Thin Cover —

Originally published on Fierce, Freethinking Fatties by Atchka!

Friday I explained why I am willing to accept the assistance of anyone who wants to help us tear down the billboards in Georgia, whether in the form of comments from fat-shaming Alton Brown or the theoretical support of MeMe Roth.

And the fact is that people from all sides of the obesity issue are galvanized in opposition to a public “health” campaign that shames and stigmatizes fat children. The question remains who, aside from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, is still defending these ads as acceptable?

This past weekend I received the disturbing answer to that question.On Friday, I received a request from Leah Segedie of Mamavation to help respond to Strong4Life supporters on Twitter. Since I firmly believe that refuting bigots and maxim-chucking fat haters is a great educational tool, I decided to take a look and was taken aback by the person who seemed to be giving Leah the greatest pushback.

I am erasing the name of this Manic Tweeter to minimize the flaming she truly deserves, primarily since after the onslaught of tweets I received this weekend (you can see the entire stream here), I’m starting to think there may be something seriously wrong with this woman.

My Secret Strength

Jennifer Jonassen, actress, dancer, writer, activist and clown, has responded to my call for videos for the Fat Kids United video project. Her video shares the hidden strength that bullies don’t count on fatties possessing, as well as how her struggle for self-acceptance led her down some very dark and dangerous roads.

Thankfully, Jennifer survived a tormented childhood to develop into an intelligent, talented performer whose words and work are inspiring thousands of others to learn to love and accept their bodies as they are, rather than continue the endless cycle of self-dissatisfaction that hurts so many children today.

Many thanks to Jennifer for having the strength to share her story, and I invite you to share your story as well. Since nobody on the staff at Strong4Life has been a fat child, we need to educate them on just what a special kind of hell being a fat child is, and why adding to that pain with a shame-based campaign will only make matters worse.

Our Big, Fat Money Bomb

Originally published on Dances With Fat by Ragen Chastain.

We are standing up for kids and saying enough is enough!  By now you’ve heard of Strong4Life, a campaign by the Children’s Hospital of Atlanta that shames and humiliates fat kids under the guise of promoting health. They have billboards up all over Atlanta, reinforcing a message of shame and stigma every day for those driving by.  It’s time to take a stand and support developing healthy habits in kids of all sizes without stigmatizing fat ones.

We are raising funds to put up billboards in high traffic areas around Atlanta with positive messages to counteract the negative Strong4Life campaign.  This campaign kicks off with our Big Fat Money Bomb on Thursday, February 2nd. The goal is to raise as much money as possible on the first day of the campaign for momentum and publicity.  If you want a reminder on February 2nd just e-mail me at ragen@danceswithfat.org and I’ll put you on the list!

New Fad — Shame- and Blame-Based Ad Campaigns

Originally posted on Fierce, Freethinking Fatties by Bronwen.

It turns out that Strong4Life’s shame and blame based ad campaign isn’t alone.

Today, while reading news on the internet, my husband found a story about an ad campaign in New York. This one targets adults, which makes it only marginally better than the one in Georgia that targets children.  However, this one is just as skeevy.It seems that the City of New York Department of Health had posters connecting portion sizes and diabetes. In the top of the poster, a man is posed sitting on a stool, huddled over with a defiant look on his face. The photo is in black and white with the grey background we’ve come to love in the Strong4Life’s campaign. On the bottom, the same man in the same pose missing his right leg just at the knee, and crutches are leaning on the grey wall behind him. In front, in color, are three fast food drink cups from small to large with the caption “Portions have grown. So has Type 2 Diabetes which can lead to amputations.”

Now, part of the problem with this ad campaign is that, well, just like with the Strong4Life campaign, the people who thought this was a good idea didn’t care if they lied.

Unnatural Allies —

Over a year ago, Marilyn Wann and I had a falling out over the role dieters should play in Fat Acceptance. I said and did some things I regret and, as a result, she unfriended me on Facebook.

I was devastated. I shattered her faith and trust in me, and now the Mother of modern Fat Acceptance had cut me off.

Public Outrage : The Strong4Life Campaign

Originally posted on That Shaker of Salt.

When I started blogging it was because I wanted a place to go where I could make a difference. I have often spoke of the power bloggers have, together they can make changes. According to studies people are more influenced by the opinion of a blogger then they are a celebrity. This is one of the times that it makes me proud to be a blogger banning together with bloggers and health-base communities all over the country  to show our opposition to the  Strong4Life Campaign on childhood obesity.

Help Wanted —

Next week we begin the next major phase in our campaign and there is an issue that we need to resolve before we reach the stage of attracting media attention: we need a name.

Stand4Kids is already taken by a Christian organization and we don’t want to infringe on that. We have two proposals so far: Fat Kids United and Health4AllKids. We want more suggestions from you today, then later this afternoon we will hold a vote on our Facebook page asking for your preferred name for our organization, which will be used, initially, to fight fat hatred and bullying of fat kids, but who knows where the future will take us.

If you have a suggestion for a name, please comment below. Thank you!