Fat Acceptance on Nick Perkins Archive

Being a fat man – intersectionality between fat stigma and male privilege

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:21:30 +1000

I was asked on Twitter this morning to comment on how fat stigma and male privilege intersect. I start out by saying that this is only from my lived experience. Other people will have different experiences to add to the discussion and should not be discounted.

One thing I think that needs to be outlined from the start is that all men, no matter if they are fat or otherwise, benefit from male privilege. I will be happy for the day to arrive where this isn’t the case, but it is a reality that I recognise exists at this current time.

The media makes me angry. Big phama make me angry. Here’s why.

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 21:43:52 +1000

Something I have become conscious about in the last few years is the importance of reviewing the background of information that is presented to you. It’s important to become critical of data and want to know where it has come from, how it was produced and what influences may have been placed on the creation of the data.

I learned very early with computers the GIGO principle – Garbage In, Garbage Out. It doesn’t matter how good a computer is, or how good the software is. If what you put into it is tainted, or skewed, or wrong, what comes out of it will be tainted, skewed or wrong. This principle applies to scientific research, news and other information just as much as computers.

Poll: Should fat kids be taken away from their parents?

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 08:48:02 +1000

This seems to be a topic that does the rounds from time to time. I would love to know what you think.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

Regardless of your view, please let me know in the comments why you think one way or the other – anonymously is fine.

Rapid Loss – my comment on weight loss products

Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:34:31 +1000

A good friend of mine and fellow fat activist Sonya wrote an article over at Lip. I left a comment on it due to some of the other comments completely missing the point of her article. Since the comment was a little TL;DR I thought I would post it here as well, since it is probably more of a blog post/rant than a comment. You should probably check out theoriginal post first for context.

Guest Post: Janevideogate

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:32:57 +1000

Awesmome lady and friend Melissa has written today ’s guest post. She currently lives in Turkey, loving live and living it to the full. She sent this to me a couple of weeks ago after a personal experience got her thinking. I’ve been a bit slack and busy, but today got around to reading her post and this is a very moving and powerful story. Please make Melissa feel welcome as she makes her first forray into the world of Fat Acceptance blogging.

Childhood Bullying. Nick tells his story. – Guest post from DISCOURSE

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:38:42 +1000

Last week I wrote aguest post for Dr Samantha Thomas over on her blog DISCOURSE. I had planned to post it here straight after it had gone live on her site. However a couple of major things happened to me over the last week (which I’m not ready to blog about, but I will need to soon) and so I didn’t get to posting this.

Does my gender look fat in this?

Sat, 05 Feb 2011 16:10:53 +1000

When reviewing the recent BMI research that was printed in the Lancet for my post on the “Tsunami of Obesity” something occurred to me. The paper was at pains to say that they had split the data they were reviewing by sex, because “BMI trends can differ in men and women”. Even when looking at the trends on a global basis, the results were still talked about with regards to men and women. I even mentioned how some of the lowest mean BMI were found in different countries for men and women, whereas the highest mean BMI for both men and women was found in Nauru.

“Tsunami of Obesity” my (fat) arse

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 22:39:14 +1000

It is not surprising to see the media reach for the sensationalist headlines when a new study about “obesity” comes out. Today’s headlines were all on the same theme – the “Tsunami of Obesity” that is sweeping the planet. It’s an interesting use of a word which I don’t normally associate with “obesity”. So I wondered why researchers were suggesting that there was such a “Tsunami” and what evidence there was to back up this claim. Thanks to a couple of wonderful sources I managed to get a hold of the research papers related to the media frenzy, and this is my take.

[Postponed] Australiasian Fat Acceptance Conference Call – Tonight

Wed, 02 Feb 2011 12:43:52 +1000

I realise this is short notice. I’m going to be hosting a conference call tonight at 8pm AEDT. That is 7:30pm ACDT, 7pm AEST, 6:30 ACST, 5pm AWST and 10pm NZDT.

Add freeconferencing.com on skype and send me an email through the Contact Form. I’ll forward you the codes later this afternoon.

I want to talk about the current state of Fat Acceptance in Australia and what we can do to move it forward.

A cry for self acceptance

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +1000

December 17, 2010

Trigger warning: Talking about weight loss and cutting. Not actual cutting mind you. It’s more a figurative thing.

I’ve been pretty much hating on myself today. I’ve started to feel like my weight is getting in the way of my life. I suppose a lot of fat people feel that, but I feel like I should be able to accept who I am. Today I haven’t. I’ve felt pretty useless and unhappy and my gut has been the focal point of that.

Fatty nirvana not yet achieved

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +1000

December 15, 2010

The road to fat acceptance nirvana is a long and arduous one

Trigger warning: I will be talking about weight loss concepts. If this triggers, look away now.
As a fat activist I often think that people look at me and think I have hit fat nirvana. That place where I’m always happy with my body and I never think about losing weight and never wish I was a different shape. That place where I am confident and happy in my skin all the time and I’m always ready for the enslaught of negative media and social pressure because I’m there, man. I’m at total nirvana.

Remove the headless fatties from our media

Thu, 09 Dec 2010 15:39:37 +1000

It is high time that mainstream media around the world stopped using headless fatty shots with every article or video piece about fat people. I think there are a few reasons why they do this.

They know that if they asked people, they would say no.
If they have faces, it makes it harder to use them in generalised negative news pieces
If the fatty looks happy or really well dressed, they don’t suit a doom and gloom story
They won’t get sued for humiliating someone if you can’t identify them by their face

Yet when that person sees this footage of them being used in this way, it can cause pain and anguish become compare. It also dehumanises fat people and gives people power to pick on and attack fat people.

A fat idea

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +1000

September 13, 2010

I realise the title is a bit cryptic. That’s just the way it is. I have a new idea and I’d like you to hear about it. But rather than write about it, I’ve talked about it. Have a listen.

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Love/Hate Relationship

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +1000

September 8, 2010

I hate flying. I hate business meeting or situations which require me to wear a high standard of dress. I hate social occasions. I hate shopping for clothes. I hate packing for holidays. I hate formal situations. I hate being in crowded spaces. I hate being on a full bus. I hate being near strangers.

I don’t hate all of these things because I don’t like them specifically. I hate all of them because they remind me of how difficult it is to be fat person and how much people dislike/look down on/don’t consider fat people.

Nicholosophy: A man in the Fat-o-Sphere

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 00:00:00 +1000

September 13, 2010

I had the honour to speak at the Fat Studies: A Critical Dialogue conference held in Sydney on 10 and 11th September. This was unexpected and therefore my talk was an impromptu discussion about a man’s perspective of the Fat-o-Sphere. I don’t have a transcript or paper to post, so the best I can do is to show you what I had to say. Please forgive me if you can’t watch the video. Transcribing this would take half a day and I just don’t have that time spare. Next time I will put together a paper first so that I can post that online instead.

Lap Band Surgery/Eating Disorders and LoudMouth Golf Pants

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +1000

Today I discuss why it’s important to think carefully about Lap Band Surgery, especially if you have an eating disorder. I also plead for LoudMouth Golf Pants to make me some pants in my size!

ETA: These are the pants I want so bad!

[Image not archived: Loudmouth Pants - Sand]

Loudmouth Pants - Sand

I’m appearing on Today Tonight, tonight!

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +1000

I have crawled from my sick bed to let you all know that I will be appearing on Today Tonight tonight discussing the issue of why fashion excludes sizes 16+.

Tune in tonight from 6:30pm, Channel 7 and have a look at what I and others have to say on the issue. When I can find a copy online to embed on the site, I’ll be sure to do so!