Friday, October 21, 2011

Fat Fashion 12

Just a quick OOTD, my camera was a little wonky, sorry about the quality.

Cardigan:  Avenue
Tank/Skirt/Leggings: Old Navy
Shoes:  Marshalls
Jewelry:  JC Penney


I love these open-front cardigans, they are so great to wear over just about everything.  The skirt is kind of hard to see, it actually is more a-line than it looks, the tank just kind of pressed it down.  I like to wear this skirt with a tucked in shirt as well and a cardi over it to show off the skirt more.  I'll try to get some better quality pics for the next one!

Have a great weekend!
~Mrs. Sprat

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

20 Things You Can Do To Love Your Body

In honor of Love Your Body Day, here are 20 things you can do to love your body everyday!   Feel free to add more in the comments.

1.  Wear clothes based on how they feel, not (necessarily) how they look.
2.  Get as much sleep as your body needs.  (8 hours is a general rule, some people need more, some less.)
3.  Get a new haircut (or shave your head!)
4.  Dance!
5.  Eat foods that you love (no guilt!)
6.  Get a massage
7.  Soak your feet
8.  Buy a new outfit that people your size "aren't supposed to wear" and wear it proudly!
9.  Go swimming (or play field hockey or do yoga or take a long walk and look at the leaves change colors)
10.  Have dessert!
11.  Take up belly dancing (or swing dancing or square dancing or pole dancing....)
12.  Snuggle in your favorite chair with a good book
13.  Show off your scars, they are a part of who you are
14.  Tell the face in the mirror that you love him or her
15.  Have sex!
16.  Cook a meal from scratch
17.  Go without makeup for a day
18.  Take a long, relaxing shower or bath
19.  Masturbate!
20.  Thank your body for all the amazing things that it has done in the past and all the amazing things it will do in the future.

Have a great Love Your Body Day!

~Mrs. Sprat

Monday, October 17, 2011

Fats in Action

Hi everyone!

I am going to be participating in a charity walk for Lupus in a couple of weeks.  I know October is Breast Cancer month, but if you have a little bit left to give, it would be greatly appreciated.  Lupus affects thousands of people and has no known cure.  My husband's mother passed away from lupus-related complications when he was a boy.  Anything you can give would be great and would also be supporting a fat walk participant!

http://www.active.com/donate/lupusloop2011/KGainor1

Thanks everyone!

~Mrs. Sprat

Friday, October 7, 2011

Fat Fashion Friday 11

Finally, a return to fatshion!
Hat- J.C. Penney's
Poncho- Fashion Bug (Loop 18)
Long Sleeve T- Old Navy 
Jeans- Old Navy
Boots- Rainbow
Earrings- Claire's

First off, the poncho.  Not my colors, not even my style but this shirt is made of such a soft sweater/sweatshirt kind of a material that when I tried it on I loved it.  That being said, it's pilling already after two wearings!  Fashion Bug now carries a junior plus section called Loop 18 which has some great pieces, definitely worth checking out.  And speaking of soft, the long sleeve T I am wearing is from Old Navy and again, it's super soft and comfy and comes in lots of colors.  I bought this in the "straight" sizes but they have similar ones online up to 4X.  


The boots.  I have never had knee length boots, ever.  I went to Avenue a few weeks ago and tried on a pair of their wide-calf boots and they STILL weren't wide enough for my giant calves of DOOM!  But on a whim I went into Rainbow, after falling in love with these in the window and low and behold, they actually fit.  Sadly, they too are deteriorating after only a few wearings, but I will wear them until they are THREADS, since I've never been able to buy boots like these before.  


Happy fall, everyone!  Have a great weekend!

~Mrs. Sprat

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Women as Gatekeepers

Sorry for the lack of posting, school has officially started and the way my classes are structured means a lot of work now, but a lot less after Nov 1.  

In class a couple of weekends ago, one of my fellow students brought up a study that indicates that men in committed relationships live longer than their single counterparts.  She "proved" this to be true by telling us what her boyfriend wants to eat vs. what she makes him eat.  

We have seen this a lot before:  Hillary Clinton was blamed for Bill Clinton's weight gain during his presidency and charged with getting him to lose weight and eat "better."  Michelle Obama not only puts her children on very public diets but also has to control the President's eating as well.  Even in my own family, my in-laws make comments such as "she feeds you well" while looking at Mr. Sprat's protruding belly, etc.  

Let's take a step back and remember that these are grown men we are talking about.  Grown men do not need women to "feed them."  Plain and simple.  Men are just as capable at making food choices as women are.  Granted, because of the diet culture in this country, neither are really fully equipped, but that still proves my point.  A man who eats nothing but pizza is no worse off than a man who's wife makes him eat nothing but salads.  

But this is not new ground, we've discussed this before.  Women are seen as gatekeepers.  As with sexuality (delaying intercourse), women are socialized to believe that they have to take care of a man and make sure that he doesn't do anything reckless, in addition to taking care of herself.  

What really got me angry though, was the assumption that it was dietary choices that led the married men to live longer.  Again, we see the conflation of eating and health.  A person who eats certain foods will not live as long as those who abstain, and since it is the wife's job to control these eating habits, she is charged with his life.  

Maybe the reason the partnered men lived longer is because of the effects of love on brain chemistry.  Maybe it is because routine is comforting or somehow safer.  Maybe (though I personally find this dubious as well) it is because they are less likely to contract an STD.  Maybe the study was poorly conducted and all the partnered people in it also shared similar socioeconomic backgrounds or other factors.  Or maybe, men who live longer are more likely to get married and not the other way around.  Any way you look at it, diet is just one possibility in why the study turned out the way it did. 

I don't know.  I haven't read the study, though I've heard it mentioned a number of times, always to prove a different point.  I only know what I heard, which was more conflating weight and food choices with health and more affirming of women as gatekeepers, who must protect men from everything from sex to food, while simultaneously protecting themselves.  Those roles are not good for men and they certainly aren't very good for women either.  Couples need to support each other in however they choose to eat and single people should not be shamed into relationships to prevent death.  If everyone were more confident on how to feed themselves, the diet industry would have much less of a hold on people and that would be a wonderful thing.