My Manifatso

It's like a manifesto, but filled with fat.

[Content Note: This post contains discussion of fat hatred and disablism.]

I've spent the past two hours (give or take) tweeting my fingers off about fat hatred and the fact that, no, Paula Deen allegedly having diabetes is not, in fact, "justice" for her particular culinary oeuvre, which centers food associated with fatness.

(Yes, it's true that rich foods make some people fat and/or unhealthy; it is also true, however, that rich foods do not make other people fat and/or unhealthy; it is further true that foods not associated with fatness make some people fat and/or unhealthy. You may detect a patten here! A pattern that suggests people are not Bunsen burners!)

Anyway! Because I'm a motherfucking progressive optimist and shit, I wanted to end on an upbeat note, so now I'm busily tweeting my manifatso. And here it is:

I want to be in the world, and I will participate, and I will take up the space that I need without apology. Also: I may occasionally eat butter. But mostly: I will be publicly, shamelessly, unshakably fat and happy. Happy-Go-Lucky, in fact! I am a fat woman, and I will matter—to me and to you.

[For those who can't follow along on Twitter, my series of tweets is below.]

@baratunde [in response to his tweet, now removed, that called Paula Deen's reported diabetes diagnosis "gastrointestinal justice"] Did you seriously just call diabetes, a disease which kills people, "justice"? Wow.

Eliminationist "humor" is not something I find remotely amusing.

@baratunde I live w/ a diabetic. When he hurts; I can't help him. I worry abt him all the time, abt losing him. What's that "justice" for?

@baratunde Oh, I'm sorry. Where's the "pancreatic irony" in that? Jesus.

Seriously, if you think diabetes is "karma" for ANYTHING, you are an asshole. The end.

When it's "funny" for a fat person to get a disease that kills people, that is beyond stigma. That is straight-up eliminationism.

Nice to know @baratunde only cares that he "failed the science" w/ his shitty remark, but doesn't care that he failed the decency.

Such jokes discourage fat people from seeking diagnoses, and seeking support, b/c disclosing "fat" diseases invites ridicule.

Oh well that's all right then. Snort. RT @baratunde "Shakestweetz of course i don't WISH diabetes on your friend or anyone. even deen"

@baratunde I was not under the impression you "wished" diabetes on anyone. The issue was that you think the diagnosis is funny, or "ironic."

@baratunde And I think it's pretty disingenuous to say you don't "wish" it on someone while simultaneously asserting that it's "justice."

@baratunde "#comedyleadstoeducation" Possibly, the education should come first, so the "comedy" doesn't lead to eliminationist horseshit.

@baratunde "I apologize for 'justice'." Thanks. Next time, lead with that.

@baratunde And END with it, too. #ifyoukeepdefendingyourself #youundermineyourapology

Another day, another reminder that my humanity as a woman and a fat person is not respected by people I once trusted.

YES. MT @red3blog "Worth noting, much of the Deen hate has nothing do with her size but the fantasy that she is culpable for other fat ppl."

Which is why when @baratunde snipes her "butter mentality," it's an oblique slam on fat advocacy. Anyone who condones fatness is dangerous.

@baratunde Glad you're learning the facts abt diabetes, but hope you're hearing how your positions play into fat hatred, too.

Fat people die of hatred every day. Fat people have died while emergency crews laughed at their weight and appearance. #fathatredkills

Fat people have died after being told they should lose weight to fix problems actually caused by deadly health issues. #fathatredkills

Fat people have died b/c whoops that was actually a clot, cancer, internal injury, or infection causing shortness of breath. #fathatredkills

Fat people have died b/c their doctors couldn't see past their fat prejudice to properly treat them. #fathatredkills

Fat people have died b/c of medical equipment that cannot accommodate fat bodies. #fathatredkills

Fat people have died b/c of anesthetists who accidentally kill fat people in surgery by not understanding their needs. #fathatredkills

Fat people have died b/c of drs who prescribe wrong doses for fat bodies, b/c of drug trials that exclude fat patients. #fathatredkills

Fat people have died b/c they did not seek life-saving healthcare after being fat-shamed by doctors their whole lives. #fathatredkills

Fat people have died as a result of self-harm because of vicious bullying. #fathatredkills

Fat people have died because health insurance often costs more for them, irrespective of their actual health. #fathatredkills

Fat people have died because they stopped exercising after getting fat-shamed at the gym, and on their sidewalks. #fathatredkills

Fat people have died because they stop leaving their houses & participating in life, when being publicly fat gets too hard. #fathatredkills

In summation: #fathatredkills

Why is fat hatred eliminationist? Because to get rid of my fat body, you have got to get rid of ME. bit.ly/mPekH8

I want to be in the world, and I will participate, and I will take up the space that I need without apology. #manifatso

Also: I may occasionally eat butter. #manifatso

But mostly: I will be publicly, shamelessly, unshakably fat and happy. bit.ly/xlFKo7 #manifatso

I'm Happy-Go-Lucky, in fact: bit.ly/x1IwDc #manifatso

I am a fat woman, and I will matter -- to me and to you. #manifatso