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In order to keep inspired and
motivated to write for this blog, I have been following more fat feminist blogs
on Tumblr. I find it really inspiring when fat women model or pose nude on
their blogs as a way to express themselves and boost their self-esteem. While
they may be nude in some of these photos, they are not pornographic in any way.
The women who take these photos usually intend them to be for other fat
feminist blogs (and of course for themselves). However, on Tumblr anyone can
reblog anyone’s posted photos and I often see them ending up on porn blogs with
a fat fetish theme. Beautiful photos that were meant to be inspiring, are taken
out of context, over sexualized, and turned into pornography with the sole
purpose of getting someone off.
When someone is turned into a fetish, they are turned into an object for
sexual pleasure. A fetish is an object, not a person (Dictionary). It is also
the attraction to a body part or thing that is not typically seen as normal (Dictionary). The
problem here is that there is nothing abnormal about being overweight. It
should not be abnormal for someone to love a fat person and it does not
automatically mean that that person has a fetish. When a partner’s physical
appearance is an obsession and their fat is tuned into an object; that is a
fetish.
Of course everyone has a preference when it comes to the appearance of a
love interest. There is nothing wrong with that. But a preference crosses the
line into a fetish when someone is no longer appreciated for their entire
being, but just for a certain physical feature (Alptraum). The body is separated
from the person. When someone has to justify paying attention to a fat person
by saying, “I’m a chubby chaser.” or, “I love BBWs (big beautiful women).” it
becomes clear that they are interested in the person’s physical appearance
above the actual person.
There are fat people who knowingly participate in a person’s fat fetish
or even have a fat fetish themselves. What is important is for people to know
that not all fat people are comfortable being the object of someone’s fat
fetish. It is also important to realize that someone being in a relationship
with a chubby, overweight, or fat person does not make them a fat fetishist.
Works Cited
"Fetish." Dictionary.com.
Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2013.
Alptraum, Lux. "Fetish or Preference:
What's the Difference?" Boinkology. Boinkology, 27 May 2008. Web.
03 Apr. 2013.
I think this is an important topic and a great one to write about in our class. What I'd like to see you do is unpack this a bit more. Explore it from the point of view of the woman in the image. She writes on her body that she doesn't want to be a fetish. And while you define what a fetish is, it would be important for us to see a "for example" from the experience of the woman fetishized. That experience will really drive home how the desire to be with someone strictly because of their weight (and not a blend of attributes) can become harmful to the psyche.
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I really liked reading this blog, because this is something I had not come across in my life. However, I do relate to the misconceptions that can be taken from someone else’s perspective. I do understand how naked pictures can be misinterpreted. I completely disagree with any kind of behavior in which it belittles someone else for their physical appearance, though. Although this blog may not be exactly about that, it does remind me that people should not make such comments about any other human being. I think you did a really good job in persuading the audience that name calling is wrong for any kind of person, even though the blog is about more than just that. This also reminds me of the golden rule, treat others as you want to be treated.
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