Comments for Real Bodies Unite

Comment on Home by Kate Brown - 46

Kate Brown - 46 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:57:23 +0000

I think it is time for people to start being ‘real’

Comment on Inspiring Women in Business and Body Image: Vanessa Reece (Part Two) by modelle milano

modelle milano — Tue, 17 May 2011 10:04:22 +0000

My blog has a simple message. It’s this: BE HAPPY IN YOUR SKIN. I don’t want to preach to you about what you should do to get to the point where you are happy within that body of yours. I can’t tell you how to get there, everyone is different. I can tell you how I got there, but nobody is the same. I have asked Vanessa Reece to join me in an interview so I can really understand her thoughts as an expert in the fashion industry, she is an inspiration to me and I know she will always be honest with me. Thank you so much for the interview with Vanessa! It’s so nice to hear about a woman who has the strength to go and get what she wants out of life – be it a job, a body, or a dress. i think it’s really lovely that you’ve allowed her to share so much of her perspective here. I hope she wasn’t egged on by the smaller fit models – that would be a real bummer, but it sounds like the weight loss is what she really wants, so power to her! Women going after their goals always makes me proud – regardless of their size, shape, age, or reason. I was lucky enough to grow up in a household where we were taught that we are beautiful. I know a lot of people who could possibly be healthier. These people are both fat and thin. I would never assume to tell them though, how to live their lives and then surmise whether I thought they were happy or not. Who the heck am I, to do that? No matter what anyone says, I know that I am happy.
Truly, honestly, incredibly happy.
I hope you are too!
Thanks to you very much for sharing this great post so much.
modelle milano

Comment on Supporters Links by Erin

Erin — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:47:29 +0000

I am a plus size woman. i had lost weight and unfortuantely gained back forty pounds that I had lost. I weigh around 280 and 285. I have fibromyalgia and have a hard time exercising. I am stuggling with self confidence and thinking about actually starting to dress and think I may be ok. I have a hard time finding nice clothes, that aren’t ugly and people that are accepting to bigger girls. I can’t project if i can lose this weight and I am getting sick of feeling that if only I was smaller I would be fine cause that isn’t right either. I wish that event the plus size magazines in the US would stop showing six foot tall women who wear a size 12 and no on can figure out what the clothes may look on you. I am just starting to like my body at this stage and noting being able to find plus sizes and looking a magazines, tv and movies with perfect people I feel bombared by unreality of the American population. I am still trying to start with the underclothes. To find some that are comfortable. Than you for this though and signature. Somehow we need to end health issues but don’t assume all big people eat a ton or are lazy. I am tired of being called this rooj

Comment on Inspiring Women in Business and Body Image: Vanessa Reece (Part Two) by Emilie Esther-Ann

Emilie Esther-Ann — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 17:59:09 +0000

I don’t think Ms. Reece’s comments sounded disparaging toward the plus-size community. I think that what she is trying to get across is really a personal journey. She self-admits that she got a little preachy (but who doesn’t when they’ve had a self-epiphany and want to share their purpose with the world?), but she also makes sure to point out that her journey is based on health. I think that it is a noble and admirable mission to encourage women to love their bodies no matter what size they are. I also firmly believe that it is important for each and every woman to understand what is physically healthy for herself. I’ve recently been on a weight loss journey myself, not because I wanted to match the fictions I see plastered in fashion magazines or in beauty commercials, but because I wanted to lower my BMI, gain muscle, and make my body fit for my daily activity. I was in the bottom of the obese category, and have in a year moved through the “overweight” category to just being 1% from normal. Ms. Reese is not hating on the crowd she came from in modeling, she is simply trying to do what is best for herself. Not everyone needs to agree with her choices, but they ought to respect why she made them.
Furthermore, it is just as narrow-minded to fault someone for wanting to lose a little weight in order to optimize their health as it is for the fashion industry to try to shove the smallest possible denominator down the general consumer’s throat. Every woman’s body is different. Every woman’s journey is different. Every woman’s motivation ought to be for herself.
Also, Ms. Reese says that so far she has lost two dress sizes. She states earlier in the article that she was at a size 22. This still leaves her on the cusp of the plus-size department, she hasn’t gone on a crazy lose-weight-at-all-costs campaign, and she even states that her final size will still be in the plus-size range, but at a much healthier level for her personal build.
There is a difference between promoting positive body image and promoting health, but it is irresponsible to promote one without acknowledging the other. Real Bodies Unite has a host of interviews from multiple points of view. It is bad journalism to promote one point of view while completely ignoring all others.

Comment on Beautiful Body Image Story by ‘Tall Girl Blogging’ by Sarah

Sarah — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:41:01 +0000

Not at all, we think what you do is great! Sarah

Comment on Beautiful Body Image Story by ‘Tall Girl Blogging’ by Allison

Allison — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 16:34:12 +0000

Thank you so much for the mention. What a wonderful website you have here, I can’t wait to explore it

Comment on Inspiring Women in Business and Body Image: Vanessa Reece (Part One) by Elizabeth

Elizabeth — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 19:50:49 +0000

“The bottomline if you do not agree with what she said that is fine but the question is what are you going to do with that anger? Are you going to focus that energy into creating solutions or banter back and forth online about this issue until the next plus size woman decides to be healthy talks about it only to be vilified by the community that at one time she found comfort in.”

This is what I have a problem with, equated size and health is not logical for the most part, and basing assumptions of someone’s health on one’s size is not constructive. No one is vilifying Vanessa for her choices to eat well and exercise but are merely commenting on her belittling of fat women and the fat acceptance online blogging community, which she so clearly attacks in this interview. As many of those within the community demonstrate (and highlight in the above comments) one can be fat, healthy and happy all at the same time, they are not mutually exclusive. And that is what I have a problem with in Vanessa’s interview, not her personal choices.

Comment on Inspiring Women in Business and Body Image: Vanessa Reece (Part Two) by Natalie

Natalie — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 06:09:12 +0000

Some of the ableist, sizeist and ageist content should have been moderated because it is absolutely out of line with this website’s goals. Reece’s more harmful opinions work against what this site is trying to achieve and are very hurtful to the very people it is trying to reach.

Also, I live in Australia.

Comment on Inspiring Women in Business and Body Image: Vanessa Reece (Part One) by Glen

Glen — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 22:57:15 +0000

Normally I do not bother to comment on issues like this because in my six years of blogging about activities in the plus size community I have seen more than my fair share of flareups that consist of lots of people complaining but very few answers being given. Over the years of knowing and getting to know Vanessa the one thing that has remained consistent is that she is not afraid to speak her mind.

Lets face it when it comes to our perspective blogs we are all guilty of writing stuff for acceptance instead of giving our readers a true honest assessment about the topics we write about. Maybe it is because I am a fat man instead of a woman that this spat is another one of the petty squabbles that I have seen come from the extreme right of the size acceptance movement who in my opinion feel they speak for everyone. Just like Vanessa does not speak for everyone these individuals do not speak for everyone.

I applaud blogs like this one to show another side of the community that gets suppressed with all the hugfest posts that go on. For every sentence that someone disagrees with there is something that resonates with someone to the point of actually helping them out, but as you all know we will never hear from those individuals but those are the people who email us bloggers to tell their story.

Everything about this interview is consistent with what I have come to expect from Vanessa. From her debut in my eyes in the Low Rider video almost 5 years ago to the You Tube candid conversations to this current phase. Honestly, I can deal with her words much better than the divisive nature of some of the comments I have been reading and the juvenile antics of some of the individuals on Twitter and I am sure other social networking sites.

The bottomline if you do not agree with what she said that is fine but the question is what are you going to do with that anger? Are you going to focus that energy into creating solutions or banter back and forth online about this issue until the next plus size woman decides to be healthy talks about it only to be vilified by the community that at one time she found comfort in.

Comment on Inspiring Women in Business and Body Image: Vanessa Reece (Part One) by Em

Em — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:33:55 +0000

Sarah, I see your point. I believe in supporting Vanessa on her own particular path. I really LIKE (and have met) Vanessa and would rarely engage in these kinds of discussions about a particular person…

But – I feel I am not particularly having a go at your interviewee or her right to an opinion, as such… what I do think though is that in responding to Kat (at one point using CAPS, which is tantamount to online shouting) as well as publishing this interview you should not be surprised or even defensive. I realise, that you need to stand by the principals of your site and for the most part – think the site is pretty spot-on. Probably – that is why I have felt so compelled to comment.

You wrote to Kat that your site…
… is about all shapes, sizes, ages and ethnicity working towards the use of body, beauty and age diversity in the fashion industry.

I don’t know how someone effectively having a (directly negative and entirely general) go at obese people helps that goal? I realise that isn’t the only thing that is mentioned in the interview – but let’s face it – that’s the lasting impression.

That being said, I don’t want to contribute (any more) to how attacking this could feel for the interviewee… so I will leave it.

Thanks. Em.