weight

While we might know full well that in real life being 5'4" and weighing 180 pounds doesn't look the same on one person as it does the next, it can be difficult not to internalize those numbers and let them mean more than they should. That's where My Body Gallery can help.

I expected at least one voice representing fat acceptance to be present during this final OWS episode on weight. But it wasn’t. Which makes the whole freaking public journey seem for naught.

With the whole world watching, it’s understandable that Kate Middleton wants to look her best on her wedding day. But her recent weight loss has provided the press with its favorite topic: deconstructing women’s bodies.

Phew! This week saw lots of compelling internet content, including the following:

• Queerty speaks of the problems with intersex kids' parents choosing their gender identities for them.
• NPR, and Jos at Feministing, remind us of "Why BMI is bogus." Woo-hoo!
• cate j at Questioning Transphobia explores the assumptions behind declaring "Welcome to womanhood."
• "That's Gay"'s Bryan Safi talks about THAT KISS on Glee.
• Did you catch Byron Hurt's piece "Why I Am a Black Male Feminist" on The Root? G.D. responds at Feministe and PostBourgie.
• ABC reports on this week's violent outburst by a famous domestic abuser. You're probably sick of hearing his name, but I'll just say it sounds like "Fris Frown." (via Jessica Valenti). Jay Smooth has also made a video in response.
• The Korea Herald explains Cambodia's recent limitations on foreign marriage. (via Racialicious)
• Sure, the late Nate Dogg was a beloved rapper, but... ColorLines reminds readers of the performer's more problematic legacies.
• At Womanist Musings, Renee calls for George Lopez to apologize for his transphobic remarks toward Wendy Williams--not just his fatphobic remarks toward Kirstie Alley.
• At Global Comment, Tiger Beatdown's Sady Doyle discusses the Wal-Mart lawsuit saga.
• Jeff Biggers writes about Arizona's disturbing budget cuts and Ethnic Studies ban, and about the documentary Precious Knowledge.
• Got plans this Sunday? Bitch Flicks looks forward to the Mildred Pierce miniseries' debut!
• Speaking of anticipation: who's looking forward to the release of Bumped by Megan McCafferty? I am, I am! Check out Phoebe North's insightful review in which she describes the dystopian satire as "sex positive" and "a biting comedy with a tender heart."
• The Huffington Post remembers Elizabeth Taylor's activism.
• Jason Linkins recalls a provocative piece about journalism that seeks to create and criticize candidates' personae rather than report on their politics. Sounds like most news stories about female politicians, doesn't it?
• Tom Tom Magazine, the magazine for female drummers, is under attack from Tom Tom GPS, since, you know, people might confuse tracking software with one of the only independent publications covering women and music.
• Poor Knut. I don't know about you, but I was dismayed to learn of the famous polar bear's passing. As always, this song is for him.

Is Oprah's last season a gift to her viewers, or a gift to herself?

Along with the rest of the ladycentric internet this week (including Bitch), I’ve been following the kerfuffle over Maura Kelly’s post at Marie Claire about how disgusted she is by fat people. The post, ostensibly, is about the television show Mike & Molly, which is a romantic sitcom about a couple that meets in an Overeaters Anonymous meeting. The creator of the show has already fired back, noting that Molly will perhaps cancel her subscription to the magazine in an upcoming episode, and making the point we've all been thinking: the show "is just about human beings."

As to the merits Mike & Molly particularly, I have only this to say: I watched a couple of episodes at the beginning of the season, thinking I might cover it for the blog, but ultimately the show itself is very bad, and very bad shows don’t tend to provide me with much meat for critique. So I let it go.

Australian beauty queen and model Jennifer Hawkins appears nude and un-Photoshopped on the February cover of Marie Claire magazine. According to Hawkins, the photo shoot is meant to inspire confidence in women and raise money for an eating disorder support organization. Though her heart may be in the right place, Hawkins' cover shoot is doing the opposite of what she intended.

By now maybe you've heard of Ralph Lauren model Filippa Hamilton's contract being terminated because she was "too fat." (And all this after she was horrendously photoshopped.)

Who better than tackle the topic than Target Women's Sarah Haskins, who was on the Rachel Maddow Show last night! If you missed it, here's the clip...(it also shows what happens when their graphic design team uses the same Photoshop dimensions on Rachel Maddow!)
"Ralph Lauren is just playing the game with everyone else. I think this incident primarily explains, to me, why Ralph Lauren fired...me."

Read on for 5 things I don't want to read about anymore:

In 1998, editor-in-chief Anna Wintour made the "gentle suggestion" to Oprah Winfrey that she lose 20 pounds in order to be on the cover of Vogue. According to Wintour, Oprah agreed and went on a "stringent diet", resulting in one of Vogue's "most successful covers ever". Oprah was the first black celebrity to be featured on the cover. Read more gentleness from Anna Wintour after the jump.