Snag Tights has been all over my Facebook recently. They have tights, pantyhose, and chub rub shorts in bunches of colors in sizes 2-32. There are things I could nitpick (I wish they didn’t equate having a smaller bum/tum with being “athletic,” or use “woman” when they could choose more trans and nb inclusive language) but they are a more size-inclusive company than most, and they have actual fat people in their ads, which I greatly appreciate. (Full disclosure – I have no affiliation with them and have had no communication with them, this is just me blogging.)
Today in a Facebook group I am part of, it was pointed out that they put out an ad that includes a fat woman with a cupcake. This is the ad:
The text says “”Finally – tights are pantyhose are comfy! Snags are designed for all-day comfort in a range of gorgeous colours. Sizes 2 to 34. Just $12.”
The picture is of a fat blonde woman in white undershirt with a chambray shirt over it, tied at the waist, a light brown skirt, with white tights and light brown chunky heeled boots. She has a cupcake in her hand.
The ad got some interesting (and by interesting, of course I mean fatphobic and healthist) commentary:
CM: As a plus size woman I appreciate the use of larger size models. However is it necessary that she be eating a cupcake in the picture?
So…we are only doing things in pictures that are “necessary” now? By whose definition? Is there some rule against simultaneous tights and cupcakes that I’m not aware of? More importantly, would this person have objected if the model had been thin? Because if (as I suspect) they would not have, that means that they are treating fat people and thin people differently which is… an issue.
Snag Tights reply:
Hi CM, this was taken at a cupcake party we held to celebrate the release of some new colors. It’s jsut a snapshot form the event, nothing is meant by the photo. Everyone had lots of fun, we don’t mean to offend anybody
Sounds legit.
RD reply to CM:
Right? “I am a large girl and I’m having a cupcake!” I’m not saying she had to have a salad but she’s a beautiful girl. Do you really need to put junk food in her hand to drive that “body positivity” point home? Hard miss.
Let’s break this one down:
“I am a large girl and I’m having a cupcake!”
As a large girl who enjoys cupcakes, I’m a fan of this sentence.
“I’m not saying she had to have a salad…”
Except, it seems like you kind of are? But let’s take you at your word. So…no cupcake, but also no salad. What could this fat woman eat that would meet your (apparently very narrow) requirements for fat people eating food?
…”but she’s a beautiful girl.”
Can someone please explain the use of “but” in this sentence? She’s a beautiful girl, with or without the cupcake, BUT what’s that got to do with it?
“Do you really need to put junk food in her hand to drive that “body positivity” point home?”
Do you really need to put body positivity in quotation marks? (Spoiler alert – you don’t – and it’s suspect AF if you do.) The fact that they are still using the term “junk food” tells me that this person is likely still bought into a disordered paradigm of food morality which may be where a lot of this is coming from.
I think that asking “Do you need [to give her a cupcake]” is getting dangerously close to the dreaded food police question “do you need to eat that.” No, I don’t, but I am, and I’m not soliciting outside opinions. If I want the food police, I’ll dial Pie-1-1.
These things can tend to make us fat people) uncomfortable because we are scared that they play into stereotypes. I’ve been there and made this mistake. I think it’s important that we understand that the actual problem is the stereotypes, and not whether or not we fit them. Not to mention that choosing our behavior so that we avoid fatphobes’ stereotypes is still allowing them to control us. Each person gets to decide for themselves, of course, but I’m not good with that, and I’m absolutely not here for suggesting that models and the people who hire them should be constrained by what fatphobes might or might not think.
Moreover, this kind of food policing hurts people of all sizes. Fat people shouldn’t have to appear in public only in ways that conform to some misguided notion of “health.” It is imperative that we not (including as a function of internalized oppression) engage in “good fatty/bad fatty” language that perpetuates not just fatphobia but also healthism.
In other words, let them eat cupcakes!
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We did our holiday card as a video this year. Happy Holidays from me and my family to you and yours if you’re celebrating any. If you’re not, then happy December!
Need some fat-positive end-of-year cheer? Here’s a playlist of re-vamped holiday songs that highlight things like the importance of fat-friendly seating, singing the praises of our amazing bodies, and just saying no to giving unsolicited weight-loss gifts. Enjoy!
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