Fat Travel, Part 2
In this episode, Marianne and I discuss a plethora of other travel-related topics, including pre-travel anxiety, packing, vacation photos, and Disney World. Also, we both agree that the phrase and broader concept of the “bikini body” is extremely annoying.
Links mentioned in this episode:
That awful lap band commercial: because France stops all fatties at the border, takes them into the woods, and shoots them. Thus, better not go to Paris when you’re fat.
10 Days in a Carry-On (slideshow)
The music heard in this episode is by NSA.
June 23rd, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Just so you know, I have a Hyacinth Hippo figurine at home. (I also have a Ben Ali Gator leering at her appreciatively too 😉
June 23rd, 2010 at 10:52 pm
There’s a group called BBW Empowerment that is putting together a fat cruise in January http://www.bbwempowerment.com/BBW%20Empowerment%20Cruise%202010
June 23rd, 2010 at 10:53 pm
Better URL for the cruise: http://www.bbwempowermentcruise.com/
June 24th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Such an amazing episode! Like Lesley, I am a Disney nut and try to take my family at least every year or two. We went in May, had a wonderful experience with no size issues for me at all (I even got to unleash my Disney geek by being the only passenger on a Disney bus who could answer the driver when he asked what “Epcot” stands for, hehe) and then we came home, and I immediately edited myself out of the handful of trip pictures I was in. I’ve joked with people that strangers would assume that my husband is a single father if they judged by our photo albums. I think my new project will be getting myself into our family photos more. Thanks again, ladies!
June 24th, 2010 at 3:52 pm
A question: Has anybody here been to 6 Flags Magic Mountain recently? And if so, how fattie accessible are they? My boyfriend wants to go and I haven’t been since I was much younger and thinner. Btw, I love your podcasts.
June 24th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
I dontknow about six flags but Kings Island put in retractableseatbelts on all their thrill rides so you may want to call and ask about their ride accomdations. Also keep in mind that many “husky” guys can ride so width usually isn’t an issue. Many parks have test seats you can try put before getting on line as well.
June 24th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
You guys have no idea how good I feel after listening to your podcasts.
Each year, the choir teacher at the school I work at takes a group of kids to Fiesta Texas in San Antonio. Because she is a friend of mine, she always counts me in as a chaperone and because I will do anything for the kids I work for, I go every time. I’ve always been so scared to get on the rides because I’m afraid that I won’t fit because I’ve seen people be rude to death fatties. And this year, thanks to the process of FA, I tried a few rides. Granted, it wasn’t all of them, but it was more than ever.
The FA process definitely is a difficult one, yet liberating. Thanks for being my madrinas (godmothers) in this. You guys rock. 🙂
June 25th, 2010 at 11:25 am
Love the podcast. And I’d very much like to see Marianne’s little teapot picture y’all discussed.
June 26th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
I just got off a cruise. I’d TOTALLY be down for one in which I wasn’t constantly being compared to my size zero and six sisters.
June 27th, 2010 at 12:43 am
[…] talk about it, and neither does anyone else (especially not fat women). In Fatcast’s most recent installment, there is a particularly nice bit where Marianne and Lesley actually laugh about being fat, and […]
June 27th, 2010 at 12:47 am
What a great episode! What particularly strikes me is the ease with which the two of you talk about your fat (and giggle about it), and the way you can talk about EACH OTHER’S fat without it being derogatory or mean-spirited. (It totally inspired a blog post for me.) I heartily believe that if we all started treating fat with the same sort of light-heartedness that the two of you do, we would all be a whole lot better off. Thank you both for setting such an admirable example of how to have a good relationship with one’s body.
June 27th, 2010 at 3:55 am
A fat cruise sounds like the best idea EVER! I just bought a new bathing suit and I’m now obsessed with wearing it as often as possible. Like a fat vintage superhero. Except I’m far to pale to be out in the sun this often.
June 27th, 2010 at 5:48 am
I live in Australia, and it was awesome for me to hear the mini “people in other countries” shout out! I am an American and my husband is Australian, which is why I live here, and I have pretty good comparison to the acceptance here vs. there. Be warned, this will be super long and probably a little bit boring. 😛
Just so you know, Australian people, by and large, are awesome about accepting different body types. Australian sizes are, actually, cut larger than American sizes. In America, I was always a 16-18, here in Australia I can sometimes squeeze (like a pig in a sandwich bag!) into a 12. Basically, 14=16, 16=18, 18=20, blah blah. Most shops don’t carry “petite” sizes, especially the larger chains like Big W, preferring to carry sizes that are marked S, M, L, XL for the “regular” sizes, and more detailed sizes for the plus section. Nearly every large chain store I’ve been to has an awesome selection of plus size clothes, and in my local store, the Maternity and Plus section is way bigger than the “regular” section.
So, buying clothes in Australia is awesome. Some of the stores are irritatingly plus-size unfriendly, like Supre`, where all of their clothes run small. They are stretchy, so that affords some smaller fatties (like myself) a bit of wiggle room, but not much. A few of my friends talk about “sizing out” of Supre`. Lots of little boutiques don’t cater to the bigger fats, but, as I said, the sizing is 1 or 2 sizes larger than the typical North American sizing, so if you normally wear a 20, a 16 or 18 may just do.
As far as beaches go, I’ve been really impressed with a lot of the beaches. If you are at a very famous beach, like Bondi, you’re more likely to run into the stereotypical skinny beach bums, but, hello, Australia is an Island, and there are awesome beaches everywhere. Where I live, which is a tourist town on the coast of NSW, I can go to the beach whenever I want, in pretty much whatever I want, and feel no disrespect for my size. It took a while — I’d go to the beach swathed in clothing, and see so many people who weren’t in the stereotypical “BIKINI BODY”, showing off their, uh, in fact, in a bikini bikini bodies.
People here come in all shapes and sizes, and when I lived in Sydney, it was a stark difference from when I visited New York. So many thin people in New York looking down on the bigger folks, it’s an uncomfortable space at some times. However, Sydney loves to club and party and have fun, and it doesn’t matter how big you are, as long as you’re drinking and mixing, and have nothing bad to say about Meat Pies and Sausage Rolls (pretty much the only thing anybody eats here, ha!)
When it comes to flying, Qantas is pretty awesome and has great sized seats. It’s a bit spendier, but if you want to go with comfort, Qantas business class is excellent. I wouldn’t go with JetStar, despite it’s low prices, because it’s the “budget airline” and it’s not very comfortable, even for skinny people. My husband is a stick figure and he hates JetStar. I’ve never flown Virgin Blue, but I’ve heard excellent things about it, and they (as well as Qantas) have the brilliant no-stops flights from LA to Sydney.
Never, EVER, by any means, EVER EVER EVAR get onto a domestic “short jump” flight. My (as previously mentioned TINY) husband could barely breathe on these flights. They are 2 seats on one side, 1 seat on the other, and they are IMPOSSIBLE. Even though it’s only 20 minutes to an hour, avoid them at all costs. They are HELL.
Train travel is mainstream for people who live in the major metropolitan areas and suburbs thereof, and they are AMAZING. Not only is it easy to figure out the train schedules, buy tickets, etc, etc, but they often have large bench seats towards the front of the car near the doors that are there to accommodate disabled people, people with lots of children, larger people, or people who are too lazy to walk to the back. They are empty a lot of the time, and if not on one car, then on another. If you move to the outermost parts of the platform, then you’re likely to get an empty car where you can hang out with limited intrusion from other people. Even the turnstiles at some of the stations (only the busy ones have turnstiles, I guess the smaller stations aren’t that concerned about you not having a ticket) have several small ones and one or two “doublesized” ones that are for large people, mothers with strollers, people with children, disabled folks in wheelchairs, or if you just don’t want to fiddle with the smaller ones. They work exactly the same way, and nobody stares at you if you go through that way. Even smaller people go through there, just to avoid the bother of waiting in line to go through the other ones if it has backed up slightly, and the staff don’t care, they just want to make sure you have a ticket and get you the hell out.
I imagine that some people’s mileage may and has varied, but for me, Australia is one of the most positive places for body image, as far as the individual people are concerned. The government likes to boss us around and put up threatening and just plain stupid billboards and advertising campaigns full on attacking fat people and smokers, but most people ignore them entirely, if not despise them.
I’ve never had a negative fat experience in Australia, and I’ve lived here for 2 years, both in a major metropolitan city, Sydney, and a smallish tourist town on the coast, Coffs Harbour. I’ve only lived in New South Wales, but I’ve visited Queensland, and it’s pretty well the same there (except nobody can drive!), and I imagine fairly the same anywhere. I can fully say that if you spring for the good flight over, you’re going to be comfy and have a great time exploring Australia.
Ari from Australia
June 27th, 2010 at 5:48 am
Okay, that ended up super long, and I didn’t realise. Sorry. 🙁
June 27th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Re: The question about Six Flags Magic Mountain
I have not been there in a few years, but the last time I went, I believe I was around a size 22/24, and I didn’t have a problem fitting into most of the rides. The biggest issue I had was the size my bust, since most of the rides have rigid safety harnesses that come from above, and fasten over your chest. I never had a problem, belly-wise, but on occasion, because I have a fairly large bust (I was a 40DD at the time) I felt less than secure on the rides, because though the harness was fastened tightly on my bust, there was space between the harness and my belly. So, not knowing what size you are, I can’t speak to what your experience will be, but I’ve personally found most of the rides to be large-bust unfriendly, because of the typical safety harnesses they use.
Hope this helped a bit!
June 27th, 2010 at 10:21 pm
I would LOVE fatcruise! 😀 Sounds fantastic!
June 28th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
I just got back from a trip to Paris with my sister. I am death fat, and she isn’t skinny, either. We had a great time! Noone mocked or harassed us. Everyone was nice and plasant. The flight attendant on the trip home even found us a row with a seat between us, when we asked, so we could be more comfortable. Fat people, do NOT put off your trip to Paris! It is so beautiful!
June 29th, 2010 at 1:22 am
Fat cruise sounds like a blast. :^)
June 29th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Fatty cruise sounds super-fun, though I don’t know if I could afford it. I would definitely go if I could fit it in my budget. I went on a cruise once, but it was with my extended family and while I had a good time I didn’t feel quite comfortable with them.
My sister was on a cruise one time where one of the other groups was a Richard Simmons “Cruise to Lose,” and she complained about all these fat women who would drink diet soda and eat far too much food as though the diet soda would make them lose weight. My sister’s thin and doesn’t quite get it. Anyway, it would be awesome if we could have fatty-positive cruise and maybe convert some of the lose-cruisers if they were there.
June 29th, 2010 at 2:54 pm
The most body- and size-accepting space I’ve ever vacationed in was a week-long camp for LGBTQ families in the Sierra Nevadas last summer. Body- and size-acceptance wasn’t part of the camp’s official mandate, but it was just awesome to be in an outdoor space where people weren’t judging each other on their size and apparent fitness level. I have NEVER never never in my life felt so relaxed and free about swimming and dancing!
For me personally, the freedom from fat-shame and size prejudice was even more euphoric than the freedom from homophobia. Truly utopian!
June 30th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
FatCruise sounds awesome!
| have always wanted to go on a cruise, but my husband hates boats so there’s no chance of going with him. Like Eve, above, I don’t know if I could afford it, but if there’s any way I could swing it I’d be all over this!
oh, also, I wanted to mention the organization of the episodes on iTunes is a little messy. I feel bad complaining, but it does make it hard to find things. For example, there are two copies of the first episode and then past episode 5 the titles don’t say “Episode X: Title” like the earlier ones do. Is there any way you can fix this?
July 7th, 2010 at 10:36 am
I’m a hell yes on the Fat Cruise idea. Also, now I am really interested in going to Australia.
July 7th, 2010 at 11:11 am
In response to Marianne’s call for travel tidbits… I live in Canada. Air Canada (one of the 2 major airlines) has a program in the “special needs” area where you can download a form to bring to your doctor to fill out. There are a bunch of measurements (including “width” when sitting) to be done and then you fax the form in and they will create a file for you. After you book a flight with them, you can call a help desk (it might be called the Medical desk or Doctors desk or something) and they will reserve the seat beside you… for free. It only works within Canada, though… I don’t think you can do international flights. Even so, it takes some of my travel discomfort away. Now I can enjoy the view from the window and not be afraid of being squished in.
July 20th, 2010 at 7:12 pm
I am listening to this podcast right now and you ladies are hilarious. And I have to take exception with Marianne’s assertion that she can’t fit 10 days worth of clothes into a carryon suitcase. I just came back from South Africa and I was there for ten days and I was able to fit 10 days worth of clothes + shoes into a carryon rolly suitcase. FWIW, I am an 18-20, sometimes a 22. It *can* be done! 😉
August 5th, 2010 at 8:31 pm
I AM SOOOO DOWN FOR A BIG FATCRUISE!!!!! Can’t we get a group discount? Who knows a cool travel agent who could get us a deal? Ive heard Princess is a great cruise line. Please let it be singles friendly!!! Keep us posted, Im so going to be looking for more on this!
September 1st, 2010 at 6:13 pm
I would like to vote Hell Yeah for the Fat cruise!
October 19th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Hey! Where is the promised Hyacinth Hippo link? 😉
I love Hyacinth! I go back and forth between getting her tattooed on my foot. It’s such a symbol of how I feel.
It is so interesting what you’re talking about concerning photos. My LC is really into photography and he constantly is taking pictures of me. Even after nearly 7 years of being together, it is still unsettling to me. Not only in that “I’m uncomfortable being photographed” way, but also that someone /wants/ to take photos of me, to remember me in a place, to cherish that moment with me in it. I think, overall, my family is kind of anti-photo since they all have tons of appearance issues, so I never learned that habit of taking pictures. To be coupled with someone who emphatic about taking snapshots, it is just so….strange.
Over the past year I have really been trying to be in photographs and smile and not shy away, or hide. I’ve tried to become more comfortable with having a camera focused on me and just see the picture and remember the joy I was having then, rather than focus on what I look like. It is such a hard road. Man.
I think a FatCruise is /awesome/. Though I would guess I’d be entirely too shy and anxious to speak to anyone. lol
October 28th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Yay! Fat Cruise!