This Little Piggy Said Fuck You

I know I've been on hiatus for awhile, but I couldn't keep my silence after I saw this story unfold:



That's right. One Mr. George Lopez, compares Kirstie Alley to swine. Because we all know how original and imaginative fat jokes are, especially ones that relate us to farm animals.

Lopez eventually apologizes, if you call "I misjudged the joke" an apology. Kirstie, reluctantly accepts it.

Let's say for a moment that we can set aside the sophomoric nature of this joke. I realize that some people find fat jokes to be hilarious, and even I can chuckle at them myself, if they're done well. No one wants to hear some obvious comparison to pork any more than any one wants to be schooled about the differences between men and women. An easy insult does not a respected comedian make. But I can get over that. What I can't get over is the sort of catch-22 that I think most overweight people feel they are stuck in. We are constantly being bombarded with messages on how to correct our "problem." And that if just got off our big, fat asses, and stopped stuffing hamburgers and ice cream in our mouths, we could be socially accepted and able to shop at more than 4% of the stores in any given shopping center.

Enter Kirstie Alley. A former skinny girl, who has publicly shared her weight struggle with the world in a humorous, HUMAN way. She goes on national television, clothed in little more than straps and sequins, and stands shoulder to shoulder with super models, teenagers, and professionally lauded female dancers. And proceeds to kick ass by landing in second place after her first week of Dancing With The Stars. How exactly is she rewarded? With a fat joke by late night nobody who only a few years back was chubbing up the airways.

To say this infuriates me would be an understatement, but that's not really the point. What I am wondering is what exactly the fuck are we supposed to do? Being fat in public is generally not accepted. You may remember a few months back when Marie Claire published this column by resident fat expert, Maura Kelly. The backlash was huge, and an apology followed, but the damage was done. Fat people are getting the message, loud and clear. We are not worthy of good jobs, healthy relationships, or according to Kelly, the freedom to just walk around. Yet when an overweight person not only performs something that is considering exercise, but also excels at it, it is suggested that she be lined up at the trough and prepared for slaughter. So apparently it's only acceptable that we lose weight in private, as not to force anyone to look at us being all...fat and stuff.

Comments like this come from a place of truth. Whether it stems from insecurity or fear (which I think may be the case of Kelly, jury's still out on Lopez) or from deep rooted malice, these aren't just passing, unintentional comments. These jokes and articles were not accidental. They were written and said with purpose, and directed at an increasingly growing number of people. Until fat people can be seen as people, without a preface, I don't think stories like this are going away any time soon.

But I will definitely keep my hooves crossed.