Fatphobia Alert: Fatties should not be allowed to kiss, apparently!

Americans seem to be the ones obsessed with weight as defining a person. I've been watching the show "Gavin & Stacy" and two of the main characters, Nessa and Smithy, are overweight and it's not an issue to the show. I'm also a huge fan of "Shameless" and one of the central characters, "Monika," is no skinny mini, yet she wears tight clothes and no one thinks anything of it - in fact, she is viewed as sexy (to certain people, Frank being one of them). Be it religion, race or weight, we Americans are sure judgemental of other people - but don't you say anything bad about me!!

Hmm... Wouldn't it be great if everyone had access to high quality foods and leisure time for personal trainers? Kelly is obviously ignorant of the effects of economic stratification on health. It's no accident that low income correlates to obesity. Kelly has an obvious class bias, which is especially apparent in her Marie Claire bio. She carefully constructs her identity in terms of who she knows and what they do. It is important for her to define herself by her elite affiliations with her "tight circle" of magazine editors, fashion designers, and professors. Clearly Maura would not deign to befriend any waitresses or store clerks because they would do nothing to elevate her social standing.

I agree. This is a pretty poorly thought-out article, insensitive, and it stinks of small-minded prejudice.

I have one thing to say in its defense, though, and it's a very small point, a tiny thing, and I hope that this doesn't bring the vultures down upon me...

In the Marie Clare comments, there are a many people [women, I presume] that talk about their problems with weight, detailing their diet and exercise routines, and they say that they have issues, hormonal or otherwise, that contribute to their weight problems. Others rightly point out that obesity is often a problem that has roots in psychological trauma, image issues, socio-economic factors, and other deeper etiologies.

That being said, the author (whose name I choose not to type) says that "obesity is something that <b>most</b> people have a ton of control over." Although generalizations are dangerous, I have to agree with her on this one small point.

There are counterexamples everywhere you look, that is a given with an issue this complex. BUT the basic biological principle is that if you consume more calories than you expend, you gain weight.

Now this is not to say that I think fat people are gross, and it's not to say that I think they shouldn't kiss on TV, and it's not to say that obese people are sub-human. It's also not to say that every single fat person is entirely to blame for his or her obesity, and that they are all lazy and useless, or that all people have lives that are similarly easy, and have easy access to better food or an active lifestyle. It's also not to say that people are not victims of the Great Metabolic Roulette Wheel of Life.

It's just that this ill-informed and insensitive blog writer was right about that one point - MOST people can do something about their weight.

The outrage we are seeing, however, is quite justified, in that the writer in question really made herself look like a total fucking jerk, and I think she probably knows that by now.

To the powers that be at Marie Claire, You better wake up and realize WHO your market really is. We are not all size 2 models. I bet MOST of us would be considered plus size by your standards. This article is fully offensive and the person who wrote it should be fired. It's hate speech and I don't know how it slipped by as ok to publish. It is everything that is wrong with fashion today. It's why we have so many eating disorders in this country. You should be ashamed of this and quickly respond with a sincere apology. If not, prepare to lose MANY readers. I know you lost me, even after so many years.

To be honest, I personally find it a little gross when I see ultra-slim/borderline anorexic people swapping the spit. (There's a scene in, I believe the second Matrix movie, where Neo & Trinity are having sex & I remember turning to my then-current boyfriend at the time & saying quite loudly in the movie theater "How can people find THAT attractive?!? She's just as bony & lean as he is!")

I'm know I have curves, bends and twists to my body, because, well, duh, I'm female and for the most part, um it's supposed to be there to help me when I have children. Now granted right now, I have a few too many bends & curves, but, I'm working on it, very grudgingly, but I am doing because I personally don't like what I see in the mirror and I want to have children in the next few years before I'm 40 (granted if you saw me on the street I look closer to 21 than my mid-30's - one of the "benefits" of being rolly-polly, thank you fatness!) and a whole other slew of things to worry about besides my health & the health of my future children. But, I hate it when my skinny relatives & friends point out I could stand to lose a few pounds - I literally have almost bitten my tongue off because I have a tendency to shoot my mouth off when I feel I am "under attack". (A few times I've even been sarcastic & mean right back and have stated "You know, they can do wonders now with ______..." (insert your choice comment, I've used the following: face lifts/dye jobs/waxing) It's one thing when the media tells you "YOU ARE FAT!" But, it's really hurtful when it comes from your own inner circle, when these are supposed to be the folks who got your back through thick and thin.

Maura Kelly, is absolutely is entitled to harbour mean, judgemental opinions... Marie Claire as a part of Hearst publications condoned and endorsed her ignorance by paying her and publishing her vapid, shallow bullshit. It's Senior Web Editor Kate Schweitzer that should lose her job.

If you find simply looking at someone in a specific demographic 'disgusting', there is no argument I will ever make that will put a dent in your attitude - but if you decide to act on your ignorance and willfully inflict hurt on someone because of their appearance, that's when anyone with an ounce of humanity should stand up and say 'enough'. It's not a 'health' issue - it's a dignity issue. Even if all morbidly obese people were unhealthy, unhappy and a 'drain on the health care system', that's no excuse to dehumanize and humiliate them with this type of flippant cruelty.

It shouldn't surprise me anymore how insensitive and hateful people are, but this one was really horrible.

Hi all. At the risk of looking like an opportunistic huckster, I wanted to let all of you know about my new documentary film titled <i>Weightless</i>. The film is about a scuba-diving camp for larger women, started by a larger woman who's a California-based psychologist and scuba diver.

I made the film in part precisely because of the f-d up worldview of people like Maura Kelly. What she wrote offended me on levels I can't even articulate. I wanted <i>Weightless</i> to show plus-size women who are living their lives to the fullest; who do not let their size define who they are. So if you're interested in checking it out, go to <strong>www.orgchaos.com/weightless.</strong>

Thanks y'all!

She has the right to write about whatever she wants. And obviously there is a market for this type of media, seeing as how the editors let that fly. That isn't to say I agree with her. If you don't agree with it, refrain from reading that material, but what do you plan to gain from that? No matter how much it sucks that she said it, you can't take away her right- or anyone else's right to say it. Your argument is for nothing. Look at it from her perspective- she was simply stating her opinion. Some poeple may agree and you may disagree, but she isn't Making fun of your article defending the 'fatties'. Yes, she's a bitch. A skinny bitch. I get it, but why are you getting so butt hurt over an uniformed, badly written piece of trash mag? And majority of them are just that. You come off crazy picking a fight over spilled milk. Sour spilled milk.

I was pretty pissed by reading this article. She was mean, hurtful, and insensitive. HOWEVER, I don't feel that her apology was insincere.
I had been teased in school by more than one female (i wasn't even really that big!) whom i would later find out had either anorexia or bulimia. THEY ARE AFRAID OF FAT. Fear can turn to hatred pretty quickly. That was the root of their bullying. I forgave the ones who realized what they were doing later on.

I didn't know anything about Maura Kelly before i read this article, but before she even issued her apology, i knew she had issues concerning under eating. I think maybe she saw through her delusional thinking when it was pointed out though. Maybe this been a good learning experience for her.

Oh and by the way, I think its real nice of everyone on here to keep demonizing her despite her obvious mental illness concerning her body. Do you want her to write her apology in blood? Forgiveness really isn't that bad.