Body Loving Book Review #2: Two Whole Cakes

Two Whole Cakes

By Lesley Kinzel

Reading this book is like sitting in a pub and having a casual, yet fascinating chat with a fat activist. The pub is closing and the staff have to kick you out, because you don't want the conversation to end.

The topics in the book are varied and somewhat disorganised; there are no chapters or headings, just sections. At first I found this rather disconcerting - I'm so used to having some kind of idea of what each chapter is going to offer when I read a non-fiction book. In the end, I came to really enjoy this structure and layout. You could pick up the book anytime, anywhere, and open up to any page. It wouldn't matter. There's no continuity. It's a great, "I'll just read a bit while I have a cup of tea" kind of book. 

I found the content highly interesting, at times funny, heartbreaking and thrilling. Definitely a lot of, "Lesley, I hear ya! I've been there," kind of moments.

Lesley Kinzel, who co-founded the blog Fatshionista, is a well known advocate for the fat acceptance movement, and her knowledge and intelligence of that realm really comes alive on the pages. One of the topics explored was Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign which Kinzel argues, 

"With exercise and improved diet, sure, some fat kids are likely to stop being fat - and some aren't. But this is not the point. The point is to improve the overall health and fitness of all kids, and for this to happen, these children must be able to thrive in an environment that does not shame them and their bodies, but instead teaches them that their bodies are awesome machines..."

Kinzel also questions reality TV show The Biggest Loser, arguing that the weightloss-by-any-means-necessary approach has been widely criticized by trainers, medical professionals and even a handful of former contestants. The overwhelming popularity of the show is a sad reminder that there is a huge market for the public humiliation of fat people. Kinzel then focuses on the trainer Jillian Michaels, who,

"...dehumanizes her Biggest Loser clients with vicious name-calling...Her abuse is calculated to break the clients down until they weep...only when the fat people in question behave as instructed does her mood change and they may receive some warm encouragement or support, which is meted out in doses small enough to keep them craving more...The reality is that many fat people believe they deserve humiliation and disrespect, that their grotesque fat has to be beaten out of them, emotionally or otherwise. That their evil has to be exorcised. That they and their bodies are not entitled to care and dignity, only punishment and pain...If Michaels is allowed to berate fat people under the auspices of doing them a favour, then certainly others are free to openly mock the next fat woman they see."

Beyond these more politically flavoured topics, Kinzel also openly shares many of her own personal experiences of being fat and becoming a fat activist. Her commentary on the "fat life" is entertaining, and truthful. I loved her sections on plus size fashion, where she says, 

"...when a much slimmer person compliments my clothing, she doesn't fully understand what she's complimenting...I occassionally feel like explaining, 'You're complimenting me assuming that I just walked into a store one day and bought this because it appealed to me, like you do, and that it is my taste which is the impressive and complimentary worthy thing. No. In fact, it is my persistence in the dogged pursuit of decent fucking clothing that fit me that you should be complimenting...I SLAYED A FUCKING DRAGON BEFORE I COULD BUY THIS DRESS. THAT IS WHAT YOU SHOULD BE COMPLIMENTING.' Instead I just say, 'Thank you.' And I smile."

I LOVED that part of the book. I just thought, "YES, YES, YES!" That's why we all started fatshion blogging in the first place, wasn't it? To have a voice in the fashion industry, to help each other out in that "dogged pursuit" of decent plus size clothing!

Some of her other topics that I loved was her commentary on one of my favourite films, Muriel's Wedding (yay for Aussie films!) and her experiences with dieting and bullying and growing up in a body shaming culture. 

A great book to invest in.