Just 4 Fun provided music for dancing and singing!  Everyone was welcome to get up and sing with the band – sort of karaoke only with live musicians!  A folder with the lyrics of songs in the band’s repertoire were provided. 

 Marilyn also invited people to get up and dance in front of a green screen while listening to the song “Hips and Ass” which she co-wrote with the guitarist of Just 4 Fun. Marilyn plans on taking the video clips from the dancers to create a YouTube video for the song.

 The meal was vegan, and included choices for glucose-intolerant folks as well, with the cooking handled by the very capable hands of Orion Cooper.  Organic and sulfate-free wine was also available. 

 And if I may toot my own horn, Fatties United contributed “WWMWD” (What Would Marilyn Wann Do) bracelets for one and all, and they were a big hit. 

 And a Fat!So? Day Planner is in the works.

 I am so lucky to live in an area where I can attend fun fat-positive events like this.  I am excited by Marilyn’s project, and am looking forward to see how it progresses as she works to achieve her dream.  If anyone can do it, Marilyn can.

Filed under: Fat Activism, Fat Rights Organizations, Size Acceptance

ASDAH CONFERENCE ROCKS

ASDAH is the Association for Size Diversity and Health.  The voting members are healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, therapists, dietitians, nutritionists, researchers, academicians – a very wide spectrum of healthcare professionals) who support the Health at Every SizeÒ (HAES™) approach and research. 

ASDAH is the group that is on the front lines helping to fight all the junk science regarding fat and health.  The HAES approach is that health is not the number on your scale or yourBMI.  Health is something that all people, thin, fat and in between, can work towards without changing their weight. 

I had thought that ASDAH was for healthcare professionals and science researcher “brainiacs”.  And while I knew I benefited from the work ASDAH does, I thought I would not be able to relate to or understand what they would be discussing.  I am not a healthcare professional or in academia.

Well, I went to my first ASDAH conference this past weekend and  I loved it.  I had to ask some questions, because like any area of work, there are certain terms that have specific meaning within that area of expertise.  

I can’t speak to what ASDAH has done at its past conferences, but at this one, on the first day various professionals made presentations regarding their work and/or research.  Lots of good science debunking of junk science; and lots of good talk by the people who are literally putting their careers on the line trying to change the healthcare paradigm of a world that ignores the science and keeps claiming fat equals unhealthy and thin equals healthy. 

I learned about the battles a HAES practitioner has to fight.  I got some suggestions on dealing with health practitioners who just want to talk about weight.  And probably most interesting (for me) I got to hear some of the reasons why it is so hard for some healthcare professionals to let go of the “old way”.  I came away with pages and pages of notes on information I want to follow-up on, blog ideas, things to think about and maybe apply to my own life. 

We did not stay for all of the second day of the conference.  We heard the committee reports, financial reports, and specific requests for members to participate in the various committees.  I found ASDAH to be totally open and candid with its members about the organization, where it is, what it is doing, and where it hopes to go.  When we left, the group was preparing to do break into groups to brainstorm.  I probably would have had a lot of fun doing that – but I had a bad headache (didn’t sleep well at the hotel) and just really wanted to get home to my own bed (and cats). 

I urge you to go to the ASDAH website and check them out. 

http://sizediversityandhealth.org/

 

Filed under: Fat Activism, Fat Rights Organizations, health, Science, Size Acceptance, Size Discrimination

Brochure Update

Just a quick note that I’ve updated the brochure page here on Fatties United.  There are new links to more of NAAFA’s brochures. (NAAFA developed several great handouts over the years, but until recently they hadn’t been transfered to NAAFA’s website.) Take a look!

Filed under: About the blog, Fat Rights Organizations, health, Size Discrimination

Guidelines for Therapists Brochure

Another quick one: NAAFA has updated one of its brochures, this one titled “Guidelines for Therapists Who Treat Fat Clients“.  Currently it’s linked from the main page at http://naafa.org (which actually forwards to http://www.naafaonline.com/dev2/index2.html, but it’s still the legitimate NAAFA site), but the direct link is http://www.naafaonline.com/dev2/assets/documents/NAAFA_Therapists_2010_v03.pdf (also linked above).

The brochure was written by Deb Burgard and Barbara Bruno, was updated this year, and was passed out at the HAES Summit  this year.  The idea is that patients can hand it to a prospective therapist and gauge their reaction. Perhaps it could even educate some open-minded therapists.  Looking through it, I think it also works for other health care professionals.  Download and Enjoy!

Filed under: Fat Rights Organizations, health, Size Acceptance

Where is NAAFA Going? – Convention Pt 3

Before anyone freaks – the following is just my musings — NAAFA has not made any announcements, or any indication that this may be NAAFA’s future — again, just my thoughts and concerns!

Since the NAAFA Board says that the convention is no longer its major fundraiser and given the small size of this year’s convention, I have to wonder if this means NAAFA is moving away from having the convention (which I am sure is a major expense), or changing the social nature of the convention. 

 NAAFA appears to be moving toward being more of a political animal, and that is something that the fat community needs. 

 NAAFA also is moving to where all of its membership contact (except the Convention) is online.  If you don’t have a computer or have access to one, you are pretty much cut off.  As far as I can tell, NAAFA no longer sends out membership cards and NAAFA no longer does a print version of the Newsletter. 

 I understand the economics of this; but I find it a bit sad nonetheless.  Must be the Luddite in me.

So I have to wonder will there be a place for the fat-acceptance newbie to go and get some face-to-face enlightenment?  This is something that NAAFA always excelled at; and what was, to me, the most important part of the conventions.

Guess time will tell; but I hope that NAAFA will be there for many future generations of fat-accepters and fat-activists.

Filed under: Fat Activism, Fat Rights Organizations

NAAFA Convention – Part 2 – Fundraising Change

The NAAFA Board says the convention is no longer it’s major source for fundraising.  And at the NAAFA Convention this year, there was no big push for pledges.  (However, there was a form in the back of the program to fill out for pledges.)  They do still sell the raffle tickets and do the auction, of course.

I hope this is not a mistake on NAAFA’s part.  I find it very convenient to just fill out the paperwork and get that done at the convention; and it’s a good time to hit folks up for money when they are all basking in good feelings for the cause. 

Also at the general meeting, it was said that NAAFA was doing better making requests based on specific needs.  I know that Bill and I have never been contacted with such requests (and no, I’m not asking to be contacted), maybe because we were already doing the monthly pledge thing.

I do know that nothing pisses us off more than making donations to a group; and then they come back, over and over again, wanting more and more money.  We GAVE already. 

On the plus side, you can make donations at NAAFA’s website, and it is set up so you can get your donation receipt (which you need for the IRS).  That is a definite improvement; and maybe it is one reason for not asking for the pledges — saving time and paperwork for NAAFA.

Filed under: Fat Rights Organizations

NAAFA Convention (Pt 1) – Was it worth it?

This past weekend was NAAFA’s annual convention. 

I love seeing friends from across the nation.  And I like being able to shop for unique clothing that I won’t see on every other fattie (like stuff from Lane Giant). 

Best of all, I love seeing fatties who love themselves (and those who love them back), fatties who feel good about themselves, and people who care about improving life for all fatties. 

I didn’t find a lot in the programming for me, and that is because I choose to avoid (for my own reasons) anything where NAAFA says they are soliciting opinion or assistance.  But what I did find was very very good.  And kudos to NAAFA for putting forth a couple of specific projects for membership involvement.  I will be interested to see what comes to fruition.

So yes, for me, it was worth it.  I think the NAAFA Convention is an opportunity no one who is ready for fat acceptance should miss.

Filed under: Fat Activism, Fat Rights Organizations, Size Acceptance

NAAFA Convention!

One more quickie: Who’s going to the NAAFA Convention? It starts in less than a week!

Filed under: Fat Activism, Fat Rights Organizations, Just Fun, Size Acceptance

2010 PCA/ACA Conference, Fat Studies Area, call for papers

2010 PCA/ACA Conference

Fat Studies Area

Call for Papers

Fat Studies is becoming an interdisciplinary, cross-disciplinary field of study that confronts and critiques cultural constraints against notions of “fatness” and “the fat body”; explores fat bodies as they live in, are shaped by, and remake the world; and creates paradigms for the development of fat acceptance or celebration within mass culture.  Fat Studies uses body size as the starting part for a wide-ranging theorization and explication of how societies and cultures, past and present, have conceptualized all bodies and the political/cultural meanings ascribed to every body.  Fat Studies reminds us that all bodies are inscribed with the fears and hopes of the particular culture they reside in, and these emotions often are mislabeled as objective “facts” of health and biology.  More importantly, perhaps, Fat Studies insists on the recognition that fat identity can be as fundamental and world-shaping as other identity constructs analyzed within the academy and represented in media.

Proposals in the area of Fat Studies are being accepted for the 2010 PCA /ACA (Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association) National Conference in St. Louis, MO (March 31 through April 3, 2010 at the Renaissance Grand Hotel St. Louis). We welcome papers and performances from academics, researchers, intellectuals, activists, and artists, in any field of study, and at any stage in their career.

Topics may include but are not limited to:

* representations of fat people in literature, film, music, nonfiction, and the visual arts

* cross-cultural or global constructions of fatness and fat bodies

* cultural, historical, or philosophical meanings of fat and fat bodies

* portrayals of fat individuals and groups in news, media, magazines

* fatness as a social or political identity

* fat acceptance, activism, and/or pride movements and tactics

* approaches to fat and body image in philosophy, psychology, religion, sociology

* fat children in literature, media, and/or pedagogy

* fat as it intersects with race, ethnicity, class, religion, ability, gender, and/or sexuality

* history and/or critique of diet books and scams

* functions of fatphobia or fat oppression in economic and political systems

By December 1, 2009, please send an abstract of 100 – 250 words or a completed paper to Fat Studies Area Co-Chairs Julia McCrossin (jmccross@gwmail.gwu.edu) and Lesleigh Owen (goddess_les@yahoo.com).

Please include your complete contact information and a CV and/or 50 word bio, along with anticipated A/V needs. All submissions are welcome, but please use the information above to ensure your paper fits within the academic and political scopes of Fat Studies. Please also be mindful that Fat Studies is a political project and not merely an umbrella term for all discussions of larger bodies. Also, we encourage submitters to rethink using words like “obesity” and “overweight” in their presentations unless they are used ironically, within quotes, or accompanied by a political analysis.

Presenters must become members of the Popular Culture Association. Find more information on the conference and organization at http://pcaaca.org/conference/national.php.

Filed under: Fat Rights Organizations, academia, CFP, fat studies, papers, PCA

NAAFA’s Annual Report

A couple of weeks ago, Terri and I, along with Goddess Les and many others, were at the NAAFA Convention in Dulles, VA (near Washington, DC). It was co-located and concurrent with the ASDAH convention. NAAFA (National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance) and ASDAH (Association for Size Diversity and Health) are sister organizations, so there was a lot of overlap and good synergy.

Along with the usual program and bag of goodies, attendees received printed copies of NAAFA’s 2009 Annual Report, plus a fact sheet on size discrimination.  I want to talk a bit here about the Annual Report; possibly later I or someone else will talk about the fact sheet, and other aspects of the convention.  To be honest, it would take thousands of words to do justice to the 2009 Convention.

Back to the Annual Report.  It’s an incredible achievement, considering that NAAFA’s fiscal year ended June 30.  Getting a report like this out in one month is rare.  It’s eight pages, plus the cover.  The inside front cover has a NAAFA profile plus quick facts.  Pages 1 and 2 contain a message to members, page 4 shows some example ignorant comments received by NAAFA over the fiscal year, page 6 has a strategic report card, and page 8 has financial highlights.

The report card is illuminating.  Of NAAFA’s six goals in its five-year plan (we’re either two or three years along, depending upon whom you talk to), only two (Goal 1: organizational steamlining and Goal 2: grow membership) have seen any progress.  And it’s not clear that membership has grown at all, just that NAAFA has done several things to promote growth, such as lowering its fees.  NAAFA has made very little progress on its other goals (Goal 3: pursue universal healthcare, Goal 4: FLARE fund programs, Goal 5: civil rights & legislation, and Goal 6: child advocacy).  NAAFA has fought some battles on Goals 5 and 6, but hasn’t won many.  (I think NAAFA members may have helped a case of child abuse in Nevada, but I’m not sure of the outcome of that.)

I applaud NAAFA for its efforts, and for grading itself honestly.  Why hasn’t NAAFA been more successful?  Partly it’s due to lack of money; NAAFA can’t hire staff to do the grunt work because there’s no money for that.  It’s frustrating because there are so many fat people who can and do benefit from NAAFA’s efforts, but aren’t members.  I invite all reading this to go to www.naafa.org and join NAAFA if you haven’t already; it’s only $15!

But the report card also lists a lack of people for nearly everything on the page.  Honestly, I think that part of that is the NAAFA Board of Directors structure.  Due to fears about volunteers “running wild”, all projects have to have close Board supervision, and there are just not enough Board members to do that.  The result is that NAAFA is not open to implementing ideas from its membership, even if the member is willing to staff and pay for its implementation.

NAAFA is an important voice for fat people, and NAAFA continues to get press as the premier fat rights organization.  And frankly, I love NAAFA.  But there’s only so much the Board can do.  I hope the Board can find a way to let volunteers help more.

Filed under: Fat Rights Organizations, Size Discrimination, activism, annual report, NAAFA