Talking about food, eating, body image, and weight
Saturday, May 15, 2010
New film: Fat
A filmmaker named Jennifer Jonassen sent me a link to this trailer for a new documentary, FAT, due out later this year. I think it looks pretty interesting. What do you think?
I enjoyed much of the message and content but think that some of the images are so over the top intentionally off-putting that I'm not sure I will see the whole thing. I wonder if it's a mistake to show the snake image over and over, or the close-up of vomiting (I'm still feeling a little queezy) or a fairly explicit sex scene. Will it turn people off, is it intentionally in your face to make a point? I don't know, I just know I had a strong emotional reaction to the visuals, and not in a good way. Will that muddy the very important message?
I had very similar reactions to yours, family. In fact I nearly didn't watch the whole trailer because I was really put off by some of the opening images.
I think that the part that is the hardest is, even as someone working so hard to accept myself- I fall into the defensive trap of projection, and find myself upset with the message because I am uncomfortable with MYSELF (ie: my body, fat).
Since we, as a society, are so scared of fat, I am sure it illicits that feeling is more than just a fellow fat person. I am sure many of all sizes will feel that creep up.
I know that is not what I am SUPPOSED to say, but it is a large part of the truth. With the "war on obesity" raging, I believe that the average american fears being fat more than actual war.
The preview felt a little campy, and a little gross. The obvious scenes of puking, but it there also seemed to be a bias towards showing fat people sweating in this piece, and I feel like the person doing the production or editing is either oblivious to the stereotype of sweaty fat people, or purposefully doing it?? It just seemed excessive. I guess I expect a little more consideration and class in a documentary trying to explain the pain behind the way obese people are treated- the serious nature of the hate.
I recently read your book Feed me!. I lost alot of weight from a chronic illness. I lost my apetite and just couldn't eat. When I ate I was struck by intense nausea. I got tons of compliment on my weight loss. Many said that oh, that would be a wonderful dieting method, just lose your apetite and not crave anything. Well, what I craved was apples, mineralwater and an occassional grape. What I had and still have is a rare syndrome affecting the way the body can balance and regulate its need for nutrition. The pivotal hormones and enzymes necessary for eating and nutrition was now gone. I struggled, I was in the hospital on IV's, I was treated for mineral deficiency. And yet, all though people knew I was ill and couldn't really function well, I kept getting compliments on my looks. My hair was a mess, my nails had softened, I slept all the time. I was in the hospital for a looong time because there they served 3 meals a day, I had lost any semblance of feeling natural hunger.
I've yo-yoed in my weight since my initial diagnosis but I eventually put some of the most critical weight loss back on. I got comments on how unfortunate that was. To this day I am at a loss. I was sick, had I gotten an infection or somehow gotten critically ill and required life support I would not have survived.
I am prohibited to diet. The biochemistry being so fragile that if the exclude one food item, when everything can fall down again. I still need to time myself. I still see a dietician and when the craving for the apples, mineralwater and the occasional other fruit and digestive crackers, I go to the ER. Yet, my underweight and how sick I was, it was and still is encouraged. I can't understand it, I will never be able to.
11 comments:
Looks very interesting! I wish I had the confidence those women have.
Thanks for sharing.
It looks excellent. I'll see it, for sure.
It's really something, let's support it!
Paolo
(Italy)
That was awesome, thanks for sharing that.
Very interesting! Would love to see it in its entirety.
~Kati
I enjoyed much of the message and content but think that some of the images are so over the top intentionally off-putting that I'm not sure I will see the whole thing. I wonder if it's a mistake to show the snake image over and over, or the close-up of vomiting (I'm still feeling a little queezy) or a fairly explicit sex scene. Will it turn people off, is it intentionally in your face to make a point? I don't know, I just know I had a strong emotional reaction to the visuals, and not in a good way. Will that muddy the very important message?
I had very similar reactions to yours, family. In fact I nearly didn't watch the whole trailer because I was really put off by some of the opening images.
That was a mixed bag for me as a fat woman...
I think that the part that is the hardest is, even as someone working so hard to accept myself- I fall into the defensive trap of projection, and find myself upset with the message because I am uncomfortable with MYSELF (ie: my body, fat).
Since we, as a society, are so scared of fat, I am sure it illicits that feeling is more than just a fellow fat person. I am sure many of all sizes will feel that creep up.
I know that is not what I am SUPPOSED to say, but it is a large part of the truth. With the "war on obesity" raging, I believe that the average american fears being fat more than actual war.
The preview felt a little campy, and a little gross. The obvious scenes of puking, but it there also seemed to be a bias towards showing fat people sweating in this piece, and I feel like the person doing the production or editing is either oblivious to the stereotype of sweaty fat people, or purposefully doing it?? It just seemed excessive. I guess I expect a little more consideration and class in a documentary trying to explain the pain behind the way obese people are treated- the serious nature of the hate.
Phew. That really was a rough one for me!
I thought the same thing you did. it is hard tos wallow. good luck.
I recently read your book Feed me!.
I lost alot of weight from a chronic illness. I lost my apetite and just couldn't eat. When I ate I was struck by intense nausea. I got tons of compliment on my weight loss. Many said that oh, that would be a wonderful dieting method, just lose your apetite and not crave anything. Well, what I craved was apples, mineralwater and an occassional grape. What I had and still have is a rare syndrome affecting the way the body can balance and regulate its need for nutrition. The pivotal hormones and enzymes necessary for eating and nutrition was now gone. I struggled, I was in the hospital on IV's, I was treated for mineral deficiency. And yet, all though people knew I was ill and couldn't really function well, I kept getting compliments on my looks. My hair was a mess, my nails had softened, I slept all the time.
I was in the hospital for a looong time because there they served 3 meals a day, I had lost any semblance of feeling natural hunger.
I've yo-yoed in my weight since my initial diagnosis but I eventually put some of the most critical weight loss back on. I got comments on how unfortunate that was. To this day I am at a loss. I was sick, had I gotten an infection or somehow gotten critically ill and required life support I would not have survived.
I am prohibited to diet. The biochemistry being so fragile that if the exclude one food item, when everything can fall down again. I still need to time myself. I still see a dietician and when the craving for the apples, mineralwater and the occasional other fruit and digestive crackers, I go to the ER.
Yet, my underweight and how sick I was, it was and still is encouraged. I can't understand it, I will never be able to.
actually its Julian Dahl who is the film maker. Jennifer is starring in it. Great comments!
www.fat-film.com
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