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Photo by Eric Francis.

So there I was at this beyond-gay party in a high-rise apartment with Manhattan as the landscape, stalking her by scent. Watching her move around the room, tracking this succulent critter and enjoying the subtlest details of her existence.

I felt amazingly, solidly sexually centered in myself. I recognized the feeling, rooted in an orgasm a day before, seeing myself with Jane on the line. She was listening, holding open the space of absolute approval of my submission of self-to-self as I faced a mirror. We do this for one another. I dropped into place, then. My soul settled into my hearth. I took that feeling with me: my sense of self-approval.

I don’t remember how or when, but next I was leaning against the island kitchen counter, facing the city, while the waiters plied their trade: hand-manufactured those cute crab salad cones and so on, and bustled off into the giddy environment of the soiree and passed around the treats. You’ll always find me in the kitchen at parties.

And then, though I don’t know how exactly, I was face to face with Maggie. That was her name.

Rachel over at The-F-Word.org is looking for a media contact to help support and advocate for fat rights.  If this matters to you and you have the desire to participate, please contact her. -a

By Rachel

As the media contact for The Fat Rights Coalition and a personal blogger who writes on issues of eating disorders and body acceptance, I field lots of public relations requests from media outlets worldwide, from international luminaries like CNN and The New York Times to small town papers looking to make a local connection on a larger issue.  I’ve participated in some of these public debates in the past, but because I am a journalist myself, I have made the decision to limit my involvement to helping my fellow journalists out behind-the-scenes and referring them to other activists who will speak on the record. And that’s where you come in.  I’m making what I fondly call my Big Fat Rolodex so that I can easily and quickly refer future media requests to the right activist or field professional. 

While I am looking for professionals like social workers, doctors, researchers, professors, lawyers, health care workers, therapists/psychologists, nutritionists and fitness experts etc… I am also looking for anyone with personal experiences with eating disorders (who don’t mind sharing details of their disorder), weight-based discrimination and fat rights activism.  If the Fatosphere has taught us anything, it’s that the personal is indeed political.

If you’d like to be included as a potential media contact, please send the below information in an email to Rachel (at) the-f-word (dot) org with “Media Contact” as the subject.

• Real name, first and last

• E-mail address

• Phone number (optional)

• Region: state and country

• Website address (if applicable)

• Available for: Radio, TV, Print

• Area(s) of interest: i.e. fat rights, eating disorders, health, nutrition and fitness, legal issues, fat studies

• Relevant credentials: (certifications, degrees, affiliations, personal experience)

Friday, December 4, 2009
8:00pm - 11:00pm
Re/Dress NYC
109 Boerum Place
Brooklyn, NY

Published by NYU Press, The Fat Studies Reader is a milestone achievement, bringing together fifty-three diverse voices to explore a wide range of topics related to body weight. From the historical construction of fatness to public health policy, from job discrimination to social class disparities, from chick-lit to airline seats, this collection covers it all.

Hi everybody,

I'm starting a beautiful cunt project...  Basically, on every Thursday, I will post an anonymous picture of someone's pussy. In the hopes of showcasing the multitude of infinite and beautiful differences that are found in female genitalia.  And in the process foster self-acceptance and put an end to "does that look right?" "is that normal?" and things of the like.

Now, of course to do this, I need some brave souls to send me a picture of their vag.  I'm hoping to put a first one up on Thursday.

If you would like to participate or if you know someone who would, you can send me an email and a picture, which should simply state your age, vaginal health (meaning explain any scars, operations, tests, etc), and your reproductive history as well as any other pertinent information you feel like sharing.  That can be anything from a pet name to your feelings and thoughts about your vagina.

The pictures can be of your pussy with your lips spread, or closed and at rest.  Optimally both would be good.  Just don't send me anything overtly sexual, meaning I don't want any picture of cock and pussy action or vibrators and the like.  Just your pussy please.  

Also, only over 18 years old pussy, please.

You can send any submission to my email address: olgawolstenholme@gmail.com and you don't even have to tell me who you are.  Use your dummy email account for all I care.

Have yourselves a cunthappy day,

Olga

http://cuntlove.wordpress.com

Codename: Lucille

I didn’t take my cameras out of my bag till I had a really good reason to, and that reason was Lucille.

This is her modeling codename and it’s taking a little getting used to; I know her by a different name. It doesn’t really matter. As one trippy boy who was an astute scholar of the occult announced one evening, Lucille was the embodiment of Venus on the playa.

There was something blissful and as-if-I-were-dreaming about this girl, with her floods of red hair and unabashed openness about sex. Young (23 years old), gorgeous and a delightful mix of sweet and salty, she seemed to be around Poly Paradise every time I walked into the main tent, though her real home was a dance-themed camp across the street.

(NSFW image in full post)

Plus-size Brazilian model, Fluvia Lacerda, stars in '16', a short film that challenges the stereotypes of beauty currently set by the film, fashion, and advertising industries. The film is a departure from the norm, as Lacerda is a size 16, rather than the usual size 2.

"Today women think they must fit unachievable molds in order to feel beautiful and sexy", says Lacerda. "As a curvy woman I have always felt sexy under my skin and this film carries that very message, a message I hope will open people's minds with regard to how diverse beauty can be.

Jean Kilbourne continues her groundbreaking analysis of advertising’s depiction of women in this most recent update of her pioneering Killing Us Softly series. 

In fascinating detail, Kilbourne decodes an array of print and television advertisements to reveal a pattern of disturbing and destructive gender stereotypes.  Her analysis challenges us to consider the relationship between advertising and broader issues of culture, identity, sexism, and gender violence.  Kilbourne uses over 160 ads and commercials to critique advertising's image of women. 

A study guide and handouts for this video are available online.

Sections:

Does the beauty ideal still tyrannize women?

Does advertising still objectify women’s bodies?

Are the twin themes of liberation and weight control still linked?

Is sexuality still presented as women’s main concern?

Are young girls still sexualized?

Are grown women infantilized?

Are images of male violence against women still used to sell products? 

Blue Vulva. Photo of Neisha for Book of Blue by Eric Francis.

I think vulvas are gorgeous—and I do mean some of the most beautiful creations of nature. Yes, I am chick happy. But this is a special passion for me; and the vulva is no ordinary physical or biological object. It is, for most of us, the gateway to life. It has many other roles, but we owe the vulva its due as the portal into human existence, as designed by nature. And for that reason alone, it’s worthy of the highest praise. Of course, I’m aware quite a few people are not particularly thrilled that they exist at all; that is, that they are alive – but that is another conversation (and it is related to sex).

A female friend was visiting my studio Saturday evening and asked me to take this series in the direction of reminding women how beautiful their pussies are. But then she clarified her point: specifically, the labia minora, that is, the inner lips.

“Yes, I know about this one,” I said. “And I know about the surgery.”

That is: Labia minora trimming, at the hands of a skilled businessman. Apparently, many women don’t like how the inner lips of their vulva extend out a little bit. While a few go and get them trimmed (and presumably go on to lead perfect lives), the inner lips are often a source of female angst when, really, they could be just as much a source of pleasure and celebration.

(This call for models is posted at Morgasm.  Visit the site for more information about the artist and how you can participate.)

This is a call for models - The project is outlined below but there are no limits on who I’d like to model for me. If the project resonates with you, please get in touch! And of course send it to your friends!

If you’re interested, reply to this post with your email. (here)

I’ve been asked to create a show for the Canterbury House in Berkeley. I’ve decided to photograph people (regardless of gender) in the traditional poses of the Virgin Mary - Each subject gets to choose the background, costume, and halo that represents what they feel makes them powerful and holy.

The Canterbury House runs a program for “UC Berkeley’s Episcopal and Anglican students and their friends.” It is a welcoming space for all people (regardless of sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, religion, ability, etc) to gather and discuss faith. I am friends with the Chaplain, Tom Poynor, and am supporting his program because I feel it’s a valuable space for people to gather safely to talk about their spirituality. Although I do not subscribe to a religion myself, I feel that this opportunity to explore religious iconography and reclaim the image of the Virgin for myself and my community is exciting and challenging.