Thinism

Last year, while we were in Tassie, I read Dawn French: The Biography by Alison Bowyer. It was my prize for being the top student in Year 12 Drama Studies at my high school back in 2000 so, yes, it took me a while to get around to reading it. I have to admit, when I first received it I had no idea who she was. I know....shame, shame.

It was such a great read, I had trouble putting it down even though we were on our honeymoon. She has had quite a turbulent life but there was one bit in the book that stood out at me because, to be honest, it made me quite angry.

Now Dawn is well known for being a rather large woman and the book says that during her school days she used to laugh off her discomfort about her size by cracking jokes at her own expense. This is understandable; I think a lot of us use humour as a defence mechanism at time, including myself. But in Chapter 9: Size Matters, I think she well and truly crosses the line.

Dawn is well known for making outpsoken remarks defending overweight women and even encouraging women to pile on the pounds. A lot of it stems from the fact that could not wear the same fashion as her friends when she was a teenager due to her size so she lashes out at thin women. It's fair enough to criticise Hollywood with it's stick thin stars who live on crash diets, but not all women are thin or of a healthy weight because they neglect to eat or abuse their bodies with diet pills. I keep hearing the 'I can't help being big boned' excuse to justify being overweight and for some women this is true. One of my mum's best friends has always been on the big side yet she eats healthily and does a fair bit of exercise. Others put on weight because of medication they need. But Dawn openly admits to leading anything but a healthy lifestyle and I get sick of hearing people who complain about their weight while taking their next bite of KFC. Our weight is not always beyond our control.

Dawn actually says during the chapter that fat women are better than thin. This is where I think she goes too far. Fat people get bullied, sure, and it sucks but thinism is just as prevalent as fatism. I don't believe in having a go at overweight people, it's their life and their eating habits are up to them but what does get my goat is when they pick on me and it's deemed to be acceptable because thin is the majority. Newsflash: thin is NOT the majority in the Western world where obesity is a growing problem. I believe in leading a healthy lifestyle and that there are different healthy weight ranges for each person.

I have been bullied by overweight people and I'm tired of it. In this ridiculous age of political correctness, they can call me 'Bony', 'Skinny Mini' or 'Anorexic' but if I call them 'Fatty' or 'Fatso', it's a big no no. Why is it ok to confront someone because you are worried they're losing too much weight but it's NOT ok to confront someone who is GAINING too much weight? Aren't both a health problem? In primary school, I had overweight girls use their size to intimidate me by twisting my arms up behind my back until it hurt. I've been shopping with people who have done nothing but complain the whole time that I shop at 'skinny teenybopper' shops. Richard Burton's widow, Sally, finally lashes out at Dawn in this chapter for declaring that men like bigger women better than thinner women. I have had someone say that to me as well and it really hurt, especially since if I'd responded with, "No, they like thinner women better," I would have received a tongue-lashing.

On page 157, it says Defending women for being overweight is one thing, being rude about thin women, quite another.

I completely agree!