Queen Simply Be

I know, another Eastenders themed post and I don't even *watch* it all the time.

I've just seen another 'Natalie Cassidy is fat again' style newspaper bashing, and I thought I'd post this mainly because I've always liked her, and also because Nat was on the front cover of one of the first ever magazines I managed to get published in (yes, OK, it was Slim at Home, but the article was about fattism!)

Anyway, I digress. I was almost disappointed with Nat when she did the whole weight loss DVD thing. Not just because I thought she had 'sold out' - weight loss is a personal thing and if she felt the need to punish herself into a size eight with two hours exercise a day and laxatives, who am I to object? But the real issue was that I could see it failing. She always seems like such a fun loving, sociable sort of girl, and a strict diet/fitness/laxative regime doesn't sit well with a sociable lifestyle!  Most on-off dieters can identify with the feeling a celeb would get after they have pummelled away their weight issues with a drastic diet, and their first thought is "I know, I'll do a DVD, that way I won't be tempted to put the weight back on." With mere mortals it's the fear of our friends, work mates, and family giving us a disapproving look when we start to gain weight again that we think will keep us on the straight and narrow. But it doesn't usually stop us, even if we don't have a camera lens to deal with on a regular basis! 

Alas, even celebs are only human, and it all comes tumbling down because although they *think* that the mere thought of letting people down by gaining weight again, and being judged for it (as they undoubtedly will be) will stop them ever getting back to the size they were...IT DOESN'T WORK. It just makes you excessively worried about what faceless journalists and members of the public think about you. As Natalie said;

"I don't think I'll sit in Soho and eat a burger. Not without looking over my shoulder."

How sad is that?

Personally I think Natalie looks lovely at a size 14. What the hell is wrong with a size 14 anyway? She looks happier than she did when she was working out and sucking her stomach in for every passing paparazzi. Let's hope she doesn't start yo-yoing like so many other stars who are more famous for their weight fluctuations than their last acting role (are you listening, Kirstie Alley?)

Natalie - stay as you are!!!

Good news for any girl fed up with trying to find sexy lingerie - Simply Yours has launched a fabulous spring summer collection of plus size shapewear and sexy swimwear.

The new range does away with the notion that girls with cleavage to die for and a bootylicious behind just want to cover up their assets. No, honeys, we want to enhance what Mother Nature (and in some cases, Ben and Jerrys) gave us with underwear that shapes our curves and gives us support where we need it most. The whole collection is online at  the Simply Yours website.

The launch is being supported by a national TV advertising campaign, and a  stylish new ad, which evokes 1940s glamour.
 

The collection covers all you can think of in plus size shapewear, from bras, corsets, slips and knickers, to swimwear and nightwear. Sizes range from 30-50 with cups A-JJ and up to 56 and K and L in selected sizes.

The helpful people at Simply Yours have even come up with a guide to finding your perfect bra size, so that you get the absolute best va-va-voom possible from your new glam shape wear. Vive la curves!

If you've ever wanted to strut your stuff in a magazine, and fancy getting paid for it too, I've had a request from That's Life! magazine for big, beautiful and happy girls to appear in real life features.

She says:

"So many of our real life stories come from people that have dieted or had surgery to achieve a slim figure. What you don't read about as much are bigger girls that are proud and happy about their weight. We are looking for potential case studies that might fulfill this brief. The more unique the story the better. Perhaps a previously slim woman has found that putting on weight led her to happiness! Or perhaps being a 'big' is essential to her job or relationship."

If you're interested, let me know through the blog and I'll pass your details on. If you want to appear, you'll have to be OK with your name and picture appearing in the magazine... Have fun!

Another attention grabbing headline, and a cause that I'm sure all voluptuous, well-endowed girlies will want to - ahem - support.

Busts4Justice

Busts 4 Justice is a Facebook group set up by a group of bigger boobed women - who are threatening to storm the M&S AGM to protest over the discrimination handed out to those of us blessed with a bountiful cleavage.

Apparently our bigger bras require 'more engineering' than those that support boobs of less than a double D, so they charge an extra £2 per bra for the privilege of supplying us with the over the shoulder boulder holder monstrosities that they actually *do* stock in our size. (Oh,and is anyone as fed up as I am with never being able to find matching knickers in a size that fits? If I have big boobs, the chances are that unless I am a beautiful freak of nature or surgically enhanced...I have a BIG BUM too!)

Beckie Williams - a size 34E - has warned M&S that the group will take their campaign to shareholders at the AGM in July. She said:

"They haven't listened to us as customers, so now maybe they'll have to listen to us as shareholders.'

'Marks & Spencer is Britain's biggest lingerie seller so we want them to change their pricing for all the women affected. I still don't think they can justify this charge since many of their rivals charge the same price regardless of size.'

Join the Facebook Group and crusade for bra equality!

Bet that got your attention!

All you fabulous at whatever size you are girls are probably roling your eyes in disdain at that headline though. Of course fat women get their fair share of bedroom action. I'm far too coy to talk about my own body count but let's face it, you'd think that nobody over a size 12 was allowed to get naked if you read some of the comments about the latest, frankly stupid, storyline about Eastenders' Heather Trott discovering she's pregnant.

Now, this isn't to say that a storyline about a character who hasn't been with a  man (that we know of) since George Michael was still playing straight, falling miraculously pregnant at the first sniff of bedroom action isn't a tad unrealistic. Let's face it, she's a big girl on the wrong side of forty and she's pretty statistically amazing if she fell pregnant from a lone one night stand. But that's not the issue. It's the horrified "Who would sleep with Heather?" sharp intakes of breath you read across the Internet if you are a sad case like me who actually reads that stuff.

Some of the choice comments:

"Whoever was insane and sick enough to bed her shoud hang there head in shame then run a mile"

(maybe that contributor should run back to school for some spelling & grammar practice?)

The general consensus seems to be that anyone who could be responsible for the latest potential new resident of Albert Square must have been drunk at the time of his or her conception, or desperate. Because nobody in their right mind would ever want to sleep with A.Fat.Bird!

If it wasn't so damn ridiculous, it would be insulting. Have any of these witty social commentators actually looked around and noticed that there are mums of every different size out there? Most of us know that it's actually much harder to conceive when you're medically underweight than overweight simply because your body decides you can't possibly be trusted to support a baby if you have no fat reserves, and shuts off your periods to make sure.

And what's more, it's annoyed me for some time that the token fat bird on a soap has to be stupid and greedy as well. Obsessed with George Michael, with no dress sense and a personality that just screams "Slap me!" Of course, you could just tell me I take things too seriously, and I'd reply that I only really care when I watch the programme and wear away my precious tooth enamel by gritting my teeth at the script writers' portrayal of 'Hev' as a total moron with limited social skills and very dubious taste in headbands.

It still annoys me though. As does the fact that we're allowed to ridicule fat people because they clearly have no feelings. I hope this daft storyline gets used to a good effect, and shows that Heather isn't automatically going to be a useless mother who feed the baby chips and cheese  'because that's what a fat mum would do.' It would be bloody great if one day there was a really foxy, classy, intelligent and witty woman on 'The Square' who all the men lusted after, but who just happened to be a size 16 plus.

Fat people as the butts of biscuit jokes is SO boring.

What do you think?