Skinny Music?

I am definitely one of those kinds of people that uses music for motivation and to get me through tough times. I usually have my iPod on me, and I’ve recently found the joy of being able to download full audio episodes of Keith Olbermann’s Countdown and some other interesting podcasts from iTunes. When I’m sad I fire up the Chicago and Toto. When I’m happy I listen to…well…Chicago and Toto. What can I say? I really love angsty, sad, whiny 80′s type music…

I’ve found as of late that I have a tendency to listen to Pink when I’m trying to clean or get things done – the bold lyrics and beats of her songs gets my blood pumping. When I’m feeling unmotivated or tired and frustrated I normally turn to Will.I.Am’s “It’s a New Day” because it makes me think of the progress the country is starting to make and that gives me the jump-start I need to continue fighting myself.

On FitSugar I’ve now learned that someone has taken this idea of music motivation to a new level – sort of a musical “thinspiration” to go along with pictures. The CD is “Skinny Music” and it is for sale on iTunes and at Amazon.

The Skinny Music website offers testimonials, shirts, music, and lyrics. Before and after pictures beam at you with quotations from people that praise Skinny Music as the reason they’ve lost weight and now have happier lives.

Seriously? This is the way to solve the fattie crisis? Self-hating songs? Hate yourself into losing weight? Fault yourself for your fat causing you to not fit into that pair of skinny jeans hanging in your closet as opposed to being sensible and buying the correct size?

Reading the lyrics of these songs makes me cringe. The songs don’t do much more but promote the idea that you have to be thin to be hot and that life will begin when you are thin. On a similar note the songs also center around the idea that you have to be thin in order to be attractive and worthwhile as a female (as the songs seem primarily about females though some male testimonials are on the site). In particular the track “Who the Hell is That?” bothers me:

(and I said)
who the hell is that? ‘Cause it sure ain’t me!
how’d I get so fat? It’s a shame to see
something’s gone wrong with the photo quality
who the hell is that, cause it sure ain’t me

Lookin’ hard in the mirror, didn’t like what I saw
had a talking with myself and I laid down the law
gotta make some changes, gotta start right away
I refuse to live my life, looking this way

Granted I’m not a camera hog – I normally do shy away from having my photo taken. That being said – its a horrible way to be! I think what is needed though is assurance that you are fine the way you are…not a shock into thinking you have to change your looks.

There is, however, one song that does sound to be quite positive – even though it is surrounded by songs of self hatred – “Blowin’ You Off at 8″:

you dumped me at 16 now I’m blowin’ you off at 8
You told me I was fat — now honey don’t I look great?
I’ve dropped four dress sizes down, now you’re coming around
if you didn’t want me then, then you don’t deserve me now!

I cried and cried and cried the day you put me down
you said I’d gotten dumpy and you stopped hangin’ round
make no mistake about what you see
I didn’t do this for you — I did it for me

She does stress that she did it for herself and not the man…the man who she also realizes is not worthy of her time since he didn’t accept her at a size 16. THOSE, I believe, are things to sing about – taking care of yourself and not settling for anyone who isn’t looking out for you and your best interest.

I’m all for high energy workout/movement songs – no doubt about that. These songs however, this just seems damaging as it reinforces the idea that thin is the only way to live and feel/be “hot.”

What does everyone else think of this?

Dreams for Women

Ever heard of PostSecret? I subscribe to the feed on LiveJournal and every Sunday I look forward to reading the new cards that come in from people all over that choose to bear their souls to the world. I find myself disgusted by some, incredibly saddened by others, and agreeing with a good few. Sometimes I find myself reading one and thinking “wow…I could have sent this in.” I was thinking of PostSecret when I saw the image you see to your right and a few others in my Google Reader the other day.

The images are made by men and women all over and sent to Antigone Magazine out of British Columbia. The magazine is a non-profit (and non-partisan) magazine about women and politics and is sponsoring this feminist version of PostSecret asking for submissions of art expressing dreams for women. From their website:

Donations received from the Dreams for Women project will help launch the Antigone Foundation, a national organization that will encourage young women aged 10-30 to become politically and civically engaged, and to actively participate in leadership roles.

The images are stunning and I’d imagine resonate with anyone that struggles with self and gender image. I know they strike a familiar chord with me. I really encourage everyone to check them out, and to buy a calendar if you have the extra money.

Who knew “What do you want to drink?” could be such a loaded question?

I have a co-worker that eats very little besides McDonald’s. Not just a cheeseburger and fries a couple of times a week – no, I’m talking about a NIGHTLY (at least 5 nights a week) meal of a Big Mac Meal and 2 Double Cheeseburgers. Its always been a joke for the rest of us – “Where is so and so? Oh, he’s probably at McDonald’s.” Its also slightly a sore point for a couple of us that are a bit jealous that he eats all that and gains not an ounce on his skeleton thin frame (there are some rumors that he takes Adipex, but they are just rumors).

I hate going grocery shopping. I’m in that omg-it-is-so-hard-to-buy-healthy-food-when-my-budget-is-already-overshot and I-have-no-idea-what-to-fix-that-will-keep-for-a-week-and-that-I-won’t-get-bored-with-being-the-only-person-eating-it so I often don’t go shopping when I need to and end up relying on a coworker to go get me something to eat. I’m quite opposed to McDonald’s, for reasons in addition to the lack of healthy food, but every once in a while I have to rely on that McDonald’s loving co-worker to grab me something when he goes because there’s not much else open at 3AM nearby.

The other day was a day like that – I slept ALLLLLLLLL day and had no time to even root around in my fridge and look for something I could take with me. So, at 2:30AM when the food run was being made I threw an order in. My order? The chicken sandwich meal with a Coke.

“What do you want to drink with that? A diet-something?”

WTH? I’m offended by this on two levels. First – I’m a fat girl that just ordered McDonald’s. Really…what’s the point of having a Diet Coke with anything from McDonald’s? Honestly. What else? Oh, just because I’m fat you are going to ASSUME that I want a Diet Coke? That because I’m fat I should feel shame and order a Diet Coke because that’s what society wants me to do? Second – I’m a female in a male-dominated field…I’m guessing here, but I bet if a male had asked for something to be picked up his choice of drink wouldn’t have been questioned.

I turned, looked at him, and said “no, regular Coke will be fine.”

What did I get? A snicker and a smile.

Be Genderless to Avoid Facebook Weight-Loss/Hair Removal Ads

Ok, I know its been a while and I have SEVERAL things I want to blog about, but first, this.

I saw a brief mention on another journal (bear with me, I’m trying to find out where this was referenced…if you know what I’m talking about PLEASE help me out) that someone removed the gender from their Facebook account because they were sick of being bombarded with adds for weight loss products and fad diets.

I’d never thought of that but decided to remove mine just to see.

Its been a week – a week and I’ve had NO ads for weight loss whatsoever. No ads for hair removal either.

So after weeks of giving the thumbs down to ads for weightloss and hair removal and telling Facebook that the ads are offensive I find that all I had to do was tell Facebook I’m not male or female!

I wonder if you can do the same on MySpace…of course you can only be “Male” or “Female” on MySpace, but I think I’m going to try being “Male” for a while and see what kinds of ads I get…