Saturday Links, 7/6/13

I love this collage made by Hannah.

I apologize for the lateness of this week’s links! But it was totally worth it–yesterday I had an epic day celebrating the birthday of one of my close friends, involving: laser tag, arcade games, pooling together our arcade tickets so that the birthday girl could win a crayon-shaped lava lamp, dinner and drinks at an Irish pub, and then hanging out and playing board games while wearing fancy dresses in a room at a historic downtown Boston hotel.

It was all-around awesome. I have amazing friends, and sometimes having all-day adventures with them, and getting away from screens and thinking too much, is exactly what I need.

Fa(t)shion
-ModCloth has been taking some great steps toward expanding their plus size range (and making it actually sized like typical plus clothing, unlike their old sizing system, in which a 4x was equivalent to a small 22). One example of the gorgeous stuff they’re putting out is this Edwardian dress, which is coming soon. I can’t even begin to describe how much I love and want it!
-I recently came across Eff Yeah Indigenous Fashion, which showcases indigenous art, fashion, and design from around the world. Most of their posts include links where you can support indigenous artists. For example, one of my recent favorites: PowWow Styles, which is colorful beaded jewelry made by a woman from the Cree/Sioux tribes.
-Eff Yeah Indigenous Fashion also has some good posts on how to appreciate indigenous fashion without appropriating it.
-This pastel jeweled flower crown is pure eye candy.
-Domino Dollhouse has a 40% discount code, listed on their homepage, which expires tomorrow. If you’ve been waiting to get something from them, now is your chance.
-In other DD news, check out this sneak peek of two dresses that will be available soon. I love both of them!

Fat Activism
-Closet Puritan talks about the ways that fat people are often gaslighted.
–It isn’t over until the fat babes sing: an ode to musicians of size.
-Awesomeness: fat, happy, and healthy women photographed by Gabriela Hasbun.
-Ragen is starting an exciting fat activism history project (at the bottom of the post)!

Communicating climate science through music:

Climate and Sustainability
–United we sweat: building a fossil fuel resistance.
-A lyrical and powerful alphabet for climate change.
-The Boston Globe has a great article about churches and other faith groups divesting from fossil fuels.
-On a related note, a major Norwegian pension fund has dropped tar sands investments.  Woot!
-The GROW (Gather Rise Organize Win) divestment gatherings look really promising.
-Bill McKibben, my #1 climate justice hero, has a new book coming out in September! He’s a brilliant writer, and I can’t wait to read it.
-Sandra Steingraber, another one of my climate justice heroes, writes about the silence of science and the eloquent activism of people of faith.
-Yet another climate hero: Tim DeChristopher on Letterman: “stop and think about what it means to be too late” on climate.
-Beautiful and haunting: artist Chad Wright portrays the American Dream washing into the sea.
–Michael Pollan on agriculture’s role in fighting climate change.
–Obama’s Lincoln moment?

Everything Else
-An poignant reminder not to judge poor people for their devices: a homeless man and his BlackBerry.
–More women are dying from painkiller overdoses: epidemic, or something more complicated?
-A different, and equally important, perspective on the Indian Child Welfare Act (which I talked about in last week’s Friday links): My uterus will not be used to fill your tribal rolls. I really like this comment on the piece as well.
–Rachel, Trayvon, and the saddest thing I’ve ever read.
–Playing by the rules: white privilege and Rachel Jeantel.
–An open letter to new Teach for America recruits.
–Entitled students, grades, and obedience: what is education for?
–Putting googly eyes on everything is the best thing ever.

Site announcement: updated links page

Phew, I’ve finally finished updating my links page (and fixing all the links that WordPress decided to mess up. Uggh.)

Hope, despair, and dandelions

Last night I was re-reading Megan Mayhew Bergman’s essay about climate anxiety, the one I linked to a while back, the one I related to so much. (How did she get into my head?)

What struck me was the fundamental disconnect between the gravity of our situation and our national response. As Bergman writes about her childhood earnestness:

When I first jumped on the recycling wagon and heard the word ozone, I believed in America’s greatness, as evidenced by Ruffles potato chips, ET, and Bruce Springsteen. I knew nothing of political parties. I assumed that if a serious problem like global warming was facing the United States, someone would approach the President, tug on his sleeve, and whisper in his ear:  It’s time. Roll out the Teslas and solar panels. NASA would press a button and deploy an atmospheric fix. Americans would make sacrifices: driving-free days, a home garden movement, lights-out time. If there was a serious problem like global warming, the right people would step up and solve it.

That’s just it.

On one hand, there’s been so much inspiring action taking place lately. And Obama finally gave a serious, if imperfect, speech about climate change. We’re clearly making progress, building a movement.

But at the same time, the fight against climate change doesn’t feel all-encompassing, inescapable, normality-disrupting the way it should be.

Wednesday Fa(t)shion Inspirations, 7/3/13

Cartoon Fatshion

Grown and Curvy Woman

Friday Links, 6/28/13

Clearly, fat people didn’t exist prior to the last few decades. And none of them were ballerinas or anything. (source)

Happy Friday! This is going to be a long list, because SO MUCH has happened this week. As usual, feel free to link to interesting things that you’ve read or written.

Fa(t)shion
-The lack of swimsuits available in larger plus sizes is a real problem.
-If you’re in Washington D.C., check out this exhibit about African-American styles of dress and identity. It looks fascinating (and I love the hats pictured!)
-More of Me to Love interviews Golda Poretsky about fatshion.

Fat Activism
-Melissa observes the ridiculousness of the idea that fat people are an epidemic, yet somehow rare enough that we don’t need media representation.
-A for Alpha writes to Melissa Harris-Perry about her failure to think critically about the AMA’s decision.
–You’re not the first person to tell a fat person…
–No shame in disease diagnosis.
–If obesity is a disease, why are so many obese people healthy?
-Ragen takes down the calories in/calories out myth.

Wednesday Fa(t)shion Inspirations, 6/26/13

Fat In The City

Affatshionista

Existential whiplash: on the beaches of Boston, the future of Miami, and the terror of rising seas

Yesterday,  I came home from an idyllic day at the beach on Boston’s North Shore and read this article arguing that Miami is doomed to drown under rising tides caused by climate change.

I don’t know how to reconcile the beauty of the ocean that I saw and felt and smelled firsthand with the threat lurking in the waves. I know the nature is powerful and not always pretty. I know that nature has a dark side, unexpected swells of anger, storms that beat water violently against rocks. But this is something different.

This is something human-caused, unprecedented, potentially future-destroying–and something that too many Americans, and far too many of our lawmakers, refuse to believe is happening.

And so, I am trying to make sense of the fact that the same water that I love, fed by melting glaciers and icecaps, is coming for us. That the beach, where land meets water meets sky, is our next battlefield.

The beach, more than almost anywhere else, feels like home. At the beach, I am the happiest version of myself.

Mass. people, don’t forget to vote in the special election tomorrow!

I apologize to my non-Massachusetts-ian readers for another post that’s only relevant within the state, but this is important and exciting.

Tomorrow is the special election for the US Senate seat vacated by John Kerry when he became Secretary of State, and it features the US’ first real “climate candidate,” Ed Markey.

I’m not telling anyone who to vote for, but I will strongly suggest that Markey is awesome, and it’s great to see a candidate making climate change a top issue.

You can find more information about the special election, and look up your polling place, here. And then go vote, vote vote like a baby stoat!

Friday links, 6/21/13

An awesomely geeky car I saw recently.

Happy Friday! As usual, feel free to link to anything interesting you’ve read or written this week in the comments.

Fa(t)shion
-Lesley rounds up some cute floral print stuff.
–Elegance for all: can ModCloth change plus size fashion for good?
-Advanced Style’s photoshoot in Vogue Australia is gorgeous.
–We’re here, we’re queer, and we look real cute: indie designers challenging gender norms.
-There’s now a blog for fatshionable apples!
–This dress. Oh, this dress! It’s like a giant cupcake and I want one just like it.

Fat Activism
–A great interview with Virgie Tovar in both English and German.
–This protest outside of a Victoria’s Secret in California, including both Virgie Tovar and Marilyn Wann, is awesome! You can see more pictures here on About-Face’s Facebook page.
-Melissa at Shakesville has yet another addition to the Fatstronauts 101 series, this time taking down the myth that fat people are stupid.
-Are you looking for a part-time internship doing fat activism? Check out the Militant Baker’s call for interns.
–Public health does not make me public property.
–Death is always a shock: on James Gandolfini and the rush to explain an unexpected loss.
-Two more good analyses of the AMA’s decision, from the Fat Nutritionist and Feed Me, I’m Cranky.

A great takedown of the idea that fat women shouldn’t cosplay thinner characters:

Climate and Sustainability
-The Climate Justice Hub here in Somerville is now open, and it’s an awesome space for community-building and action. If you live in the area, check out their calendar of events.
-Through an event at the CJ Hub, I met Bethany, an amazing writer who blogs about making the world a better place at Granite Bunny. I highly recommend everything she writes, but here are a few places to start: Bicknell’s thrush, Yoga and Montana’s Tongue River Valley, and We’re gonna win.
–Local, self-sufficient, optimistic: are transition towns the way forward?

Everything Else
-I recently came across anthropologist Sarah Kendzior‘s writing, and I love all of it. I wish more people were deconstructing our economic system the way she does. A few of my favorite recent pieces: In defense of complaining, The moral bankruptcy of the internship economy, and The unaffordable Baby Boomer dream.
–On being a “good” black man, from the perspective of a transgender man who started to face a different kind of racism once he transitioned.
-I love these answers from students about why they need feminism.
–On invisible health issues, and the complex space between “healthy” and “disabled.”
–Enforcing poverty to access health care.
–Why cops don’t believe rape victims, and how brain science can help solve the problem.

Easy activism opportunity: Weight/height discrimination bill in the Massachusetts state house

So, I meant to post about this earlier, but better late than never!

Mycroft Masada Holmes has info about the bill:

The Massachusetts height and weight anti-discrimination bill is back!  And it has a hearing on Tuesday June 25th.  Please read, submit testimony, attend, contact your legislators, spread the word, etc.!  MA voters are most needed but everything helps.  

An Act Making Discrimination on the Basis of Height and Weight Unlawful (House Bill 1758) has been re-filed.  It would amend MA state laws prohibiting discrimination in the areas of employment, housing, and public accommodations by adding “height” and “weight” to the list of legally protected ‘classes’.  The lead sponsor is Representative Byron Rushing, a longtime and amazing social justice leader, including for transgender rights and in the Episcopal Church (the Trans Equal Rights Law passed in November 2011, the Trans Equal Access Bill was filed this January). 

Also, Marilyn Wann just passed along a link to the bill with the following note:

Today is the day to email your support of a height/weight anti-discrimination law in Massachusetts: david.vanderwoude@mahouse.gov. Even one sentence HELPS!!!

I just send an email to Mr. VanDerWoude, the legislative aide to the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Byron Rushing.I also emailed my Representative, Carl M. Sciortino, Jr.

If you’re in Massachusetts, you can find out who your State Representative is here. Send them an email and let them know why you support the bill!