Queen Simply Be - media star!

I've had a fantastic response to the Daily Mirror article, and my *fame* is spreading with approaches from TV and magazines wanting to talk to me about my 'positive outlook'. I have to confess that I've turned most of these opportunities down, because I feel as if by being associated with the burgeoning 'Fat Acceptance' movement, I'm aligning myself with a cause that I'm not 100% a part of. I'm into 'people' acceptance - being fat isn't something most people would choose to be, but I don't see why anyone should be slated purely because they don't fit into the media accepatbility mould.

My take is that you should make the best of what you are - be happy, healthy, fit...and if you're also big, well so be it. If you choose to try and lose weight, do it in a positive way and don't get onto the whole diet treadmill. Just be nice to yourself. If you don't even like yourself, where's your motivation to be the best you can be? So there.

If you haven't seen the article, here it is.

Firstly, I think I should make the point that I didn't say this:

"Anorexics make themselves thin but they'd never be denied health care. I think being a compulsive eater and non-eater are different ends of the same spectrum. Both make the sufferers ill, both are psychological and both deserve help and sympathy."

I was really worried that what I said would be taken out of context, and it has been edited to make me look really unsympathetic to people with eating disorders. What I was trying to say was that compulsive eaters and anorexic people are both making themself ill through their eating habits, but that complulsive eaters - who are usually fat - don't get any sympathy because they are seen as greedy - whereas anorexics are pitied because they are starving themselves. Both conditions are driven by the media, are psychological, and both deserve help...but fat people just get vilified and told to go on a diet.

It sounds much better in my own words!!! That's part of the reason I decided not to do this sort of interview again. I'm all too aware that when you do, you're really leaving it up to an editor to be as sympathetic/sensationalist as possible...your words are in their hands!

I'd also like to say that I was quite shocked at what Sara actually said in her interview. Marnie, the writer assured me that she did say all those things, even though she was sweet and friendly to my face at the shoot, and agreed with me when I said that you don't have to be thin to be fit or healthy. The most telling thing about the interview was that she admits to being unfit even though she wasn't  overweight, until she 'had a word with herself' and employed a personal trainer to give her the motivation she admits that she didn't have. So it's not only fatties that need to motivate themselves, then?

As for people having a few training sessions to "make the beach look nicer" - words would have failed me if I hadn't realised that she runs a personal training company! Hmmm. Not trying to plug her business or anything then?

The Mirror stuck me next to a model, ten years younger than me, and five sizes smaller. They *forgot* to send a make up artist (she had all hers with her) and left us both waiting for an hour and a half because they got the times wrong. And still, I think I came out of it looking better...!

Some of the comments I've had:

"...the other woman was very full of herself. Don't worry, her day will come - she is obviously very proud of herself and what do they say about pride? Anyway, well done."

"You certainly came across better in that interview than the other girl does. Her closing comment of 'The beach would look nicer, too.' is just catty and pathetic"

"I am so glad that you say, and I believe you,  that you are happy indeed with yourself being who you are. This is a difficult achievement for anyone and it happens rarely!  My mum is obese but I truly believe she loves herself much more than most people that I know. She insist that she need a big body because her heart is too big! "

Thanks, everyone!