Editorial

Title (as given to the record by the creator): Editorial
Date(s) of creation:  June, 1995
Creator / author / publisher: Barbarism, Max, FaT GiRL
Physical description: Half page 2 column editorial in a jaunty 90s font with an ad for Body Manipulations (Piercing, Scarification, Branding) on the bottom half of the page.
Reference #: FG3-006
Links:  [ PDF ]

Editorial

by Barbarism and Max

FAT is a big, fat deal for most of us. Regardless of body size, most of us have some kind of relationship with fat. But what is fat? Are you fat? What does this mean in a world that measures itself as too fat—no matter what? Some people think fat is just a construct. If fat is a construct how can we begin to grasp the parameters of that structure?. Can you describe fat? Smell it? Taste it? Feel it? 

Everyone has their own line, of course-what is the line for you? Is that line different when it’s not you? What about who you’re with? Fat is power. Fat is lack of power. Fat is identity. If you claim fat for yourself, is it yours to claim? What is it with all these skinny girls who think they’re fat? Isn’t there a difference between being told you’re fat by society and actually being fat? Are these women our friends and allies? Some say “How dare they call themselves fat! Doesn’t that make us invisible?” But who is this “us,” this “we,” this “fat community” anyway? Some of us are fat, chubby, super size, skinny, thin-it depends on whose dictionary you’re reading. What does a 400-pound woman have in common with a 200-pound one? Or with a 100-pound woman who thinks she’s fat because she’s been told it all her life? What are our differences? How can we communicate with each other when it seems we are speaking different languages and looking through different lenses? 

We don’t claim to have the answers. We just wanna talk about it. We’re here to give fat dykes and our friends a space to get down and dirty with this stuff. If something in these pages pushes your buttons, tell us about it!

 And speaking of pushing buttons, we’ve been quite busy doing that and more since the last issue of Fat Girl. We made some really amazing friends and connections at Out Write, a national queer writers conference, where we were part of a panel (to scare the skinny white boys pub lishing glossy gay fashion mags) and gave a workshop about self-publishing; we guest-lectured a class at UC Santa Cruz (in which Fat Girl was required reading!); we participated on a panel at the Readers and Writers II conference here in San Francisco; and were guests on Prime Time with Joan Jett Blakk, a local talk show. We’re fantasizing about getting a bus and going on tour let us know if you’d like to hostess us in your town! 

[Image Description: Large print words ADORN HER over a black and white photo of a pierced and engorged nipple on a light skinned chest.  Piercing is a silver hoop, with a silver chain attached and tugging at the pierced nipple. Bottom of the page is shop information: 254 Fillmore in San Francisco • 415.621.0408 New extended Summer HOURS FOR Piercing: 12-7:30 TH, F, Sat: 12-6 Su-WED ]