I participate in a fair number of blog hops. For a couple of months, I have been participating in blog hops that tend to be fashion oriented. While I found a couple of people whose blogs I now follow, I have decided that I am going to back away from the fashion blog hops. Most of them have a strong emphasis on being pretty in a very narrow way, on "fitness" as it relates to weight loss rather than to overall well-being, and on size normativity rather than size acceptance.
These blogs made me fall back into the negative pattern of hating myself for being The Outsider rather than being a welcoming space. So I think it's time to have a blog party here at the Camp which welcomes the Outsiders to come out and play!
You can share anything you want at the Come As You Are Party. You can share photography, writing, recipes, your daily life with disabilities physical or psychological, and, yes, even fashion. I'm not big on rules, but if this is going to work, there need to be a few caveats.
Shared posts cannot contain pro diet talk or pro-weight loss talk. They cannot contain fat shaming or thin praising. They can't be about "flattering" attire. Flattering is code for "hiding the unacceptable parts of your body." I get pissed off when I try to buy a swimsuit and the manufacturer thinks that terms like "hip hider" or "tummy tamer" are going to make me want to buy their product. Fuck that shit.
I'm still not sure what my "tummy" might be doing that requires it to be tamed. Granted, my IBS sometimes flares up at inopportune moments and renders me an unhappy camper. Other than that, my "tummy" has never bitten anyone, and I guarantee that it's had its shots. I inject insulin into my abdomen multiple times on any given day.
Posts can discuss dieting and weight loss as it relates to the problems they have caused. You are welcome to share posts about how diet culture negatively impacts you, about eating disorders, about weight fluctuations due to medical conditions, about your struggles to accept your body as it is rather than trying to make it be something it doesn't want to be. I developed an eating disorder at twelve years of age. I tried to hate myself thin for 33 years. I struggle with the fact that food insecurity means that the part of my brain which thinks it's good for me to starve gets amped up and keeps encouraging me to starve even when I have food. It's fucking horrible what society does to people, and we should be able to talk about that.
The posts I don't want to see and will remove links to contain subject matter such as "my weight loss journey!" "My journey to a slim new me!" "I lost 666 Kilos and now look like Skeletor's Sexy Sister!" "I'm on the new Keto Paleo Cabbage Soup Juice Fast Death Cleanse And My Bones Evaporated But I Look Really Hot," or "How my Spanx Hides the Fat on my Ass So I Look 25 Pounds Thinner, Never mind That I Feel Like I'm Wrapped In A Sausage Casing."
That shit is not "inspirational." That shit promotes eating disorders. I'm not saying you can't write that shit. I am a firm believer in The Underpants Rule, which states that you are the boss of your own underpants. However, I refuse to be a party to promoting toxic, size-shaming beliefs.
A lot of blog hops insist that you only share "family friendly" posts. I really don't think there are a lot of young children reading the posts on this blog. You can share pretty much whatever you want, except for the types of posts mentioned above and hardcore porno pictures. This is a "Come As You Are" party, so, come as you are!
I should have a Mr. Linky next week. This week, please post your link in the comments. Apologies to those who don't have a Google account and don't want to get one. I've had problems with trolls in the past and am not up to dealing with their bullshit, which tends to run rampant when I allow anonymous comments.
~Cie~
A Fat Bitch With A Bad Attitude Attitude Committed to Providing Alternatives to Fucked-Up Mainstream Culture Whenever Possible
Cie and Crowley welcome you
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