for those about to rock

camryn manheim and the fatsade

had the tv on one of those outrageous red carpet shows the other day while i was vacuuming and saw that camryn manheim used her emmy acceptance speech to say something about overweight people in america, or of the world, or as depicted on tv or the movies or in the media, or self-image or ... well, i guess that something distilled to a thesis was that big can be beautiful, and so fat people are people too. ok. big can indeed be beautiful, and fat people are indeed people. no gripes there.

it's just, i'm a little unclear about the intended target of this passionate crusade that manheim, appointing herself general ambassador of overweight peoples of the world, has taken on as an all-consuming obsession. and it's no exaggeration to say that this woman is on a mission: anytime she's on a talk show, anytime she's interviewed in a supermarket check-out magazine, anytime she taps an outlet of the media to squeeze a sound byte through to john q. public, whether directly or through merely the reputation she's worked so hard to establish, it's always the same message: "wake up, i'm fat!" (the title of her book).

ok, camryn. now what? again, who or what is this undefined antagonist? are you upset with how fat people are portrayed in the media? guess what? the media also show us that beauty and desirabilty spring from high cheekbones and dimpled chins, perfect hair and a small nose, diamond earrings and armani suits, big bank accounts and fast cars, brains and wit, confidence and humor and, all too often, arrogance, infidelity and lack of compassion. and you know what? not everyone in america buys into this garbage in the first place. and the ones that do, well, they're probably too deeply-brainwashed to be swayed, and aren't worth anyone's time to begin with. are you upset with how fat people are treated in their day to day lives? similar solution: acknowledge that there's a lot of worthless assholes in the world that fat and thin people alike have to deal with everyday whether we like it or not. but also acknowledge that not everyone is so crass. and when you surround yourself with good people with good hearts, i think the self-image thing follows. but if you find that, try as you might, you can't accept yourself for who you are, it's time to diet or hit the gym. working out and shedding fat and adding muscle, along with getting a haircut, caring for your skin and assembling a wardrobe, is the most direct way to affect change in your appearance. sorry, but unless it's medically impossible for you to diet or exercise, you're not imprisoned in an overweight body; people who think they have an ugly face or bad posture or hate that they're going bald don't have such an easy way out.

of course, if some members of the public have been manipulated by the media once, i'm sure that as you continue to use the media as a platform for your dubious, annoying campaign, many of those very same gullible people can be manipulated again. in fact, i think she's smart enough to realize this, and i think that's what she's banking on. she's banking on sheep. she's banking on a shallow culture. she's banking on sound bytes and media buzz and provocation for the sake of notoriety.

well, congratulations. more people recognize you for your pointless bellyaching than for your acting. now, please, get down from your self-aggrandizing soap box.

posted by jomilkman @ 5:43 PM