Halloween, Pasta & Funny Feminists: Link Love 31.10.2014

Happy Halloween! Doing anything exciting to celebrate? I'm off to Ohio for a couple weeks, to visit family and see as many museums and bookstores as I possibly can. And to buy every cute top on the plus size clearance rack at Meijer, obvs.

Some links for your enjoyment:

♥ Check out the Sophie Theallet for Layne Bryant Holiday Collection. Looks gorgeous, right?

♥ These funny feminist quotes will make your day!

Martha Stewart's fall pasta recipes are making me super hangry.

♥ Also: So. Much. Pie!

I love this list of free and cheap fun things to do.

♥ Finally, if you don't follow me on Instagram, check out this body positive art I regrammed from @bodypositiveteen. Adorable, right?!

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Flaunt Your Fabulous Arms!

Flaunt your fabulous arms! I loved this post at More of Me To Love, It really inspired me to continue wearing sleeveless tops, shamelessly, and to recommend that you do the same.

As plus size women, we're expected to cover every inch of our bodies and blend into our environments. We're not 'allowed' to have fun with fashion or to bare our bodies with style and pride

Fuck that! 

Fatshion: Show off your arms!

For information on the clothes pictured above, and for more style ideas, please click through to my Polyvore

What's your favourite feature to show off?

Link Love 25.10.2014

Happy Saturday, ladies! How was your week?


Links for you!

♥ Gotta love a plus size bodysuit!

♥ You might find this interesting, if you're from the Greater Toronto Area: 10 quirky things to know about Etobicoke.




♥ Lastly: Where's Waldo? Near Gainesville, FL, apparently!

Image Source: Story by Modcloth

Link Love 17.10.2014: Lena Dunham, Adorable Animals & Baking With Apples


This is the first Link Love since Polish and Sparkle became FatIsNotABadWord. I'm excited! Aren't you? Here we go!

♥ Are you familiar with the artwork of Victoria Evans? Her colourful renderings of plus size babes are amazing. (via The Curvy Fashionista).

Autumn is the perfect time for baking with apples! Why not try Apple Streusel Cake, Caramel Apple Cheesecake or Easy Caramel Apple Nachos.

How to take the perfect Instagram.

Which Disney Villain are you like when you get angry? I got Maleficent. You? 

I love this Lena Dunham quote

♥ Also, this Salon article about Lena is old, but I really like this quote: 
 In Hollywood, it seems you’re only allowed to be naked if you’re Megan Fox. If you’re not, you had better be apologetic about it, like Melissa McCarthy in “Mike & Molly.” But God forbid you’re a woman with an unconventionally beautiful body and you’re okay with it.

What's the best thing you've seen online this week? Share in the comments below.

This week's image is a painting by Beryl Cook.

Why I Changed My Blog's Name

Until last week, this blog was called Polish and Sparkle. Now it's Fat Is Not a Bad Word. Why?
 
If I could impart one piece of wisdom to women (people of all genders, but especially women) around the world, it would be that all bodies, no matter their size, are worthy and beautiful, regardless of their representation in the media. Larger bodies are especially abused in the mainstream, simply because of their size, and that's bullshit. Being fat isn't a bad thing. The word itself isn't a bad thing. I wanted to distill that message into a blog title, so Fat Is Not a Bad Word was born.

Besides, the name Polish and Sparkle didn't really encapsulate the message I want to send. That, and a bunch of people mistook it for a blog about nail polish!

I think I was too shy to give my blog a clear name (read: with "fat" in it) and beat around the proverbial bush, talking about body image and fashion and life as a fat girl and how my disability and career and travel are affected by my size, without just saying it, loud and clear: I am a fat person. I'm passionate about helping fat people live the life of their dreams, and not just in spite of their size. I was doing myself, and my readers a disservice by not calling this blog what it really is: a blog for fat people, by a fat person. I love my skinny sisters, but they have Vogue and LouLou and pretty much every fashion and women's lifestyle magazine (and blog, and TV show, etc etc etc). I'm ready to cater to my niche, my interests, my lifestyle, without being afraid I'm leaving out the skinny girls. Kind of like how Essence isn't for white girls and Bust isn't for non-feminists.

Fatphobia and body shaming are a worldwide epidemic. People of size face discrimination every single day, simply because of their size. I won't keep quiet or play nice or hide what I believe under a title that sugar coats it for the fat haters. I won't be a "good fatty". I'll shout it, loud and proud: Fat Is Not a Bad Word.

Image Source (click through and you can actually buy the keychain/necklace pictured, handmade by an artist on Etsy!).

FatIsNotaBadWord

7 year-old me plies and twirls with grace. She loves to dance. But sometimes she can't focus on the barre in front of her or the music on the stereo, because she knows she's the biggest of all the girls in her class. Even a couple adults giggle at her chubby thighs in her little leotard when she's front and centre at the recital.

11 year-old me sits rigid in her chair at school, sucking in her stomach so her classmates won't notice its bulge over her jeans.  They're from the adults' section, not Siblings or Justice or one of those trendy stores all the pretty girls shop at. She tries not to think about that.

13 year-old me sings her Torah portion before an audience of hundreds of friends and family members and her parents' colleagues. This is one of the happiest, proudest days of her life. And her dress is fantastic. But she's still afraid she looks fat in it.

16 year-old me fixates on that word, fat. Boys in her class spew insults laced with the word, as though the big tits and round asses they drool over are worth any less when paired with a round tummy or double chin. As if girls' bodies are eye candy. As if the female population of our school is only there for the boys' entertainment.

22 year-old me looks in the mirror and loves what she sees... often. But some days she can't help but whimper, "why did you let yourself go?". "Why do you eat so much?". "Why must you draw so much attention? Why must you take up space?". 

Now I'm ready to change. But not my body. My fat body is glorious the way it is, rolls and scars and all. No, I'm ready to change society. One size 3X dress, one fatphobic comment, one diet tip at a time. 

Beautiful, chubby little girls should not grow up wanting to be invisible, to stop eating until they fade to nothing, to accept the catcalls and rude remarks and "I'm just worried about your health".

Young women, whether they're a size 2 or a 12 or a 22 or a 32 should never question their worth just because a so-called health magazine or a 'caring' friend or Weight Watchers tells them to. 

The systematic oppression of 'obese' people needs to stop. Now.

Let's reclaim mirrors. Gaze at yourself lovingly, touching every curve, kissing every scar, adoring every inch.

And let's reclaim the very word that tortured us as children, that we waved like a white flag, that we swallowed like a bitter pill and choked on when it got stuck in our throat.

Fat.

FatIsNotABadWord.

Stay beautiful. Love,
Becca

Happy BFRB Awareness Week!

Shout out to all the Sparklers battling BFRBs. You're strong, you're brave and you're beautiful. 

If you're not familiar with BFRBs, here's the scoop: Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRBs), including Trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder) and Dermatillomania (skin-picking disorder) affect at least 4% of people, but are rarely spoken of, because of the stigma attached to having a mental illness. BFRBs can carry extra stigma because they affect a person's appearance-- and our society is obsessed with appearances.

Whether you have a BFRB, know someone with one, are a teacher or mental health professional, or simply want to help spread the word, here are a few ways you can help:

1. Spread the word. Take to social media or speak up in your (IRL) social circles. Start a discussion about the prevalence of BFRBs in your community. Talk about your own experiences, if you're comfortable doing so. Share blog posts like this one.

2. Donate to an organization like Trichotillomania Learning Center, to support ongoing research and community outreach for people with Trich and related disorders.

3. Download TLC's free hair-pulling and skin-picking awareness cards (BFRB awareness card pictured above) and hand them out.

How are you spreading the word about BFRB awareness week?
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