#strong4life

[chillicosmos]

Rewind the future!

[najampicks-blog]

This powerful video may change the way you view healthy eating

[francoismavel]

Rewind the Future A man whose life flashes right before his very eyes, unhealthy habits and all

[thestoutorialist]

A response to white fat activism from People of Color in the fat justice movement

This letter is written to our fat community to express great concern over what appears to be a growing divide among us. We continue to see fat activism growing and our community expanding, and while this brings great joy, it also becomes more and more apparent that we are not doing the work to prevent our community from being divided along race and socio-economic lines. We are not having the hard conversation needed to build the truly solid foundation of inclusivity and diversity that we rest much of our argument of anti-oppression upon. This is particularly important since both government programs and the diet industry have been specifically singling out and targeting people of color in recent campaigns. From Michelle Obama's selection of Beyonce Knowles as the face of her national campaign against obese children to the disproportionate number of children of color represented in the state of Georgia's "Strong4Life" campaign, the face of the "obesity epidemic" in public policy has largely become people of color. Similarly, the diet industry has focused several of its most recent national advertising campaigns around African American celebrity icons, including the selection of Janet Jackson as a representative of Nutria System, and Charles Barkley and Jennifer Hudson as spokespeople for Weight Watchers. While fat activism in the United States continues to be predominantly white, there is an emerging wave of fat People of Color (POC) activists moving out into all aspects of our communities. Joining with fat POC activists who have been working for years to create space for the unique challenges faced by POC within our mainstream diet culture, this has the potential to be a time of enormous shift in the perception and face of fat activism in the U.S. We are excited to be a part of this paradigm shift, and to see more of our experience reflected in the work of fat activism. We hold grassroots organizing in high regard, because we know from experience that having established relationships with individuals aids in activating their enthusiasm for a project. While this is true, it also limits the reach of our work to our personal networks and circles. This is especially troublesome in the world of social media platforms like Facebook. Sending out an invitation for all contacts to participate is not the same as doing the thoughtful work of being inclusive, which requires planning, communication among groups, and transparency. Blanket invitation through social media, or "crowd sourcing," returns a large response from those already closely related to the issue, who often share the initiator's stance, privileges, and power. This can be seen in the recent "Stand4Kids" campaign, most recently renamed the "I stand against weight bullying" campaign (seen here) launched by Marilyn Wann. This campaign is a great example of a provocative and direct action within the fat community, created to address fat shaming and body prejudice aimed at the children of Georgia through positive images of people of all sizes. The Georgia campaign "Strong4Life" (mentioned earlier in this letter) features a high number of children of color, and is being primarily aimed at children of color in Georgia's poor neighborhoods. The primary organizer of "Stand4Kids/I stand against weight bullying" does not share these lived experiences, and while that truth does not mean that the organizer should not lead the project, it does raise a flag that the difference in experience between the organizer and the communities being addressed must be bridged in order to develop authentic and lasting relationships. Because the campaign launched through a crowd sourcing technique on Facebook, many of the first respondents were similarly white fat activists. As the campaign grew, it was reposted numerous times by many other white fat activists, none of whom were publicly critical of the lack of representation in the images and in the campaign's design and implementation.

  POC in the fat justice movement deserve thoughtful and clear discussions around not just the intention of diversity and inclusion in the work you wish to do, but also the actual impact of the work within communities of color.

  POC in the fat justice movement demand and deserve that white fat activists build authentic collaborations with communities of color and work as allies.

  POC in the fat justice movement demand and deserve allies showing up to the table of our campaigns and work, rather than constantly being told they have made a place for us at theirs.

  POC in the fat justice movement clarify that our allies will practice doing the work of learning about the histories and impacts of colonization and oppression on POC, seek other allies to learn from and with, be open to dialogue, taking feedback, and allowing people's firsthand experiences of racism to be the final and authoritative voice on the subject of impact to communities of color.

  POC in the fat justice movement offer that through the work of authentic inclusivity, singular vision will become shared vision. Coalition will happen. Bridges will be mended and built.

We are looking forward to a stronger, more representational expression of fat community in which POC and poor people's voices are heard, their experiences are respected, and their work to strengthen their individual communities is supported just as they work to support others. Please join us. In solidarity, Tara Shuai, Co-president of NOLOSE Galadriel Mozee, Co-president of NOLOSE Virgie Tovar Geleni Fontaine Margarita Feminista Julia Starkey Amy Ongiri M. Taueret Davis Naima Lowe The letter is also available <a href="http://www.nolose.org/activism/POC.php">here</a>

[feedmecreative]

According to ABC News and The Huffington Post, the health organization Children's Healthcare of Atlanta launched its Strong 4 Life campaign to raise awareness in Georgia about the childhood overweight and obesity crisis (40% of children in Atlanta are overweight or obese).

The campaign includes print, outdoor and TV spots, which show actual overweight Georgia children.

Many mothers and individuals across the nation became upset that the campaign messages are too "blunt", ineffective and shameful, while others think the straightforward approach is okay.

There was an #Ashamed Twitter chat Friday Jan. 27 to tell the health organization how harmful the ads are to children and share ideas about how to approach childhood obesity.

Some public health experts fear Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Strong4Life campaign is too blunt to cultivate action. Still, the group is standing by its decision to feature the ads to raise awareness about childhood obesity.

What do you think of these ads? Do you think the straightforward approach is appropriate or are the ads too harsh? • TV spot • Print ad

[digitalfridge]

Strong4Life's ad campaign in Georgia... it's obviously caused a lot of controversy. Good or bad? 

[atchka-blog]

Humanitarian Aid —

In an effort to reduce the amount of bullying that gay teens endure, which contributes to an astonishing 20% increase in suicidal ideation among gay teens according to one study, the Atlanta School Board has released a new advertising campaign to address the heart of the matter.

In fairness, it's modeled after the anti-bullying efforts of Strong4Life, which I learned about through this Twitter exchange.

Wow, Strong4Life has resulted in fat kids being bullied less? And it's covered on NPR, no less? This I have to see:

Gayla Grubbs owns a sandwich shop in Griffin, Ga. Her son Sam, 15, is obese. Grubbs says she's not upset by the anti-obesity ads that have raised controversy here.

...

"I was being bullied a lot because of my weight, and after I started losing it, it cut down quite a lot. They don't call me names or anything like that anymore," Sam says.

"It's a self-esteem issue," his mother says. "If you feel better about yourself, you're going to carry yourself differently; and so that has helped."

Emphasis most assuredly mine.Let me get this straight: Strong4Life's anti-bullying solution is stop being so fat?

Bullshit.

An article in the June 2005 Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine reported that teens who perceive themselves as very underweight or very overweight were between 230% and 250% more likely to have suicidal ideations compared to those who perceive themselves to be the "right weight."

And that's not even considering the eating disorders among teenagers now with anorexia nervosa being deadlier among teenagers than obesity. You'll also recall that the former chaplain for the Children's Hospital of Atlanta told CHOA directly that self-harm and eating disorders caused by bullying is the much bigger problem facing kids today.

Gay kids have It Gets Better, and what to do fat kids get?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA8wmjSHcAw]

Keep in mind, this is actually the kinder, gentler version. Left on the cutting room floor is the part where, after hanging her head in shame, Bobby's mom looks into his eyes and says, "It's because God hates you, Bobby."

But these kinds of cruel, in-your-face ads are necessary, CHOA insists.

"It has to be harsh. If it's not, nobody's going to listen," says Linda Matzigkeit, vice president of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the pediatric hospital running the campaign.

I pointed out yesterday, CHOA justifies this campaign as a "wake up call" since, according to their research, 75% of Georgia's parents don't know... something... about fat kids. CHOA can't seem to keep its message straight, as we just had this exchange:

And yet, in the video with Bobby, the warning appears to indicate something else entirely.

Which is it, CHOA? Are parents unaware of their child's official fatty status or are parents unaware that there's a childhood obesity problem? Because those are two very different issues.

After repeatedly requesting this "survey" that CHOA did, the results of which seem to be the total justification for targeting fat kids, I finally got a partial answer, albeit from our own vesta.

From ABC News:

Children's Healthcare of Atlanta chose the straightforward approach after its survey of two towns in Georgia found that 50 percent of parents did not know childhood obesity was a problem and 75 percent of parents with obese children did not think their child was overweight.

CHOA decided to print ads insulting and degrading fat children, shaming them for being too big, and telling them that the bullying can stop once they lose the weight. That decision was based on a survey of two towns in Georgia, which they have turned into "75% of Georgia parents" not knowing that childhood obesity is a problem.

Here's what I want to know from CHOA: how was this sample taken? Was it representative? Were these interviews done in person, door-to-door, or over the phone? Exactly which two towns did they choose? What are they demographics for the people who answered your questions? What is their education level, socio-economic status? What were the questions you asked and what answers were they allowed to choose from? Finally, where are the results of this study that justify your cruel and hostile campaign against fat children?

These unanswered questions, along with the sketchy way in which the results are have been repeatedly misrepresented, are just another piece in the puzzle. Do you want to find out the answers? Don't care what the answers are because you just want them to tear down these billboards?

Then help us put pressure on CHOA. Join our Facebook Group, Stop Strong4Life's Fat Shaming Campaign, which is organizing our response to CHOA.

Also, I now have the most accurate phone numbers for three contacts at CHOA, including Linda Matzigkeit, who justified the harshness of the campaign for NPR. I have done some phone sleuthing and located the most direct line they have, which will reach their respective administrative assistants (except McClellands, which goes to his voicemail)

Linda Matzigkeit Vice President of CHOA 404 785 7824 [email protected]

Stephanie Walsh Medical Director of CHOA 404 785 6104 [email protected]

Kevin McClelland Public Relations Director for CHOA 404 785 7600 [email protected]

Children’s Foundation 404-785-4483 [email protected]

[mrrbrr]

An open letter to those involved in the Strong4Life Campaign.

(This was just sent to all contact info I had)

To all parties concerned,

I have been made aware of your Strong4Life campaign currently in use by your organization.  As a youth camp coordinator, I see on a weekly basis, the troubles associated with the shaming of children in their daily lives. Kids deal with a lot this day in age, with bullying from their peers, and a media pressuring kids into an unattainable standard of beauty.  It is our mission with our company to provide a safe and nurturing environment for kids of all shapes, sizes, and physical abilities to express their creativity and find the confidence to shine as individuals.  We end up undoing a lot of damage with our policy of positive enforcement.

The challenge of our job is made all the more difficult when we have to fight through the stereotypes these children are subjected to on a daily basis.  Do you know how difficult it is to help a kid to break down the walls of shame and self doubt when they have been exposed to the kinds of message your campaign promotes?  I have seen the most talented and hilarious kids destroyed by a single comment about their appearance.  We forget how fragile and susceptible they are to the words of others.  

The Strong4Life campaign, as stated by your twitter account, are directed towards the adults in the lives of kids.  Unfortunately, in making public images and statements, you are unable to regulate who sees your messages.  Kids are likely to see what you're saying about them and their self perceptions will ultimately be damaged.  You can't know the ultimate toll these images will have on kids who could possibly be hurt by them.  

Again, as an advocate for youth performing arts, I feel it is my duty to leave nothing but positive influence on the lives of kids in our program.  It is not my job to raise these kids, or make assumptions on the way in which their guardians have chosen to guide their lives.  It is not yours, either.  It pains me to see a group using a public forum to make these children feel real negativity. Your assumption on the health status of kids you deem to be "fat" is with no actual merit.  You cannot know anything about a child unless you are their direct healthcare provider, and shaming the entirety of a group of kids you have subjectively deemed to be not good enough is incredibly irresponsible.  

I really hope you can reconsider your campaign.  Please take a look at the potential impact you may be having on the lives of children in your city, and please know that shame is not a useful teaching technique.

  Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have, or with any updates on the status of your campaign.  I will be keeping close attention on your organizations decisions regarding this issue, and please be aware that the people in opposition to this youth shaming will not be quiet about our feelings.  Your advertisers and the media will know how we feel.  

Thank you so much for listening,

Mary Baird Executive Promotions Director Kidz Camp/Workshop Coordinator ComedySportz Milwaukee