I was traveling with students in Barcelona in the summer of 2011, walking through La Rambla, when I noticed two guys making fun of me. I could see them in the reflection of a mirrored building, making gestures with their hands to suggest how much bigger I was than the thin girl standing next to me, her small waist accentuated by her crop top and cut-off shorts. They painted her figure in the air like an hourglass. Then they painted my shape like the convex curves of a ball. The guys were saying something, too, but there was only one word I could make out: Gorda. Fat woman.I’ve been hearing comments like this for much all my life. Maybe someone else would have yelled at them, or shrunk inside. But I don’t get upset when this happens. I get excited.I pulled out my camera, and set up a shoot.For about a year, I’d been taking pictures of strangers’ reactions to me in public for a series I called “Wait Watchers.” I was interested in capturing something I already knew firsthand: If the large women in historical art pieces were walking around today, they would be scorned and ridiculed.Continue Reading… … Read More
Overweight-only gym helps members relate
DALLAS (AP) — Downsize Fitness is an exclusive health club, evocative of the nation’s trendiest gyms. But there’s a strict requirement to join: You must be 50 pounds or more overweight.The chain wants its members to feel comfortable while exercising, so there are no mirrors inside and the windows are fogged. Even the equipment is designed for heavier people.Chicago entrepreneur Francis Wisnewski says he started the gym because “I’ve been overweight my whole life, and I was embarrassed to go to the gym myself.”The first locations opened in Chicago and Las Vegas in 2011, and expanded to Dallas in 2012.Gym member Janie Busch said she likes the supportive atmosphere.Krisanne Hale, a personal trainer in Dallas, is still trying to lose weight. She says that helps members relate.Continue Reading… … Read More
