Diets and fat fashion don't mix?

Firstly I should make some things clear. What I’m going to say is my personal viewpoint, in no way tainted by logical thinking or particularly well thought out argument.

Secondly I'm fat, healthy and in a happy mental state. Most of the time. Although I could do with a coffee.

There have been occasions when a fat fashion blogger has made reference to the fact that they are dieting. Whether for health reasons or whatever. I find myself having an emotional response to this. My emotional reaction based on my issues I know.

Not a strong one mind. I don't  burst into tears, scream the house down or throw myself down and cry ‘Why God why???’

What I think is this. There goes another one. Someone who is supposed to be a fat positive role model has 'buckled'.  I had been going to this site looking for fashion ideas for someone fat like me and found a weight loss story. It's her blog of course, so she can write what she wants right? Right, but readers can have emotional responses that have nothing to do with the blogger as a person and more to do with their own insecurities.

Is that fair? No.

When I first started blogging I read some articles about how to blog well and how to be a popular blogger (and I probably need to read them again!). What most of them said was this: as a blogger you need to set out your sign out the front and state that this blog is about X. I will talk about X mainly. Thus the world of Mummy Bloggers and Political Bloggers and Gay Bloggers and indeed Fashion Bloggers.

People who like X will read said blog. Now of course some bloggers go ‘this is me’ and that’s their X. Fine. Dandy. But what is common is that people go to these blogs know roughly what they are going to get. That’s not a bad thing. If I want nail polish reviews I know a fashion blog is going to be a more likely site to find one than a blog about fishing.

So if you are a fat fashion blog the implication is therefore that you will talk about fat fashion. Because you are most likely fat and like fashion. People who are fat and like fashion will read your blog. Not only because your blog is of interest to them in itself but also because it will be one of the few places that this topic will be discussed without scorn, abuse or pity.

Let’s face the reality: talking about fat fashion in most media spaces is going to get slammed with comments about obesity epidemics and whales wearing curtains. So having a nice place where we can talk about Asos Curve vs Evans isn’t just great, it’s brilliant. Being able to have those conversations where we aren’t bombarded by messages implying that we should be ashamed to wear larger clothes is nice. As is the idea that we won’t be made to feel guilty for not wanting to get smaller.

So what happens when a fat fashion blogger declares they are on a diet? For some it might be that this person is going through something the reader is interested in and wants to know more about. But for many I suspect their reaction is similar to mine. Annoyance that somewhere fat people can talk about their lives and fashion desires has got dragged back into the world of fat as bad.

I’m not saying fat fashion bloggers can’t diet. I’m just saying that for some of your readership, who are struggling with their self image and their need to feel that their lifestyle choices are valid, that it can be difficult to read that someone they saw as fat and happy might not be.

This isn't to say that fat bloggers can't diet or shouldn't. But blogs are more than just the story of the bloggers life to many of their readers, they are like a mirror up to their own lives. Not sure if that makes sense!

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not anti-diet talk. I listen to it all day long at work. I even follow dieters on twitter and read their blogs.

It doesn’t ‘trigger’ me. It doesn’t get me down. I am interested in living a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise and food that is nourishing and wholesome. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN I WANT TO DIET.

The question was asked of me: why did I have an issue with a fatshion blogger talking about dieting if it promoted a healthy lifestyle?

The answer is this: I think weight loss can be a healthy lifestyle choice but  I don’t think that dieting in itself is necessarily a healthy lifestyle. I’ve been on 800 calorie diets where I managed to eat a Mars Bar a day. Not that healthy.

You can lose weight by being incredibly unhealthy, and be healthy without losing weight or dieting.

Dieting leads, in most cases, to gaining the weight back and more and I’ve got better things to do with my time.

And even if the fashion blogger said by the way I’m getting fit and eating well and not dieting and not trying to lose weight ……. I would still suggest that maybe they might like to set up another blog to talk about that because I’m only interested in what you wore your new dress with, not your exercise plan.

Here endth the rant.