Babble: FA Links Feed

Review: theStyleManor.com

2012-05-30T10:30:00-07:00

FTC Disclosure: The good people at StyleManor.com sent me an item for review free of charge.

The Style Manor is another up-and-coming “of the month” or “of the week” or “of the day” type clubs, but rather than charging you a monthly fee and asking you to buy the product, Style Manor goes the Woot.com route. A purse and accompanying accessory is posted once a week. For the regular price of $39.99, a buyer can opt to drop their cash on that offering or wait until the next sale.

There’s a lot done right on the site itself – details are very specific, with measurements, materials, and disclosure if it’s a guess/adjustable situation. It’s also aimed at a much younger crowd than myself, and let’s just say that the generous gift of the purse combined with an allergic reaction to some retinol cream has sparked a bit of an existential crisis behind the screen at Fat Chic.

Here is the purse I was sent for review. It’s a saddlebag style, with a working lock and attached key. The part that puzzles me, however, is that the zipper does not close all the way across the top of the bag. As I am not a fan of ornament for ornament’s sake, that of course frustrates me. It’s like locking your car doors and leaving your window down.

From a purely aesthetic perspective, however, it really is a cute purse – it even has that lanolin smell that happens on polished leather. I could see using it for a club night, especially as my large purses and bags have more than once annoyed the daylights out of my fellow bar patrons. The cross-body removable strap is a nice feature, although I wish that the center handles were also removable in that case – something about having handles made superfluous tweaks my sense of symmetry.

You can get a better feel for the purse in the images below, and go to theStyleManor.com to check out what’s available this week!

Political Correctness

2012-05-30T09:59:37-07:00

Who hasn't at some point thought, if only people would relent just a tad with the PC, identity politics get off the defensive and just see pee-paul. Remember our similarities are greater than our differences and so on.

Oh the power of memes to capture people's sly mental asides. It's the others who are too defensive we want just-ace.

Well guess who personifies that "rational" reasonable

Plus size dolman sleeve tops

2012-05-30T08:30:00-07:00

The sliding-off-the-shoulder look is still here this summer, with slightly less demand you wear a tank top beneath. It also seems to be combining with the kimono sleeve top – those have been coming back, but now with an even looser fit at the top, so they just slide right off. It’s making for an interesting look!

You can find more plus size off the shoulder tops at Fat Chic Clothing Search.

OK, so the stripy one is labeled as a minidress, but personally, I’d wear it as a blouse.

See larger image

YogaColors Crystal Boatneck Dolman Sleeve Blouse Jersey Tee Up to Plus Size (Apparel)

List Price:	$25.00 USD

2012 Fall Fashion Week: Erdem

2012-05-30T05:00:00-07:00

These items from the 2012 Fall fashion weeks could work on plus sizes. Consider these items nominations for sizes 12-30.

2012 Fall Fashion Week: Maurizio Pecoraro

2012-05-30T04:30:00-07:00

These items from the 2012 Fall fashion weeks could work on plus sizes. Consider these items nominations for sizes 12-30.

2012 Fall Fashion Week: Fashion East

2012-05-30T03:00:00-07:00

These items from the 2012 Fall fashion weeks could work on plus sizes. Consider these items nominations for sizes 12-30.

1st Day of Bare Necessities up to 50% Off Sale

2012-05-30T02:16:28-07:00

Actually what I am finding is mostly great best selling bras and sleepwear at, so far, have not looked too far into it, 30% Off and shapewear, swimwear, sports bras and hosiery, (plus size and tall!), at 25% off.

Still, getting Best Selling bras by Le Mystere, Wacoal and others at 25% to 30% off is always nice way to stock up on reliable bra styles!

You will find Wacoal’s best selling La Femme bras, in sizes up to 40H and 42DDD, for just $40.60, in all its colors! Wacoal’s Awareness bras are also on sale at 30% Off!

Felina’s long time best selling Harlow bras are now just $27, all four colors in sizes 32 to 40B to DDD!

This lace version of Le Mystere’s Tisha full fit bra is also on sale at 30% Off and comes in sizes 32D to F and 34 to 40D to G!

These underwire baby dolls, by Parfait Affinitas, are on sale in their pretty tango red color for $45. The amazing thing about that, currently, is that the sale color appears to be available in many, if not all, sizes 30 to 40D to G. I doubt that will last, so I would act soon on this if you like it. It does come in black and ivory too, but full price in those.

Just a few examples of the styles and prices you will find if you use this Up to 50% Off Sitewide during the Semi-Annual Sale at BareNecessities.com. Ends 06.11.12 link now!

Plus Size Health News Roundup 5/29/12

2012-05-29T13:27:10-07:00

Main health effects of sleep deprivation (See Wikipedia:Sleep deprivation). Model: Mikael Häggström. To discuss image, please see Template talk:Häggström diagrams (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This is a collection of health news and related links for plus-size women. Please bear in mind that many, even most of such studies are the following

1)Funded by corporations that make a great deal of money from the diet industry. 2)Inconclusive. 3)Find correlation, yes, but not causation. A triangle may be prone to cancer, but a square also being a geometric shape does NOT mean it is also prone to cancer. 4)Exaggerated and panic-inducing. The “obesity epidemic” exists in part because people never previously considered “obese” have been re-classified under an arbitrary definition of “fat.”

For more insight and understanding into this, please read Junkfood Science from the beginning.

Restricted meal times supposedly help our organs process food better. I could swear this has been researched before and demonstrated not to work with humans. Thus the whole “eat when you’re hungry, not when you’re socially programmed to,” thing.
Dieting in older women can lower hormone levels.
A study of the US Homeless population reveals 30% to be obese. Yes, it is possible to be malnourished and overweight – the body actually packs on fat as a survival mechanism for harsh conditions, such as homelessness.
Consuming too much saturated fat can mess up your memory over time.
This article states that a pot-belly can increase cardiac risk. It also states that obesity causes a moderate risk for heart disease. So why are so many media outlets behaving as though fatness is a guarantee for heart disease and diabetes? Why is there no explanation for the thousands of thin people also suffering from cardiac maladies and diabetes?
Exercise might lengthen the lives of people battling with breast and colon cancer.
Women who use IUDs for contraception seem to experience about a 1% loss of body weight over the first two years of use.

1 in 3 is obese – even the homeless (kdvr.com)

Blazers ablaze

2012-05-29T13:30:00-07:00

The blazer/suit jacket has been a thing for awhile, and if Women’s Wear Daily has its way, the skirt suit will be the “look” for fall of 2012. So I’ve got my eye out for plus size blazers, when I discovered something else.

Dress Barn. You would never know it from the website, but you can see it when you walk into one of its retail stores. It’s gotten kind of good. Like, really good. Like so good they have an on-trend piece in stores right now:

It looks better in real life.

The clothing options include a LOT of stuff I would actually wear.

The downside? The chain has taken on some off-putting and invasive retail tactics. They demand emails before they let you pay for their items. They push credit cards. The sales staff is trained to PUSH, and at North Branch mall, even bully, suggesting that their jobs are dependent on this icky behavior.

Want more business, Dress Barn? Keep up with the really great clothing. Improve the SEO on your ecommerce site through legitimate methods so it crosses my path and the path of others more. Remind your North Branch, Minnesota sales staff it’s not OK to touch customers without the customer’s express invitation EVER. Demanding I explain my own clothing was seriously not cool, no matter how genuine the interest in it. I’m shopping – I don’t need to be subjected to female social violence at the same time.

If you’re really convinced that shoppers need to know about the sales, have someone stand at the front of the door – not accost you when you’re getting into your shopping groove. I realize it’s 50% to prevent theft, but I swear the behaviors damn near encourage it out of spite.

Let me put it this way: you’ll sell more if you stop throwing up privacy-invading obstacles when someone is trying to buy your freaking clothing.

Plus Size News Roundup 5/29/12

2012-05-29T11:53:46-07:00

Ashwarya Rai Bachchan at Cannes 2012

Want to see gorgeous? Check out these photos of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at Cannes. Also read this profile on why she’s famous. Sandeep Khosla makes a point about the criticism of Aishwarya Bachchan that is a combination of “good point” and “facepalm:”

“Why are we setting these Western standards? It’s a Western import and journalists are just obsessed with size zero. There’s no need to be because it was never our thing,” said Khosla who claims to prefer plus-size women over waif-like models.”

Dude, it’s not about your sexual and aesthetic preference, but thank you for pointing out that yes, this weird obsession with “skinny” is born in western thinking. Of course, chauvinism is damn near universal even though it’s not in any way natural.

Beth Ditto wants to put out a line of ethically made plus-size fashion – she calls it the Ikea of clothing.
You all saw that awesome fatkini spread that Gabi Gregg did for XOJane, right? Jezebel documented the inevitable stupidity that follows challenging cultural assumptions about fat women in bikinis. It even has stupidity in its own comment threads. Beauty is purely subjective, changes based on cultural zeitgeist, and can be challenged all the time… duh.

from XOJane fatkini spread

Gabourey Sidibe admitted that she beat up one of her bullies in junior high.
ABC is seeking plus-size women with fashion questions from Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for a reality show featuring Tim Gunn.
In yet another naked plus-size model feature: Candace Huffine. Here’s also a profile of 5 “plus size hot models.” It’s fine to be sexy, but there’s ample evidence that hyper-sexualizing women of any body type leads to people actively hurting them. We’re talking recorded violence statistics. So perhaps leaving something to the imagination, and forcing onlookers to imagine a real conversation with the woman first, might be a world-improving change of pace.

Candice Huffine on S Moda

Not body positive, but human positive: Anderson Cooper kicked the human Barbie lady off his show.
A new airplane with more spacious economy seating will be released on the market soon – of course, this means another increase in ticket prices. Jet fuel is not the same as what powers your car. It’s more expensive to produce – ANYTHING will make airline ticket prices go up. This in no way justifies their routine inhumane treatment of both customer and employee of any shape or size. and there’s just no excuse for the condition of the TSA these days, period.
The Who magazine special body issue is out, with this quote from actress Melissa Bergland:

“Everyone gets a bit bullied when you’re overweight, but people equate it with being unhealthy, which is not right. I know I’m plus-size. Sometimes I hear myself described as ‘the fat redhead’ and I think, ‘Well, tell me something I don’t know’.”

Miss UK Dazzling Beauty competition has a plus-size woman in the finals.
Seamstresses may find this article on civil war costumery fascinating, especially the tidbit that a 31-inch waist was considered “plus size” during the Civil War. This raises the questions of: how many people broke ribs to fit that motif, and what was the context? Plus size did not always equal bad in history.
Annette Sym, described as a “weight loss guru” is now offering a line of clothing in Australia that runs up to an AU size 24.
Another college campus is starting to heighten its focus on body image issues.
This review of A Big Girl’s Guide to Love isn’t a ringing endorsement –but at least I now know this play exists.

“Fatkini” Movement Goes Viral: Blogger Promotes Body Diversity for Summer (news.softpedia.com)
Real girls post their ‘fatkini’ pictures in protest of society’s obsession with ‘beach-ready bodies’ (dailymail.co.uk)
Glamour picks at the 2012 Logies (mygirlfriends.com.au)

See larger image

Precious (Amazon Instant Video)

Director: Lee Daniels
Starring: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Sherri Shepherd
Rating: R (Restricted)

New From:	$1.99 In Stock
Release date December 9, 2011.

Plea for Help in the U.K.

2012-05-29T11:24:00-07:00

This comment was left on a recent post on this blog. It is a plea for help from a pregnant women in the U.K.

I am only going to address one aspect of her concerns, the one I find most disturbing; I hope others will step up and address some of the rest of her concerns.

Please please please, can someone help me. I am 10 weeks pregnant and currently have a BMI of 35.

Firstly, I have suffered with severe sickness since 5 weeks and doctor said it was ok as I 'could do with losing some weight' and refused to give me medications, and now I have had my first midwife appointment today and was told that more than 50 percent of maternal deaths in pregnancy and childbirth are obese mothers and that I will have to have special monitoring and won't be allowed to have a natural birth at the birth centre and will have to be under consultant care and be constantly monitored throughout labour (meaning no water birth, no moving around, no getting into positive positions to birth).

I am so scared and disappointed, I feel like I am an unfit mother already and feel that the drs think I do not care about the health of my unborn baby. Now I know that this will not go down well with some people but I am considering a termination so that I can lose more weight before carrying a child (I have currently lost 70 pounds).

I came across this blog and I am aware that you are based in the US and I am in the UK so some things are different...for instance I can't actually choose a provider and am stuck with who I have :(...but please, any advice would be so appreciated. Both myself and my partner are concerned and do not know what to do.

There are so many things to cover here, it's hard to know where to start. Please comfort and reassure this woman that she CAN do this. She needs to hear from many people, not just me. Please leave some encouraging comments at the end of this post.*

In the meantime, here is my response. First, dear Reader, please don't terminate this pregnancy over these scare tactics or your fears. Chances are that everything will be okay. Many MANY women with a BMI well over 35 have had healthy pregnancies and babies. My BMI is 48, far over yours, and I had 4 healthy pregnancies and babies, and am none the worse for wear for it. I know so many women your size and far larger who have had healthy happy babies. You can read some of their birth stories here and here.

No, no one can promise you with 100% certainty that you and this baby will be fine, but the odds are certainly in your favor, "obese" or not. Most obese women have healthy babies; some do have complications like GD or high blood pressure, but even then, most of the time, these conditions are able to be treated and everyone is still fine. So don't panic over the scare tactics they are giving you.

To be fair, the doctors and midwives are trying to do what they think is their job, to apprise you of possible risks associated with "obesity" and pregnancy, but the problem is that they have gone so far overboard in stating these that they are frightening women unduly, making them think that almost no women of size have healthy pregnancies or babies, when in fact, most do.

In some cases, care providers lay on the scare tactics so strongly that they bully women into weight loss surgery, risky diets, over-intervention, and even terminating the pregnancy. That is NOT good health care, that's medical bullying. And for God's sake, this poor woman has already lost 70 lbs., but despite the fact that she followed typical medical advice to lower her BMI before pregnancy, she is still being punished and scared half to death. Where is the justice in that?

Yes, there are some risks associated with pregnancy in obese women, but NO, the answer is not in scaring women into terminating an established pregnancy until they reach a "normal" BMI.

Shame on these providers for laying the scare tactics on so strongly that someone would even consider terminating a pregnancy simply because of their weight.

Yes, among those rare women who have died during pregnancy or birth, obese women are overrepresented somewhat. That does NOT mean that 50% of obese women who are pregnant die during pregnancy─that's a misunderstanding of what the care providers were trying to say. Death is an extremely rare occurrence for childbearing women in the developed world, and although very high BMI women are somewhat overrepresented in that group, the actual numerical risk of it happening to any one obese woman is quite low.

And the reason why fat women do die during pregnancy or birth boils down to three main causes, some of which is preventable:

Complications from general anesthesia during a cesarean
Complications from hypertensive disorders (high blood pressure and resulting disorders) in pregnancy
Blood clots (usually in conjunction with cesareans)

So to lower the risk for these problems, consider the following:

Don't let them push you into a cesarean you don't need. If a cesarean is required at some point, make sure they are prepared to use an epidural or spinal block instead of general anesthesia. Have an anesthesia consult ahead of time to be sure they have the equipment needed on hand if it were needed
Make sure you are monitoring your blood pressure carefully (you can get a home BP monitor if your readings are questionable at all), make sure they use the correct-sized BP cuff so that that readings are accurate, and get regular exercise and have great nutrition to lower your risk for developing gestational diabetes or blood pressure issues
Regular exercise also lowers the risk for a blood clot during pregnancy; for certain people, low-dose aspirin therapy (only under the supervision of a care provider) is sometimes advised. If you have a cesarean, discuss with your provider the use (and proper dosage) of blood thinners, and be sure to move your legs around and walk as early as you can tolerate after the surgery. There are also special wraps and cuffs that can help reduce your chances of a blood clot after a cesarean; make sure to request these if you have a cesarean, and note any increase in shortness-of-breath to your providers

If this woman were in the U.S., I'd tell her to change care providers ASAP because it's difficult to overcome a really deep-set provider bias about obesity in just a few months, and it often influences the care a high-BMI mother receives. However, I'm not sure what your options are for alternatives in the U.K.

There are, of course, private midwives that you could hire from outside the NHS system, and it seems to me like this would be well worth the money to do if you can manage it. I bet we could find a private midwife who would take you on as a client and who would work with you to find a way to make it financially feasible. I know there have been women of size who have had great out-of-hospital births in the U.K. with private midwives.

But if that's absolutely not an option, then you will have to work within the system, and the way to do that is to push back against the care providers who are giving you a hard time. I'm hoping some of my U.K. readers will pop in and leave some suggestions about how to do that.

At the very least, one of the best things you can do is to find a Pregnancy Buddy, an advocate familiar with size-friendly care practices, who will come with you to appointments and help you speak up for quality care and question fat-phobic practices. A doula who really "gets" weight stigma and has a Health At Every Size approach could be a great help for you in advocating for more size-friendly care.

Best wishes to you, and I sincerely hope you will not let your fears (and the scare tactics of the providers) keep you from enjoying this pregnancy and this baby. Be as healthy as you can in your habits without obsessing over them, find a Pregnancy Buddy or Size-Friendly Doula to help you speak up for yourself, and don't be afraid to push back against the bias of your providers and even report them to their superiors if necessary.

Pregnancy is one of the best times to learn how to advocate for yourself, your baby, and your needs (whatever size you are), and you deserve to have loving, respectful care, regardless of your BMI or whether you lose enough weight to fit into their narrow definition of "normal". Start demanding that care now, and don't settle for second-best. You and your baby deserve no less.

*Please keep your comments civil and kind and aimed towards helping this woman's specific situation or about commenting on weight-biased scare tactics, rather than about pushing a particular point of view on abortion. This is not a forum for abortion debates, and I will be vetting comments before I publish them. Please stay kind and helpful in your words. Thank you.

And how was YOUR weekend?

2012-05-29T09:59:49-07:00

Okay gang, I am writing this under cover of darkness.

Technically I am writing this under cover of Hot Latin Boy being on the patio lifting all sorts of heavy household good in preparation for my personal exodus out of Villa Plumcake which is happening in oh, about four hours. Which is why I should be moving stuff. But I’m not. Because I’m here.

It also doesn’t help that I’m all bruised, battered and generally in less than in ideal moving condition because –wait for it– I fell in heels.

I know. I was as shocked as you are.

For the first time since the Toothfairy Ball incident of 2005, wherein I had to emcee for a charity in a costume that included these boots:

and a industrial-sized bottle of codeine cough syrup consumed entirely on stage which people thought was part of my clever dentist costume but was in fact because I had pneumonia.

Anyhoodle, steep stairs, a raging cough syrup high, and six inch vinyl hooker boots does not a well-balanced Plumcake make (in either sense of the word) and I went tits over teacups on stage in what I was told was a rather breathtaking way.

My most recent tumble was not nearly so exciting, but I came off quite a bit worse.

On Friday night I went to my former village’s one restaurant to say goodbye to some pals and avail myself of the tuneful stylings of a man billed as sounding exactly like Barry White, which he does, providing you a) have severe head damage and b) have never actually heard Barry White.

I was going solo for the night and the problem with the village is any woman under the age of about six thousand is considered a hot commodity.

As a result I have perfected the Polite but Potentially Armed rebuff, which involves among other things not letting anyone other than my friend the former Golden Gloves champion boxer walk me to my car.

He wasn’t available, so after having my Manhattan, enjoying a nice chat with an oncology surgeon I hadn’t seen in ages who has graciously extended an invitation to Morelia, and biting a lounge singer (I told him if he touched my cheek one more time I’d bite him, so why was he surprised that when he touched my cheek during a particularly horrible rendition of the already horrible “After the Lovin’” that I kept my word. He’s lucky I didn’t keep his finger, too) I walked to my car.

Remember last summer when I wrote that anyone who thinks cobblestones are romantic either has smaller breasts or cheaper shoes than I do? Well, it holds true. Cobblestones can [redacted] right off.

I mean what sort of world do we live in where a totally sober woman in a pair of extremely solid, bordering on sensible Diane Von Furstenburg cobalt pony hair heels can be assaulted by the forces of gravity in such a cruel and unprovoked manner?

The damage was relatively minimal: One cut-up hand, a skinned knee and an impressive case of road rash on my left elbow.

The shoes, thank God, are fine.

Once again my borderline germphobia saved the day because I was able to immediately disinfect my cuts and scrapes with the many MANY bacteria-killing products in my car, leaving Hot Latin Boy to pluck out the bits of gravel from my person when I arrived safely (all things considered) home.

So…that was my weekend and I think I hear HLB trying to move my booze cabinet so I should probably go supervise. I might be a little scacre this week, but in the meantime, how was YOUR weekend?

The super convertor bra: has anyone tried this?

2012-05-29T08:30:00-07:00

That’s not excess strapping for your bondage pleasure. Nope, it’s the super convertor bra, the latest invention by the lingerie designers over at Lane Bryant Cacique. It has clear straps, matching straps, and can be converted to a bra that fastens lower on your back. It slices, it dices, it rearranges your cleavage!

Actually, it sounds pretty nifty – especially given the amazing number of bra hacks on the market these days.

So I’m curious – has anyone given this a try? How convertible is it really? Does it let you take the top down, or do the gears get stuck?

7 ways to Beat Body Image Issues in Business

2012-05-29T07:44:32-07:00

Negative body image can hold us back in big ways in our careers. I’ve spent the past 4 years working with women entrepreneurs, and it’s amazing how body image issues can arise related to launching and growing a business. It is not uncommon for women to avoid being photographed or video recorded, avoid making presentations, meeting [...]

Ralph Lauren top and multi strand necklaces

2012-05-29T07:00:00-07:00

This is me, on an evening at the Sample Room. I’m wearing a Ralph Lauren tie-neck top and experimenting with multiple necklaces. One is plastic pearls another quartz crystal and another a string of amethyst. That’s not a perm in my hair, either. It really just does that on its own sometimes.

2012 Fall Fashion Week: David Koma

2012-05-29T04:00:00-07:00

These items from the 2012 Fall fashion weeks could work on plus sizes. Consider these items nominations for sizes 12-30.

2012 Fall Fashion Week: Dion Lee

2012-05-29T03:00:00-07:00

These items from the 2012 Fall fashion weeks could work on plus sizes. Consider these items nominations for sizes 12-30.

2012 Fall Fashion Week: Christian Blanken

2012-05-29T02:30:00-07:00

These items from the 2012 Fall fashion weeks could work on plus sizes. Consider these items nominations for sizes 12-30.

Pinterest Activism of sorts

2012-05-28T16:20:00-07:00

Trust

2012-05-28T10:30:54-07:00

The casting of fat people in the cult of 'obesity' is as those who are intrinsically untrustworthy. This is itself an evasive assumption, if you believe energy restriction is the viable route to slimness you just can't trust fat people regardless of how you try to rationalize that.

Yet I note those on the receiving end of this comprehensive erm...... failure of strategy are expected to trust '

Babble: FA Links Feed

Review: theStyleManor.com

Political Correctness

Plus size dolman sleeve tops

YogaColors Crystal Boatneck Dolman Sleeve Blouse Jersey Tee Up to Plus Size (Apparel)

2012 Fall Fashion Week: Erdem

2012 Fall Fashion Week: Maurizio Pecoraro

2012 Fall Fashion Week: Fashion East

1st Day of Bare Necessities up to 50% Off Sale

Plus Size Health News Roundup 5/29/12

Related articles

Blazers ablaze

Plus Size News Roundup 5/29/12

Related articles

Precious (Amazon Instant Video)

Plea for Help in the U.K.

And how was YOUR weekend?

The super convertor bra: has anyone tried this?

7 ways to Beat Body Image Issues in Business

Ralph Lauren top and multi strand necklaces

2012 Fall Fashion Week: David Koma

2012 Fall Fashion Week: Dion Lee

2012 Fall Fashion Week: Christian Blanken

Pinterest Activism of sorts

Trust