Age 8: Learned how to ski for the first time and love, love, loved it.
Age 10: A solid Intermediate level skier, I'd happily graduated to doing stemming/skidding turns and self-imposed time trials on my favorite runs.
Age 13: Stopped skiing because puberty hit and I could no longer fit in my ski clothes, nor could I find any new ones in my dad's price range that I would be ok being seen in.
Age 17: Went skiing with my BFF for the first time in four years wearing jeans and a casual jacket (froze my ass off). Ended the day thinking I was going to die of bruising and muscle aches, and swore off any future skiing.
Age 25: Heavily intoxicated while watching the Winter X Games on TV with my roommates, Jonnel Janewicz crosses the screen as one of the contenders of Women's Snowboarder X. I attended school with Jonnel from pre-school through high school graduation, was in the Girl Scouts with her in 6th grade, and she, eh... really wasn't so nice to me. Seeing her success as an athlete and cool snowboarder chick threw me into a shame spiral of epic proportions, and I decided I was going to learn how to snowboard. Lack of funds, motivation and courage prevented this goal from coming to fruition.
Age 32: Honey Bunny talks me into going on a trip to his favorite resort to get snowboarding lessons while he skis. A month prior I find appropriate and not-completely-unfortunate snow gear for fat girls at Junonia, and HB orders it for me as a gift. As luck would have it, it was a warm winter and the resort closed the weekend before our trip.
Ages 33 - 36: Honey Bunny tries, unsuccessfully, each winter to talk me into going skiing or snowboarding with him. I give him various excuses each year.
Age 37: THERE'S NO GETTING OUT OF IT THIS YEAR.
I'll set the stage for you. Last week, HB announced he was going to go skiing on the weekend, and asked if I was coming with him or not. I said no. He asked why. I didn't have a great answer, and an argument ensued about my phyiscal and emotional readiness - or not - for snow sports. He left on the weekend to go skiing while I stayed home to play out my requisite secret single behaviors (usually involves a super veggie burrito with extra hot green sauce and a giant lemony Diet Coke from Zona Rosa while catching up on all the "chick shows" backlogged in my DV-R).
Just about to embark on my shopping marathon at the Union Square Macy's on Saturday (a not-so-secret, not-so-single behavior, but nevertheless fun to do while Man is out of town), I grabbed my coat from the hall closet... the same hall closet where the Junonia snow clothes have been stored since five years ago when they were purchased. I saw them hanging there - lonely, dusty, rejected - and wondered why I was being so resistant. I took off my nice shopping clothes and tried them on, right there and then.
Once I had the clothes on, I could picture myself at least trying to learn (snowboarding) or remember (skiing). One of the biggest reasons behind creating this blog was to push the notion that no fat girl should be afraid to TRY... to try something new, to try something scary, to try something that fat people don't normally try purely because they're fat. Little by little, my resistance was worn down as I stood there and stared in the mirror at myself in that snow suit, and tried to visualize having a good time trying something new.
So, I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna suit up and rent equipment and take a lesson and see how it goes. Not sure if it's skiing or snowboarding I'm gonna do, but I'll figure it out sometime in the next month.
Not before tending to a little business, however... the business known as vanity. As I told HB upon his return, there are two levels of comfort for me: the comfort of knowing I look ok, and actual comfort. The snow pants he got me are great on all levels. The jacket is... not.
I got to quick work on the internet (eg. the only place a fat chick can purchase sport-specific gear for anything other than the gym). Thank god Eddie Bauer, LL Bean and Lands End carry plus sizes because I actually found six jackets that would work. I can't help but think about five years ago and the now-unfortunate snow jacket I got, and how it was literally the ONLY thing available at that time, internet or not.
In the end, I whittled it down to two jackets, and decided to have both shipped thinking I'd return the one that didn't work. They both arrived yesterday and are both just lovely. So lovely, in fact, that Honey Bunny said I should keep both. The SnowPack 700 is a lightweight option, good for hanging out in cold and/or snow in general, especially good for warmer slope days and when/if I get better and need less padding. It also has a nice fitted shape to it and is strangely flattering. I got it in Persian Blue, although am quite tempted to exchange for the Bright Raspberry. Hmmm.
The SnowRoller is The Works, by comparison. It's not as fitted or flattering but is quite warm, has lots of pockets and ways to customize the fit both inside and out, and has the added benefit of looking, shape-wise anyhow, most like the regular size snowboard chick-wear. I got it in Ice Blue. As Honey Bunny also had me try on the original Junonia jacket (just because it's tough, thick and uber warm) and it didn't look so bad by comparison, he convinced me not to eBay it. It's also in the powder blue range. In toto, that makes three powder blue jackets: one light, one medium, one heavy. Sweet!
I also purchased some long underwear from Lands End along with the jackets. Ok, can I just say that they have come a long way since 1984? At that time, the only thing available for me (ahem, was affordable to dad) was the waffle-weave type in Men's sizes. Looking back, they were clearly too tight or not sized right in general because I remember wrestling with the bottoms at the end of every run, wrestling to keep them up to my waist and yet not bagging in the crotch. Yuck. These here modern "silk underwear" are thin, stretchy and fit correctly and closely to the body but without being tight. Who knew?
The last two things on my list are gloves and a beanie. Those I can get from an actual sports store and will probably be from a cool brand (yay!!) such as Burton, Da Kine, whatever. I told you I was vain.
Oh, and just so you know... I'm Facebook friends with Jonnel now after having messaged her to say that I saw her on the X Games in the 90's and was really impressed by seeing her success.
12 February 2010
Wholly offensive
Yahoo's Shine is just brimming with interesting information, it seems. When I was digging through the archives to find links for my last post, I came across this one:
Should your employer offer incentives for losing weight? Whole Foods does
GASP.
I can't figure out what is more offensive -- the fact that Whole Foods offers incrementally more % of an employee discount to those who have a BMI of <30, or that their CEO fully admits it has everything to do with reducing health care costs of the company (and, presumably, nothing to do with the actual health of the employees). I keep thinking, Could he have at least made some attempt at spin in this situation? (Although I generally hate spin, especially from companies who do almost $5 billion in annual sales. And yes, sometimes I forego my values in favor of being reactionary.)
Also of note in this article: "Research indicates that companies with employees who are fit and healthy do have a better bottom line." OMG.
When I told Honey Bunny about all this last night, in addition to interjecting the question "Has anyone sued them yet?" about 14 times during the course of my story, he concluded by saying, "The difference between a 20% and 30% discount isn't really a big deal when you're buying a $25 bottle of laundry detergent to begin with." Heh.
Again with the reactionary: I'm now boycotting Whole Foods. Let's see how long I can hold out, given that they're my go-to for all the crap our co-op doesn't offer.
Should your employer offer incentives for losing weight? Whole Foods does
GASP.
I can't figure out what is more offensive -- the fact that Whole Foods offers incrementally more % of an employee discount to those who have a BMI of <30, or that their CEO fully admits it has everything to do with reducing health care costs of the company (and, presumably, nothing to do with the actual health of the employees). I keep thinking, Could he have at least made some attempt at spin in this situation? (Although I generally hate spin, especially from companies who do almost $5 billion in annual sales. And yes, sometimes I forego my values in favor of being reactionary.)
Also of note in this article: "Research indicates that companies with employees who are fit and healthy do have a better bottom line." OMG.
When I told Honey Bunny about all this last night, in addition to interjecting the question "Has anyone sued them yet?" about 14 times during the course of my story, he concluded by saying, "The difference between a 20% and 30% discount isn't really a big deal when you're buying a $25 bottle of laundry detergent to begin with." Heh.
Again with the reactionary: I'm now boycotting Whole Foods. Let's see how long I can hold out, given that they're my go-to for all the crap our co-op doesn't offer.
10 February 2010
Jerri Gray's responsibility
I've been thinking about this article ever since I came across it:
Where do parents fit in the childhood obesity puzzle?
For starters I always love the inevitable accompanying photo of a really fat person - so fat that s/he is seemingly bursting at the seams - with these articles. [Sarcasm.] The fat person is always shown from the back or, if from the front, from the neck or waist down, presumably to preserve the person's anonymity. I especially love the one with this article since it's a fat child surrounded by several other fat children at the pool, everyone in bathing suits.
That said, I actually liked the content of the article and thought it made some good points. I got to it because I read this piece and also this one, about Alexander Draper being removed from his home and mother and put in foster care. Social services asserts his mother was being medically neglectful by not tending to her son's severe obesity.
This is one of those rare cases where an interest of mine (fatism) collides with my work world (child welfare). While I'm not a social worker myself, I've been orbiting in the public social services world for long enough to have an informed opinion.
To address that particular area: it is one of the most traumatic experiences for a child to be removed from his/her home, and it "should" only happen if there is an immediate and compelling safety issue at hand. Obesity, to me, doesn't qualify here. It is a compelling risk that can be managed (starting immediately) by social services while still keeping the child in his home. Unfortunately, Alexander's mother, Jerri Gray, fled the state with him upon learning that she was being investigated for neglect and thus, we have the makings of a safety issue for the child, and he was removed from her care when Jerri and Alexander resurfaced. It's just too bad that reports from news outlets are failing to mention this key plot twist in favor of sensationalism about childhood obesity and criminality.
Allow me, for just a moment, to indulge in being even more of a card-carrying member of the PC Police. Here we have a single Black mother who was working the equivalent of 2-3 jobs to make ends meet, and who said she'd bring home fast food for dinner because there was no time to cook. Let's assume that if she's working 2-3 jobs she's probably financially strapped as well, and fast food is cheap. Fast food chains also tend to be prevalent in low income neighborhoods and especially where there are populations of color, and therefore those populations tend to have health and/or weight problems as a result. There is also a huge problem in the US with disproportionality, with predominantly Black families in the child welfare system. Can you say "vicious circle"?
The point of the original article was to explore the question: if adults must always accept personal responsibility for being fat, then who bears the responsibility for a child being fat? I've often wondered that myself, especially as Honey Bunny and I have been trying to have a kid. Because I'm fat and have been so since childhood (and HB carries a bit extra himself), does that mean we're destined to have a fat kid? Because I don't have great exercise habits myself, will I care less about making sure my kid has an active lifestyle?
I think of my friend Gina and her daughter Chloe. Gina is petite in every way but I would never characterize her as "active". While she does enjoy some occasional snowboarding in winter and casual bike rides in the summer, she doesn't go to the gym or to yoga or anything like that. In fact, she eschews "working out" because it's not enjoyable to her. But yet, Chloe has been active in soccer and softball since she was about five years old, and at Gina's behest. Chloe likes those particular sports too, of course, otherwise Gina says she would find something else for Chloe to do. Chloe is now 13 and I've known her since she was four; Gina's got some years of parenting under her belt, and I plan to steal several of her methods (up to and including taking my kid to rock shows, Burning Man and various other events typically for adults that a kid could really enjoy). In the end, I don't know that parents manifesting the athleticism they'd like to see in their kids is what kids need to see in order to integrate being active into their own lives. I could be wrong, though.
On a different and last note, I have to say that the comments section of these types of online articles always really horrify me. There is a lot of judgement, and some outright hatred, for fat and fat people. It makes me wonder: what about being fat is so inexcusable?
Where do parents fit in the childhood obesity puzzle?
For starters I always love the inevitable accompanying photo of a really fat person - so fat that s/he is seemingly bursting at the seams - with these articles. [Sarcasm.] The fat person is always shown from the back or, if from the front, from the neck or waist down, presumably to preserve the person's anonymity. I especially love the one with this article since it's a fat child surrounded by several other fat children at the pool, everyone in bathing suits.
That said, I actually liked the content of the article and thought it made some good points. I got to it because I read this piece and also this one, about Alexander Draper being removed from his home and mother and put in foster care. Social services asserts his mother was being medically neglectful by not tending to her son's severe obesity.
This is one of those rare cases where an interest of mine (fatism) collides with my work world (child welfare). While I'm not a social worker myself, I've been orbiting in the public social services world for long enough to have an informed opinion.
To address that particular area: it is one of the most traumatic experiences for a child to be removed from his/her home, and it "should" only happen if there is an immediate and compelling safety issue at hand. Obesity, to me, doesn't qualify here. It is a compelling risk that can be managed (starting immediately) by social services while still keeping the child in his home. Unfortunately, Alexander's mother, Jerri Gray, fled the state with him upon learning that she was being investigated for neglect and thus, we have the makings of a safety issue for the child, and he was removed from her care when Jerri and Alexander resurfaced. It's just too bad that reports from news outlets are failing to mention this key plot twist in favor of sensationalism about childhood obesity and criminality.
Allow me, for just a moment, to indulge in being even more of a card-carrying member of the PC Police. Here we have a single Black mother who was working the equivalent of 2-3 jobs to make ends meet, and who said she'd bring home fast food for dinner because there was no time to cook. Let's assume that if she's working 2-3 jobs she's probably financially strapped as well, and fast food is cheap. Fast food chains also tend to be prevalent in low income neighborhoods and especially where there are populations of color, and therefore those populations tend to have health and/or weight problems as a result. There is also a huge problem in the US with disproportionality, with predominantly Black families in the child welfare system. Can you say "vicious circle"?
The point of the original article was to explore the question: if adults must always accept personal responsibility for being fat, then who bears the responsibility for a child being fat? I've often wondered that myself, especially as Honey Bunny and I have been trying to have a kid. Because I'm fat and have been so since childhood (and HB carries a bit extra himself), does that mean we're destined to have a fat kid? Because I don't have great exercise habits myself, will I care less about making sure my kid has an active lifestyle?
I think of my friend Gina and her daughter Chloe. Gina is petite in every way but I would never characterize her as "active". While she does enjoy some occasional snowboarding in winter and casual bike rides in the summer, she doesn't go to the gym or to yoga or anything like that. In fact, she eschews "working out" because it's not enjoyable to her. But yet, Chloe has been active in soccer and softball since she was about five years old, and at Gina's behest. Chloe likes those particular sports too, of course, otherwise Gina says she would find something else for Chloe to do. Chloe is now 13 and I've known her since she was four; Gina's got some years of parenting under her belt, and I plan to steal several of her methods (up to and including taking my kid to rock shows, Burning Man and various other events typically for adults that a kid could really enjoy). In the end, I don't know that parents manifesting the athleticism they'd like to see in their kids is what kids need to see in order to integrate being active into their own lives. I could be wrong, though.
On a different and last note, I have to say that the comments section of these types of online articles always really horrify me. There is a lot of judgement, and some outright hatred, for fat and fat people. It makes me wonder: what about being fat is so inexcusable?
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