And here begins a new series I like to call "Being Fat's Like This".
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nati
You can read the political debates going on about Burka Barbie. Whether it's oppressive or representative of little Islamic girls...lovenati doesn't care. All lovenati cares about is that there is STILL no fat Barbie. Did you know there was a size 18 doll named Ruby back in the late 90's that never made it to mass production because Mattel put the smack down on it? Did they replace it with fat Barbie? no. 
Mattel hates fatties. My people will be seen! There will be cute little dresses and tiny plastic high heels for my people. There will be a hot pink car that fits the ass of this fat Barbie. And she will bust Ken's nut all night long in a 4 story Barbie Play House.
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nati
I've always lived in suspect neighborhoods, and yes, bad things have happened to me, but only when I've been thinner, lighter, easier to physically violate. I've been invisible (really fat) for about 12 years now and I feel pretty damn safe. Frankly there are easier targets. I'm tall. I'm almost 300lbs. There are few guys that can overpower me. It would be one of those awkward steve martin physical comedy moments where he tries to wrap is arms around me but he gets poked in the eye and I accidentally step on his foot and everything goes wrong and I end up abandoned on a sidewalk yelling after my would-be assailant "What happened??? You don't want my money?? No Rape tonight? Hey! Come back!". My fat offers protection from being dragged away by the boogie man (or any man). So I've never been afraid for my life...
...till now.
An international Human Fat Trafficking Ring has been traced to Peru. I can't stop thinking of the screenplays that are being penned as I write this blog. Hostel meets Matrix meets V where fat people are harvested to keep Hollywood wrinkle free. A government conspiracy to harvest the dumb and obese, solving the overpopulation problem and staying an economic world power. A carnivorous oligarchy using the poor fat HFC-fed human cattle as fodder for futuristic Brazil-style beauty regimes. I'm truly horrified.
If i go missing. You'll find me in the face of an aging trophy wife.
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nati
If you've been in a room with me for more than an hour, you know that the one thing I loath is the coupling of talent and looks. Like a package deal, people assume hotness equals something worth their time and money. Musicians aren't musicians anymore, they're sexual beings and if you're not objectifiable, you're not marketable. Working with masogynists...I mean...producers is hard when you're not a bikini model or a pixie hipster chick. Selling your albums to people who don't secretly want to bone you is difficult.
The good news is, the cool kids think this is disgusting. Melrose Place isn't cool anymore. Calvin Klein heroine chic isn't chic. There is a trend a brewing...The ugly talent. Mark Oliver Everett of The Eel's said it best "and if she cares about the car I drive, then she can get in hers the moment I arrive cuz my kind of love is an ugly love. but it's real and it lasts a long long time."
Susan Boyle is my hero, and so are the people who think the popification of her is disturbing. Let her be slow and let her skirts have multiple hem lengths, let her be. I'm tired of makeovers.
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nati
It's 3am on a Wednesday night. I attended the Open Artists with Open Arms event at Avalon, the West Coast answer to Webster Hall. HOLY CRAPDITTLES! I'm pumped UP! (i will be using caps with abandon in this blog.)
Blake Lewis was the highlight of the night. Go buy Heartbreak on Vinyl, it's gonna be a SICK album. I got a photo of him taking a camera from the guy next to me. He took pics of the audience while he sang and danced and beat boxed. JoJo did an acoustic version of Livin' My Life Like It's Golden and Too Little Too Late. Fanny Pak from America's Best Dance Crew (not to be confused with the awesome music group spelled "Pack") kicked the whole night up a notch. Oh, and Tigarah was off the CHAIN! Signed to Universal Japan now, I've been a big fan of hers for years, so I was stoked just seeing her live let alone meeting her in person. Of course, my favorite performer was Sharlotte Gibson. I used to do Google searches to find the awesome tall back up singer on American Idol, but I never figured out who she was till I got involved with Open Artists. She walked in the studio the day we were recording backing vocals for one of the Open Artist Songs and I had a total star struck moment. She does all the backing vocals for Whitney Houston and Toni Braxton...she's the BOMB. Totally my industry hero. And of course there were so many other notable performances, Guy B, That Rogue Romeo...but I try to keep these blogs short...so you'll have to wait for future write ups on the stars of Open Artists!
The night was really about LBGT youth and the power of mentoring.
But unlike most fund raisers of it's kind there wasn't a moment of self pity or sappy hands across america crap.
ok. it's almost 5am. and i've been patient through some ridiculous server issues tonight. so i go sleep now. If you want to see the rest of the pics and you're not my friend on Facebook go here.
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Hey, kittens.
Tonight marks the 2nd annual Open Artists with Open Arms gala extravaganza. You know me, I love good discrimination activism. But I don't love weepy boo-hooers. I'm always telling my weepy gays to cry me a river. Who's more fabulous? Who's got a better mentoring program? Who's got a tv channel? Who owns the Castro, West Hollywood and Chelsea? If there is one thing I hate, it's an organization of bitching bitches. WELL! This is why I love Open Artists. The first ever organization for the ethical treatment of all that doesn't go all mushy. They get it. To triumph is to be Fierce! To showcase the best of the best and drink champagne is the name of the game.
If you are in the LA area, don't be a fool. You won't be in the same room with more famous and fabulous people till the Grammy's. Kelly Rowland, Lindsay Lohan, Fanny Pack...I won't drop anymore names...
oh wait...
I'll be there.
BAM!
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nati
Another year. Another Love Your Body Day hosted by Chenese Lewis. This will be my first year in attendance. I'm going to hit up the pre party Friday night, sing a few songs on Saturday and then I'm heading over to see Maggie Brown do improv. Oh, and this year the celebrity guest MC is Lisa Ann Walter, a judge on Dance Your Ass Off! I actually met her at the Torrid fashion show a few weeks ago. She was wearing a hot little silver number and we had a moment, so I'm sure we'll be kickin back a few drinks together...she's totally NOT plus, but hey this ain't the Grammy's, you get what you can get. I hope to see you there, I'll be singing on Saturday between 1:30 and 3pm. Don't be late. I hate tardiness.
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nati
If one of my girlfriends told the paparazzi that I devoured all her food in the night, I'd have her eaten, and I'd hire Kara DioGuardi to do it! in her sleep!
I've eaten my roommate's food. I've eaten food off of the plates before I wash them at a dinner party. I've eaten a slice out of a birthday cake before the party started (oh, no. that wasn't me. That was Dom DeLuise in Fatso.)
Point is, Paula Abdul, you're a bitter old skinny midget of a woman. I know little people with more gumption, more loyalty, more finesse and hair that doesn't require a horse's mane to look hot. You are a bad girlfriend. If you're going to gossip, get a blog.
And to all those I've eaten out of house and home, thank you for your silence.
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I invite you to read the comments on Youtube. Some people really missed the boat on this very effective ad.
Oh, and there's a well done parody that's in such poor taste, all I can say is it really drives home the point of the orginal Dove video.
Which, for those who read my blog and still need help across Duh St. is that there is a widely accepted yet ridiculously distorted perception of reality. There is more to life than being thin, rich, and fabulous. Get a hobby. Volunteer. Befriend an ugly cool kid.
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I remember the day Greg and I went steady. He beat me to my house after school just so I'd find flowers on my doorstep. Paul sent me beautiful letters with poems. "in this world of calamity there's Natalie." Craig and I passed notes with quotes for years. That's how he asked me to the 8th grade dance and also to Jr. Prom.
This video rocks.
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I'm supposed to be asleep. I'm supposted to be dreaming about all the sex I'm not getting. Instead I'm emailing with Fluvia who's in Paris right now being fabulous while I'm on my period being bouyant.
Fluvia: I didn't book my ticket to Love Your Body Day cuz I didn't think your offer to stay with you was serious. You're always joking.
nati: you're on crack. we're practically family. you're always welcome. now book a ticket.
Fluvia: I don't have a laptop with me.
nati: I found tickets on Virgin for like $100 each way.
Fluvia: ok...take my cc and book it. did you see my IGIGI video? My email is blowing up!
nati: NO! I knew you were doing something but I didn't know what. Why am I the last to know??? I deserve exclusives on shit like this.
So this is the pornography Fluvia is peddling. Watch if you must. Brazilians and their smut.
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nati
P.S. seriously. I love the premise of this video. it should give you a boner, then you have to come to terms with the fact that you got wood over a fat chick. deal.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
Follow up to the last blog.
At 5' 10" and 120 lbs, Filippa Hamilton was let go from Ralph Lauren for "not fulfilling her contractual obligations" (ie...not being skinny enough). Ralph is riding the short bus. Between the airbrush flub and this, they're contributing to a whole new generation of eating disorders.
Join me in consumer boycotting!
I don't fit their clothes and I can't afford most of their products...so I'll be boycotting their econo line of towels. No more Ralph Lauren towels for nati!!!
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Photoshop Disasters is one of my favorite blogs. Recently they posted this Ralf Lauren ad where Filippa Hamilton looks like a Character from Nightmare Before Christmas. Xeni Jardin at Boing Boing reposted the photo in a blog chiding, "Dude, her head's bigger than her pelvis.
Ralph Lauren responded to this tiny blip on the blogosphere by sending DMCA takedown notices to all the ISPs involved.
Boing Boing's response is so very cherry!!! Jezebel, Huffington Post, and ABC got on board, no one's pushing Boing Boing around!
Obviously everyone is well within their rights to post and criticize this ABSURD photo. (I encourage you to show by example and repost this with abandon)
Besides the fact that big business is once again using their money to bend the law and intimidate regular people, the more disturbing issue here is that someone spent billable hours making an already emaciated woman looked third world. The dogma of skinny is gross and only the completely near-sited sheep are on board.
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I've been missing Jersey, and my friend, with the gay son, who's aways got such a nice Xmas tree...yeah...i miss her too. So, we're gonna do it up real nice, kids. Just like home. I'm making ambrosia and deviled eggs. I might even get the Clayman's recipe for meatloaf, and we'll do it up real nice. real nice. I'm gonna wear my new sweater dress, the one that makes me feel like the 4th Judd! Have Mercy! and yeah...real nice...lemme know if you wanna come.
12.12.09
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Transcript of the vLog...
I was the Skorch Magazine correspondent at the Torrid House Of Dreams fashion show last night! Let me say right off the bat...if you want lovenati to love YOU give her free Valet Parking! Classy move, Chris Daniels.
FIDM is a beautiful school, I met Jen Wilder, an alum who offered to make me clothes. This is another way you can get lovenati to love YOU.
I wanted to sit in the front row, so I got there unfashionably early (yet not as anxiously early as Nikki McKibbin). To my delight the show was standing room only set outside under the stars in the FIDM courtyard with free booze and ample chow spreads that nobody chowed. I'm fat, you're not going to get me on camera scarfing down a pizza I don't care HOW gourmet it looks. Although, Carnie Wilson had no such boundaries, I saw her with a camera crew hovering over a plate of something probably saying how real women eat...bla bla bla. Well, my vintage polyester get up from Re-Dress was so tight that I felt the champagne bubbles in my belly. No room for hor d'oeuvres.
Anyway, the highlight of my night was telling the Dance Your Ass off girls that I was an event Dancer for their show at the Gay Pride Parade! Take a note, write it down. yes. that's lovenati with an L...thank you.
Other highlights were the lush ramblings of the HOFF praising and at the same time shaming his little girl Hayley. I'm sorry, but if my dad ever called me "stalky" in public I'd have him eaten...I'm sure Carnie Wilson would be to the challenge.
Oh! and I had no idea we were being treated to a Brooke Hogan Concert! It was amazing, she lip synced which would have been fine if I wasn't standing 2 feet away from her. Is it SO hard to find a fat girl to sing at these things? I'm just sayin...they could have called me or the Glamazons, or Frenchie, or Persia. I guess Brooke's size 12 feet were plus enough.
I met the really tall cool chick from More To Love. Anna K-K-K....Kleinsorge! We're bff's. really, she gave me her number. I'm going to see her do improv tomorrow night with Maggie Brown.
My posse - Maggie Brown, Anna Kleinsorge, Michelle Rene, Tiffany Blake, Laura Nelson Poorman, and Chenese Lewis.
hope you like my $3 torrid top I got in Chinatown at midnight from a sketchy place called the Garage. Used to be a Slaughter house.
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Who doesn't love Phyllis Smith? She MAKES the Office! She kicks Office Ass! She's one of the best character actresses on television and Phyllis Lapin is a role I'd be proud to get ugly to play. But when I get red carpet ready for the Emmy's I would separate the Phyllises, put away the fuglies and get fierce. Going to Sydney's Closet might be a move I'd pull, but I'd leave the matching shawl and cheezy handbag at home. I'd also soften the hair do. The forehead that makes Phyllis Lapin so ug-tastic should get covered up so the flashes from the cameras don't ricochet and blind the paparazzi. I'd also recommend seeing what Marina Rinaldi has to offer. For a woman her age and status, she deserves to shop on Wilshire. Marina is offering some fantastic cover up pieces this season that might have set that dress off right. Or she could have called up Deb Malkin of Re-Dress to have some vintage pieces sent over, vintage is always the classy way to go!
...and that's my 2 cents.
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I would like to thank UC and Moon of the most hillarious and well written Twilight blog, Letters to Rob, for giving my YouTube cover of Never Think a most hearty "YAY!"
I would also like to thank the 100 or so complimentary commenters who complimented me and even the one grumpy guy who said he didn't get through my first line (i'll win him over with cake).
I would like to dedicate this moment of glory to Jennifer Clark, my Twilight Dealer who got me hooked on this guilty pleasure. May I never quit the Pattinson.
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Dude! I dig Drop Dead Diva. I didn't wanna like it. I didn't like Less Than Perfect (even though it had Will-Sasso-my-love in it, and that cute kid from Chuck). I didn't like Dance Your Ass Off (see my blog on why). I don't like things just because they're about fat girls. I support them, watch them, then trash them here at lovenati.com. So I bought the pilot, just so they'd know I tried it but didn't buy the rest cuz it sucked goat balls. I mean really?! Lifetime? It's basically the Hallmark channel.
Woah. Wait a minute. Hold the phone, negative nati. This you didn't plan on. You didn't bank on dropping tears like it was the last scene in Untamed Heart. I was truly touched by this show. I had no choice, I had to buy the season pass on iTunes. The guest stars alone make it worth $34. I admit, although I feel like Brook Elliot stole my role, I think she plays it better than I would. (wink) The whole show is a major rip off of Legally Blonde, but I don't care. Brook does the whole in-court flighty ramblings of a blonde fashionista, but I don't care. It's awesome.
At the end of the day, this show deals with amazingly deep issues with out hitting you over the head with the no-shit-stick. It's a cleaver show-don't-tell piece about the skinny girl in all of us who is learning to love the body we're in. It's not just about size, it's about life. Real life that you don't see on all-skinny all-the-time TV.
And Margaret Cho is the fuckin' bomb as the snarky legal assistant. Go. Now. Buy it.
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I love Europeans. The respect for design. The sophistication. The charcuterie. I need more Europe in my closet. I need thoughtfulness. I need new cleaver concepts. My biggest complaint with the plus industry has been unfocused concepts. So many designers try to dress every fat girl and it always ends in an cheezy disaster. Well, Carmakoma, a Danish line is very smart and dresses a specific girl in a specific color. 
Calling all Art School Rocker Betties (and I mean real betties, not the pretend betties that shop at Torrid), your all-black wardrobe is here! I could buy out every last piece they've produced and be very happy with my closet. This line makes me want to dye my hair black. I think I will.
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I know I'm a demanding bitch, but when I buy a fashion magazine called Plus+ I want to see hot fat chicks wearing outfits that make me weep and fan myself like church on a summer sunday "Oh Lord! I must have those threads. Heavenly Father! I will go broke getting them, for they will change my life! AMEN!" I want to read interviews with spectacularly interesting people. I want to learn about sex, like how to minimize double chins while looking down at my man suckin on my toes. I might even want to read a horoscope.
Well, I did read Plus+ Magazine and I got none of this. They say it's a magazine for size 16 and up, and yet there was no one over a size 12. The graphics were atrocious. The only good looking page was basically an Evans advertisement and I'm sure it was designed by Evans. The rest of the Magazine looked like a template stolen from the Elder Care Weekly News Letter. The articles were stale and colorless, the writing was sophomoric. And you can't just take a picture of a hot chick, slap Plus+ over it and call it a cover.
There really isn't anything redeemable about this magazine, I'm sorry.
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I wasn't going to do this cover. It's not an easy song to sing and it's not really my vocal style. But I figured if I get 100 requests for it, I should do it. (yeah, that was me bragging. deal with it.)
I changed the chords in the verses to relative minors. (yeah, that was me bragging again. eat it.)
This means I've finished Never Think, Let Me Sign, and now Flightless Bird. There will be no more Twilight covers...unless i get into that Paramore song. Great! Seed planted.
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Poker Face was such a hit, that I decided to keep the Gaga coming with this Extreme version of Love Games. I figured out how to export an iMovie into Garage Band and add reverb and backing vocals. So this is a special induction into the Accoustic Nati Youtube hall of fame. enjoy.
and by all means, go to YouTube and subscribe to my channel.
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Guess what I get to add to my resume. VIDEO VIXEN!!! WHAT? EAT IT! BITE ME!!! I ROCK YOU SO HARD YOU NEED TO TAKE A SEAT!!!
I hope you enjoy this Soren Anders and The Staves answer to the Smiths' 1985 classic, "The Boy With The Thorn In His Side". Directed by Lucky S. Michaels. Starring Natalie Ferraro and Matthew Maloney. Edited by Izzy Rui
We filmed back in November of 2008 from Central Park to East Village to a dirty hotel room where we did unspeakable things that did not make the video. I'm still doing Our FAthers and Hail Mary's to make up for it.
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After gaining 80lbs in a sedate relationship, I've turned to writing and photography more while performing and modeling less. I know, it's very un-plushus of me and you all love nati just the way she is, but a moment of insecurity revealed how much I love to write and take pictures. Fear not, I haven't started watching soaps or anything, my YouTube page is still active and I'm moving to LA! So I'm not being a total hermit.
I was lucky enough to interview fellow YouTuber and friend, Meghan Tonjes while she was in town for the 789 YouTube Gathering.
You can read the article at Plus Model Magazine!!!
And see more photos of Meghan trying on dresses at Lee Lee's Valise!
Enjoy and don't be too jealous of my awesomeness.
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nati
Way at the top of the Ultimate Shit-List of Fat Stereotyping is the need to Glam up a fat girl as if the only makeover possibility is in the hands of a 4 year old beauty pageant contestant from Texas.
So imagine the ripe sarcastic rants that ensued when I found out that Dance Your Ass Off hired Lena Kosovich, a Russian Ballroom Dancer, to design costumes for the contestants. One can not come up with a more accurate definition of Glitter-Tacky than to pair up Russian with Ballroom Dancing then slap it on 230 pounds of flab twirling around a stage like the love child of Porky Pig and Tazmanian Devil at a Turkish Discotheque.
This show has taken the size acceptance movement back decades; which is appropriate considering the other costume designer, Warden Neil, is best known for working with the Jackson 5 and Bob Hope's Christmas special.
My eyes bled as they assaulted me with unnecessary half tops, cut up fishnet, chains, colors only found in Japanimation, and every fashion foible from the 80's and 90's.
I'm mean REALLY?!
A faux tuxedo with tight white shorts?
and knee pads?
and suspenders?
and a vest?
and black biker gloves?
and a chip'Ndales detachable white collar with black bow tie?
That one single costume situation took every rule of flattering-fashion and turned it into some bizzaro joke opposite world example. OH! using one color ELONGATES? Let's NOT do that!
And you know it's bad when the the skinny professional dance partners they work with can't even pull off the look.
I know a lot of this has to do with Oxygen and that network's image, but Dance Your Ass Off needs to raise the taste level, get a better choreographer, stop the bad karaoke and just pay for the original music, and get the judges OUT of that retarded disco ball!
my roommate just said I'm funnier in person than in blog...maybe I'll do a vLog rant on this...
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Tony Gale has a really interesting website called Some Interesting People. I was this week's featured person. Who's Famous? Me.
Thanks, to Diane for the nomination. You can go on the site and nominate someone you think is pretty damn interesting, too!
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I didn't even bother trying on Forever 21's plus line - Faith 21. Yuck. Looks like Kate Harding from Jezebel agreed with me. We usually agree on things. Until now. Kate said of Beth Ditto's new line:
"I'm afraid there's not enough hipster irony in the world to make it work."
First of all, nice top, Kate (she drips with sarcasm). I love you, but unless your name is Donatella, I think I'll pass on fashion advice from a Baby Boomer. (Here's a picture of Kate on the cover of Red Eye being featured as the grand dame of fat bloggers.)
So anyway, my friend Rebequita Facebooked me today. She lives in London so she gets to check out Beth Ditto's "range" at Evans (must be a british thing to call a clothing line a 'range'). Evans is the British version of Layne Bryant (totally bereft of trend) so Beth's "range" is a crazy breath of Venice Beach air among the stale solid t-shirts and gag-me flowy dresses. I wish I could fly to London to paw the line in person.
God Bless you, Beth. Thank you for always shaking shit up. I don't know how you pulled it off, but at first glance I'd buy every single piece of your line. And go broke doing it.
My only issue (and it's a small one) is with this model who is so very NOT plus size it's ridiculous. Beth wears the pieces better than she does. I love how Beth has no fear wearing the tightest dresses. Let's all adopt her brand of fearlessness. Oh, and Kate, the oversized kitty cat T-shirt is hilarious I'm buying it just to lovingly defy you.
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I was a girlie techno geek way before I dated a Mac Genius. I was born a few miles from IBM and Apple head quarters. I figure it's in the water. I worship at the temple Apple. And I love my iPhone like it were a member of the family. I'm building a whole page of apps dedicated to health. No, not just weightloss. But we'll start there. How can technology help me lose weight?
Here are my needs:
I love Lose It and I'm not the only one. My friend, Jeannie Ferguson of BGU lost 35 pounds using the app. GeekSugar and Mashable are on board as well, although I'm not sure if anyone from either site is in need of weight loss. I like to do searches on twitter and see how many people are discussing the Lose It app.
It's not a diet. It's a tracker. It tells you how many calories you should consume a day (I'm at 1900). As you add what you've eaten from their comprehensive list of foods (you can add to the list) it tells you how many more calories you have left.
Wanna make it real fun? Add exercise! It calculates it all for you. Then it helps you track your adventure over weeks and months! It also has recipe ideas and a great list of exercises and how many calories each activity burns in case you run out of ideas. I've only just started using it. I'll let you know how it goes!
Technology should aid you, not hinder or confuse. There is always a learning curve with new technology, but as long as it saves you time in the end, it's worth it. For me, this is perfect. I own an iPhone, I'm on it every minute of every day, and I don't lose it like I do pieces of paper trying to track what I eat. Good Luck!
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Part of the Acoustic-nati series. I take on the Gaga. No more chalkboard walls, I'm on my way to LA, this is a cute little sublet I'm living in for the next month!
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I googled "Keri Hilson" and "thick" and I'm not the only one thinking her dancers at the BET awards were solid ladies. Nothing too ground breaking, but it was a notable difference from the usual LA Pussy Cat Doll sillhoette. You know it's tight when your thickest dancer opens up the song with a full on FLIP!
In closing, you can NEVER tell how big/tall/wide someone is on TV until they stand next to Tom Cruise. I'll have to unleash my Tom Cruise/LA theory on you sometime...how he's solely responsible for the 4'9" actress-club.
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My favorite classic-size designer is Minji Kim (min-k). Back in the day, she used colorful jersey knits from Korea to make a one-size-fits-most clothing line. (An over-sized dress in her shop could sometimes fit me as a shirt.) I'm a fan of jersey knit as long as it's thick enough not to show all my flaws and can be thrown into my purse for a quick change later in the day. So, imagine my excitement when I saw the new BGU (Big Girls United) web site darning new jersey knit dresses and jumpsuits. So far, so sexy. I can't wait to actually try them on and give you a fit breakdown.
My favorite so far is the jumper. I hope I can pull it off.
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I love that New York Magazine took the time to aknowledge plus size clothing lines. If there's SO many fat girls with money to spend, why do the lines always flop? 
And why has no single line made every fat girl look fly?
Their big conclusion: fat people are harder to fit than thin people...with their crazy out of control bodies...
and it takes more fabric to cover a fat girl's body, eating away at profits...
What exactly would this mark up need to be? A dollar? Four? Ten? I know plenty of plus designers, and I know that extra fabric and buttons is not why they're going out of business. There are just as many size 6 girls bitchin' about ill fitting jeans as there are size 18 girls.
The point is, (and you can quote me on this): The trouble with Plus-Lines is there aren't enough of them. There aren't enough designers catering to each of the body types and outlooks on life...she might be fat, but she ALSO might be a southern belle, or a punk rocker, or a corporate tool, or a harajuku girl...she might be fat but have no tits, or carry her weight in her thighs.
How many clothing lines exist for thin girls and THEIR varried body types? Thousands? The sexy club girl that shops at Bebe is NOT shopping at LL Bean, but you don't see Bebe coming out with cordoroy pants and snow boots. The boxy young asian girl with no tits who buys Marc by Marc Jacobs at Bergdorf isn't wearing Catherine Malandrino. Yet every plus line tries to fit the entire plus population. This isn't fashion. This is segregation. This is stereotyping. You're saying all fat girls are just fat, defined by their size. Here is your fat uniform, fat girl, go forth and be judged. Torrid comes the closest to defining their target audience, young, punk, and trendy...and even they could use a more specific fit model.
Good businesses focus their product. Restaurants that streamline their menu do better. Businesses that have a specific target market do better. Fat is not specific enough.
I hear Beth Ditto is coming out with a line. Now THAT could be GREAT! talk about specific target market audience.
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Day 5 of Jay Miller's Middle Eastern Crash diet. It's not Middle Eastern, it's not healthy, but let's all support the hot guy with a million friends and a wife while he tries to get a little bit hotter. boo fuckin' hoo.
oh and I'm like 300lbs and I never eat any of that shit he's missing so badly. As a matter of fact, I ate an orange and 2 soft boiled eggs for breakfast yesterday. (you'll get that joke if you watch the rest of his vlogs)
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Laura Johnson is my favorite work out partner. No fat girl kicks my ass like she does, and she knows SO much about health and diet. I'm staying with her for a few months until I move to LA. We chant and hike and cook...it's great.
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Thanks to Adam Savage (@donttrythis) from Mythbusters for twitting about this Newsweek article giving Oprah shit for pedaling health advice that isn't approved by the FDA and the popular scientific community. They color her as a new age hippie cult leader. Then highlight specific shows they feel are especially harmful to the health of her "impressionable" followers.
Oprah is an educated seasoned journalist that spotilights interesting stories, asks probing questions and creates venues for dialog. I expect her to talk about controversial alternative medicine and books she likes to read. I want to know what Suzanne Somers is putting up her vagina and TMZ aint covering it!
I seem to recall Walt Disney and Howard Hughes also getting flack for being over the top, 'hair brained' and road-paving. You can thank them for a lot of medical and technological break throughs. This article holds Oprah responsible for dumb people's actions like bewildered parents blaming Death Metal bands for their depressed Midwestern teenager's suicide.
I'm buddhist. I loved the Secret, and I actually understood it. Just because some people didn't get it and are now refusing medical treatments in favor of positive thinking is not Oprah's fault.
I'm a lover of science too, and I respect Adam, but can we all really say that what he does on Mythbusters isn't also influential and dangerous and not completely scientifically sound? What he proves or disproves can't be published in a science journal. I don't base my life on his findings.
I also do not base my life on the FDA and their shady shit...and their shit IS shady, don't get confused. They claimed that even 7lbs extra weight is dangerous for the body at the same time Phen Phen made the claim that it's drug helps people lose an average of 7lbs...this is not a coincidence. And look into their public statements about high fructose corn syrup...it's like the UN, great intentions, lots of back door politics.
My point: Listen to your body. Take it all in and edit for your use only.
love
nati
While hanging out at Bar 4 to see a Paxen Film screening for the new Bay Rizz series, I met a cute jew with cute jew sideburns and knowledge of Madeline Kahn in History of the World Part 1 (no no no...YES!) named Justin Terry. A month or so later, I decide to find this punk on Facebook and start a friendship. In the process, I find another Justin Terry. I really dig his work and so will you. See? Platonic stalking pays off.
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nati
I'm saving money and getting fit, so I moved out of my expensive apartment and instead of meeting people "for drinks", I suggest a walk in the park, a kickboxing class or salsa dancing. Recently, a fellow blogger, Adam, of The Life Vicarious, offered me a guest pass to the Reebok Gym gym and roof top pool. Sounds awesome, I love me a good swim, but I've never met this guy in person and even though it's only a platonic hang out session, I realize there are a few things I'd have to do to be pool presentable.
+ $100 Tanning
(5 sessions to hide my wretched spider veins and many scars)
+ $100 Waxing
(Brazilian Toe-to-Tummy...hair removal is the bane of my existence and trust me, shaving is not an option)
+ $100 Swim Suit
(i haven't owned once since I went surfing 4 years ago - oh and if you click on the link, that's my friend and former roommate, Nicole LeBris. cool chick. great plus model.)
Is it me? Or is being social really expensive? It's easier to sweat it out ugly-style on a 50 mile bike ride with my X-boyfriend or hike alone in Central Park with hairy legs. I did the calculations and it would cost about $500 a month to keep me fabulous. Don't get me wrong, I love being pretty, and I love to take care of myself, so maybe I need to get a second job to support the pretty me.
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nati
I've always been proud of my body. Despite being fat, I've had a striking jawline, defined cheek bones, tight stomach, and perky tits. I owe it to my mother, who taught me the most important girl exercises -- Kegel contractions, boob crunches, and chin sucky puckers.
I'm in my 30's and I've totally neglected my beauty regime the last few years. The result is scary, so join me as I work through the issues we fat girls face as we get older and fight gravity, pollution and most importantly weight.
Last night, while walking around the Upper West Side with Laura, we ducked into Ricky's. I found the manager and got down to business. "I need a new skin regime for the new me. I need a beauty-magazine-reading old lady, wrinkle, firming, exfoliating, active, ass kicking regime."
Fat girls have specific issues that you skinny girls don't. Like these ridiculous lines I get at the base of my throat from lying horizontal at night (you know, sleeping) and my boobs rushing up to my face. See, my stomach is a giant mountain and when I lie down, everything slides down the mountain like a boob-a-lanche.
I got Avalon Organics' COQ10 perfecting facial toner and wrinkle defense serum. For a moisturizer, I got Alba's Sea Plus renewal cream. It's a very rich cream that disapears into your skin immediately (which is important to this oily skinned girl). There's also a light weight day cream if you prefer to use the renewal at night.
In one day, I've seen a HUGE difference. Even the lines around my mouth and cheeks (you know, the saint bernard fat cheek smile lines) are somehow softer and filled in. ONE DAY! 
Oh, and they're all natural and they smell really yummy.
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nati
Looks like More To Love, a reality show about the ups and downs of dating when you're not uber hot, is right on schedule to be totally ruined by FOX. We hear the dirty uncle of reality networks is renaming the show The Fatchelor. I'm so happy I didn't get cast. I'd rather be unknown.
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nati
I have 'mustard' all my respect and laid it at the alter of a blog called This Is Why You're Fat. Is there anything better than a humorous pointing of the finger? Mind you, I eat nothing shown on this site, but my Xboyfriend does. I mean, wow, he could be a major contributor. I was listening to some famous skinny actor talk about the junk food they eat. Then I saw this site and my first thought is...a lot of skinny people do this to themselves and joke at their ability to tax their body and still look good. then I think "fuck you".
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nati
I've been a fan of Sultana since 2001 when I started working at Tribal Sounds in the East Village. Those 4 years changed my life. I've always loved music in other languages, but I never knew what was out there till I started selling it. Traditional is nice, you get to learn about the history and culture of a country, have interesting conversations with ethnomusicologists, but modern is even more exciting, where are the people now? how are they adapting to the "Western pop culture assimilation?"
Honestly, I just like the sound of language, it's an instrument, each one has a timber, and each one desires to be played differently. I like to see who's listening to the nuance of their language. Who's letting it lead them to a new sound? If music is an organism that changes and adapts, who is working organically to grow the organism?
Sultana is a bad ass, she's hot, she can really rap, and her beats pay tribute to her roots. If you go to her website, you can play songs from her album she recorded here in Brooklyn...I break her out at all my parties. Here's another video, the song isn't my fav, but the production is killer. This one is a killer song, but the production is very 90's.
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nati
My mom is really beautiful.
My mom is really funny.
My mom and I chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo which makes the distance seem not so bad.
When I was a kid, she had long black hair and a crazy Ban De Soleil tan...she looked just like Cher.
My mom's house is always beautiful, I call it Spa Mama when I go home.
My mom is a Cancer, single and available if you are a strapping rich single guy.
best memories of mom are driving in the car screaming out Jackie Wilson Songs...so I thought I'd scream one out for the mom. I love ya, patty.
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nati
Yesterday was an awesome sunny New York Saturday. I woke up early, went to a local highschool where the DCL all gathered to make over highschool girls for the prom. Then I walked home, stopping by the Botanical Gardens and really loving my neighborhood. Then I taught a voice lesson. Then I went to work which doesn't feel like work cuz it's the best J-O-B I've ever had. Then on the way home I stopped at Sam's on Atlantic Ave for a fellow DCLers Birthday party and drank wine for a couple hours then took a cab home and recorded this.
sorry for the clipping and shitty sound quality...i'm updating my studio, promise.
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nati
Nati is drinkable and affordable. Keep nati on ice. Take nati to picnics. Chug nati at a frat party. Rednecks love nati. Offer nati to Juan, the fixit guy you found at the Home Depot.
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nati
I admitt it, I'm a Twerd. I've dowloaded the Twilight series onto my iPhone and bookmarked all the kissing scenes. I've even found a way to break the incription on the 5th book spoiler and upload it to my iPhone using Stanza. I call my friends and ask to talk to their daughters...we scoop on the latest Youtube vids featuring Robert Pattinson.
Ok, now you know. Judge if you dare. But know this...Rpatz has a voice like bathtub gin, and I've covered Let Me Sign and Never Think. Next, I'm tackling Bobby Long's songs.
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nati
You will NOT be seeing me on any of these shows. BUT! you can see me on Youtube and Myspace and of course HERE!
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nati
I am remarkably pissed off that I missed the showing of Robert Pattinson's movie, How To Be. I got it confused with his other film, Little Ashes, coming to New York May 8th for a few weeks. Now what do I do? I'm sitting here listening to the Soundtrack I pre-ordered and wanting to write a persuasive email to someone important. Oh shit, I don't know anyone important...so I'll write a blog.
REALLY?! really now?! I missed the 3 showings in New York and now I have to wait till it comes out on DVD? It's not like it's an unpopular movie...every show has been sold out. I can't even pay to download it. bugga wanker balls!
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nati
Evidently children are going hungry all around the country thanks to Popeye's and their delicious value chicken psych. If only they had ordered more chicken! How could they advertise a sale on chicken and not stocked enough chicken!? People marked their calendars! People been waiting for this day for months! What will they do!? Oh yeah, they'll go to KFC...or McDonalds...or Wendy's...or White Castle...or Burger King...or Taco Bell...or any other fuckin' fast food joint that's one block away from the Popeye's.
Or maybe they could cook.
Thankfully no one in my neighborhood died of starvation as the lines wrapped around the corner all day and all night. whew!
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nati
My friend, Ryan, sent this to me last week. "thought you'd enjoy it", he said. He thought correctly. Susan Boyle's little victory could be the thesis of my existence. So many times I sat down at an open mic and no one thought I was there to perform. I would be invisible for hours till I got up to sing, then roaring applause, the confetti throws and balloons fall from the ceiling, people weeping (true story) and everyone shaking my hand asking for my number. I am always amazed at the way folks treat beautiful folks, as if they have a line of social credit.
I sat next to a pretty girl on a flight from LA to NYC. While she waited for her luggage, a few people asked if she was in town for something important. Some guy told her he was a producer handing over his card...to look that good must mean she's good at something besides looking good. I asked. She doesn't sing. She doesn't act. She works retail and goes to school (communications major...yikes).
Being fat in New York is like being broke at the mall...other than people watching, what exactly are you here for? Yeah, I'm being overdramatic. Point is, the look on Simon Cowel's face when Susan opens up her mouth to sing is the single greatest feeling...not vindication but epiphany.
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nati
Is it Obama's good influence? Or perhaps our salivating glands when the word Prom is mentioned? I think both came into play when we decided to adopt a very special school here in Prospect Park East. Only 5 years old, this is only the school's 2nd prom and the students are all new to America so you can imagine how bewildering the whole experience must be. I can't imagine what these girls will be thinking when droves of 'big sister's" in hats and dresses come to their school and make them over for prom. Last time I looked we had over 100 dresses for our little sisters to try on. Um...did I mention...Tina and I will be doing makeup and hair (OMG I'm so excited!)
Yesterday I hosted the DCL brunch at my house and it was a total blast! we collected some more dresses and drank champagne mixers...my favorites were the Apricot and lychee!
Don't worry, you may have missed the brunch and the after party and my amazing cold shrimp cocktail spread...but there is still time to donate dresses!
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nati
I'm so excited to be sharing the stage with Scott Rudd this weekend. I've never played Googie's but the piano looks wicked so I'm excited. Scott reminds me a little of Samuel Beam, who also has a beard, and didn't start out doing music. Samuel taught film and cinematography in Florida before borrowing that magical 4 track recorder and becoming Iron and Wine.
Scott is a New York based photographer. Like Samuel, he started making music for the love of it and not some need to be famous. Thus, there's an ease to their sound that lulls me. I met Scott through other photographer friends of mine and he was instantly excited to hear that I taught voice and wrote music. After our first lesson we got a six pack of beer and stayed up all night recording in my kitchen. Since then we double bill quite often. During our rehearsal yesterday, Scott broke out the camera and here's what happened next.
Oh yeah,
I made my dress out of vintage Hollie Hobbie sheets.
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nati
Finding fat chicks who make art that isn't just about being fat is a fulltime job.
I recently attended a Bobby Long concert filled to the brim with chicks of all shapes and sizes. I took video of the show and after posting on Youtube they all found me. And this is how I found Meghan Tonjes. She's a plus size Michigan-based guitar playing singer/songwriter who I found on the youtube page of one of my new Bobby-fan friends. The day after I found Meghan, Perez Hilton posted one of her videos on his website and twitter...in two days she had 40,000 hits...right now she's almost at 86,000.
I've been stalking her, plotting to kidnap her and go on tour, and basically declaring her my new best friend. True Story.
Watch the video...tell me we wouldn't make beautiful music together. Then go buy her album on iTunes! Suport plus musicians, you skanks!
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nati
Weight has been such an inssue in China and Japan...a cultural obsession Americans can't touch even with our Golden God Hollywood Worship.
Many Canto Pop stars are singing about it:
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nati
Title: 姿色份子
Title: A Member of the Beautiful (it's a play on word here . . . usually, we call the Intellectuals "ji sik fan ji" which means a member of the knowledge. The word "ji" for knowing and the word "ji" for beauty (one of the words anyways) have the same pronunciation).
為何面容淨白兼緊緻
Why does the face, purely white and tight
瘦削蛋臉 便算合時
Narrow and thin, like an egg (note: imagine an egg with the tip pointing down, the "perfect face"), is considered trendy?
手臂只有少許的鬆弛
The arm only has a little bit of loosening
已太丟臉 活著沒有意思
is too shameful, and living becomes meaningless?
神奇 保濕的忌廉
Magical, moisture capturing cream
能完全鎖緊水分去粉刺
Can completely lock down the moisture and get rid of acnes
更有那彩光修護店
Also there are those laser "repair shop"
人在世 無下次 全部要一試
Human in this life, there is no next time. One should try everything at least once.
CHORUS
＊不可思議 個個變姿色份子
Unbelievable! Everyone is becoming "A Member of the Beautiful"
美態等於尊嚴
The state of beauty has become respect
纖體主義 擴散了整個城市
The ideology of dieting has spread through the city
如同疫症感染
Just like an infection by a plague
終於 貝特瑪利亞麗塔艾美或翠斯
Finally, Betty, Maria, Rita, Emmy or Tracy
每個相貌也極似
Everyone's face is very similar
全沒個性與自我的標誌 倒模天使＊
No one has personality or the mark of a self. A molded angel (note: not the yeast mold but like a mold from which models/statues are made)
若求令男士目光轉移
An attempt to make the men's sight turn
強作嬌豔 實太便宜
One pretends to be tender and beautiful. It really is too cheap.
跟四周女子互相比試
To compete with all the women around
鬥美爭艷 實在沒有意思
To determine who is more beautiful. It really is meaningless.
試試 想得真實點
Try to think really
誰能搖身一變成模特兒
Who can suddenly become a model
各有各本身的特點
Everyone has their own special aspect
肥或瘦 圓或幼 無謂太刻意
Fat or thin. Round or skinny. No need to be too painstaking
REPEAT＊
不可思議 看看本週的雜誌
Unbelievable. Looking at this week's magazines
愛美標準一致
The standard of the love of beauty is uniform
纖體主義 灌溉這一個城市
The ideology of dieting has been irrigating through the city
全民受到恩賜
All citizens have received its grace.
REPEAT＊
Forever 21 is coming out with a plus line!?! My excitement lasted about 10 minutes.
Wow, I was just thinking how I need another white button up shirt, boxy tie die tank top, and floral print babydoll with no sleeves. Jesus, lord...it's like Invasion Of The Body Snatchers. As soon as a designer sits down and says "I've got funding, I've got resources, I will now make cute clothes for the fat girl!!!" they're replaced by the shapeless boxy tanktop/sleeveless dress monster. Did you see where that tank top hits her? Practically at her waist. Oh yeah maybe if I lift my arms people can see my belly button! I've always loved Sponge Bob, if only I had his silhouette. Forever 21 has some cute trendy pieces, it's what's kept them in business for so many decades...but they decided not to go that route...the route that's kept them in business. Instead they're going to make another hideous plus line and get all excited that they do it cheaper than anyone else. Good for them. I'll be here, sewing real clothes. Lemme know if you wanna join the ranks of the cool kids or feel free to be another fashion scavenging reject.
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nati
I'm not a fan of her voice, but I do enjoy her tech and this video is a testiment to how easy the Tenori-On is to operate...it says "even a hot girl can use it". The Tenori-On is the light up gadget that makes her beat. The price on these babies has gone down to $200 from $1000...so feel free to send me one.
I've been dying to add some simple raw beats to my live show like Lay and Love by Bonnie "Prince" Billy.
And the Stylophone is just plain sexy. You just touch the pen to the keys. I've never played one but it looks fun.
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nati
Someone from Fox (or their 3rd party casting agency) contacted me about auditioning for their new dating show "More to Love". Yes, Fox (the most tasteful reality show provider) is casting plus size women for a new 'not so hot' dating show. An experiment in how fat girls would react to jacuzzis and other shallow rites of passage in the skinny dating world. Wow. I'd like to think their heart is in the right place, but the producers are the same guys that brought you “Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire". I've read their Q&A and they admit to being curious how we'll react to bathing suits and lingerie...are you kidding? I'm sure they'll throw in cheesecake fights and mud wrestling too.
So "why am I looking at your fucking audition tape, nati...you hypocrite," you might be saying. Out loud even. Yeah. I kinda promised myself I'd be less of a bitch and try new things that I'd normally think are lame. I'm even considering crashing the American Idol auditions even though I'm too old. I will not lose my cool. I will just step forward into the great unknown and do all the things I used to write scathing blogs about.
Who knows...I may find true love. hahahahaha.
I encourage you to join me. Fill out the application and send in your video, or go to Layne Bryant for an open call audition.
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nati
So I read Fat Pig and I don't totally get why Neil Labute is concidered the greatest playwrite alive. I think he has a knack for creating asshole men who objectify women and wade in the shallowest waters of life. He also does their banter well. But I'm not sold on this Helen character and I was not moved by a tear worthy situation. A love story about a plus woman and a good looking guy? I should be rubbing one out every page, biting my nails, calling my girlfriends, pretending I'm the girl...something. It's a short play, I recommend reading it so you can be as sad as I am that there still are no really strong roles for plus actresses. (pun intended).
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i've been gathering a group to go see the new Neil Labute play I recently blogged about, Reasons To Be Pretty. Sarah, one of my more active actress friends mentioned a play he wrote a few years ago called Fat Pig. Which is currently running in London right now (dying to fly there just to see it). It's a love story about Tom and Helen and Helen is fat. Antics ensue. I guess Neil had his own issues with weightloss and that is why it's has become a topic for him.
I don't know much more, just wanted to say I'm going out today to buy the book since it is NOT available on eReader or Kindle! poop! Neil...please have all your plays and screen plays available for digital download...it's the best thing a writer can do for his bank account.
By the way, there is nothing more sexy than Jeremy Piven snuggling up to me...so I'm also going to photoshop my head onto Ashlie Atkinson's body (and crack no joke about her last name) and pretend I was in this 2004 Broadway production.
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nati
I've posted 3 songs in 3 days. I wonder if I'll feel like posting another song tomorrow...i wonder if how long my streak with last.
I'm almost done with the Twilight books...I've slowed my pace to prolong ending...but I figure I can always start reading book one again. My full report on this guilty pleasure deserves it's own blog. Stay Tuned.
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nati
I'm doing a series of first takes...where I sit down and play and make up lyrics. Oh, yeah...i made my dress. I can make one for you too if you ask nice.
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nati
The longest comment in blog history was left here at www.plushus.com in response to a recent entry entitled "the Obama...I mean Queen Latifa Effect" about Claude Steele's the Stereotype Effect. His comment is below, Part 1 of my 2 part reply is above.
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TheAnonymousOne (March 11, 2009 6:09 AM)
Nati my dear - I have to take umbrage with your whole fat-prejudice platform. It's not that I completely disagree: Yes, fat prejudice is still an accepted prejudice among us today - and I for one want to see people's attitudes change regarding overweight folks - but I think you're going a bit far in trying to compare fat-prejudice to racism or sexism. No offense: but no one is going to take that message seriously. I am reminded of a Natalie Portman interview from two or three years ago in which she compared her own self-consciousness growing up to the "veil" as put forth by the renowned Black sociologist W.E.B. Dubois. She caught some flack for seemingly trying to identify with the Black experience. I'm not saying Portman's critics were right to criticize her, on the contrary, but I'm just trying to illustrate that by comparison, your statements about fat-prejudice being analogous to racism seems overtly gratuitous if not downright frivolous. Not to mention there is no historical basis of comparison between the two. Fat people have never been subject to the types of social & economic prejudices minorities have been subject to over the years I just fear that your message is going to (possibly) offend those who do not look kindly on those comparisons to their real struggles. Moreover, not all fat-prejudice is created equal. There is a definitive "preference" for some fat people over others - namely: Women. Women are by far more easily accepted for being pleasantly plump than men are. This may not seem to be the case among that class of emaciated New York Sports Club high-maintenance bottled-water-drinking debutantes, but certainly among many men and women. Women of your dimensions (and those of your fellow Plushus gals seen above) - are not necessarily seen as fat - you're "curvy" - "voluptuous" - "well-rounded" - in other words: your fat has padded you where it counts (i.e. T&A). Your particular caste of "fat" person can at least get a date on Friday night, even if you have self-esteem issues. Ask a few of your local roly poly fat guys if they get dates on Friday nights and I'm willing to bet most of them don't - not even from fat chicks. This is no secret really. Many of these plump gals are aware of their "assets" and readily exploit them to their benefit. Corpulent men on the other hand have no "assets" to exploit (perhaps with the exception of those who fetishize their body type) and on the contrary, negative stereotypes of them abound. So even among overweight folks there is definitely a hierarchy of prejudice. At least among minorities looking for racial/sexual equality - there is at least some semblance of solidarity. It's not the same for fat people, because obesity is neither cultural, racial, sexual or religious. It's not a lifestyle like being gay. While obesity isn't always a choice (there is definitely a genetic predisposition for some) it just doesn't fall into the same category as skin color or sexual orientation. Obesity is a condition - like dry skin. You either have it or you don't. Don't get me wrong, I don't say this to burst your bubble. I applaud your desire to get the message out and confront prejudice and negative stereotypes - especially those corporate messages intended to make people feel bad about themselves - I'm just giving you my opinion of what I think is the better way of going about it (and what to avoid). I would also feel more aligned with your views if you expanded your opinions on fat-prejudice beyond what I perceive as the the Queen Latifah - Jennifer Hudson Mason-Dixon line. These women are mainstream regardless of their weight or body type. You need to go beyond them and tackle "real" fat people - not just "pretty" ones.
www.plushus.com turns ONE YEARS OLD!!!! This is the quiet celebration...just you and me. I'm also opening up my first care package! Thanks, Acacia!!! You rock.
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nati
You can now follow the Drunken Classy Ladies at Twitter and read our Blog for the latest on Brooklyn Brunching, Hat Wearing, Dress Making, and Classy Crafting.
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nati
I've been filling up my iPhone with podcasts. My new favorite is Radio Lab. The first show I listened to was The Obama Effect, based on an article the guys at Radio Lab read about Claude Steele's theory, The Stereotype Effect. It got me thinking. What if we applied the Stereotype Effect to Fatties?
You can hear the show online or you can download it onto your iPod or iPhone for free from the iTunes store. The first part of the vlog is me venting over the 50+ spam comments I get a day here at www.plushus.com. I need captcha.
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This movie used to play on Saturday afternoon with Anne Bancroft and Dom DeLuise (oh how I loved the Dom). Cable and VHS didn't hit the market till I was 6 or 7, so most of my movie watching was done on weekend afternoons, but I never looked at the TV guide, so I'd just catch the ending. I think I saw the end of Coma like 5 times. Fatso was like this, I've seen it so many times, but I'd always catch the scene when he goes to get fast food for the whole family. The passenger seat filled to the ceiling with greasy hamburgers and fries and he'd pull over to finish the whole thing...then sit and cry. There are so many scenes in this movie that are right out of my childhood. When he cuts into the birthday cake on the way to his brother's party and his sister throws a fit. My mother used to have similar fits, made me feel SO guilty about it. This is the only movie I've ever seen that really explores the drama of being fat. I think I'll write fatso the musical...and make myself the lead character. I really miss Dom DeLuise.
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A very orange colored Donald Trump was a guest on Jimmy Fallon's new Late Night Show featuring THE ROOTS as house band!
The Roots = cool.
Donalt Trump glowing neon orange from hair to chin = NOT cool.
This takes me back to a Jessica Simpson rant...do these people have friends? If they do, these alleged "friends" should tell them they look ridiculous. You'd think that with money comes skin color that exists in nature. I'm poor and I've never had a Tang-Tan.
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Living healthy on a budget. If it's free, it's for me! I'll also talk about COFRA again...I may have changed my mind about Dare To Show Your Face.
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I was getting off the 2 train last night and I saw this billboard for a new play Reasons To Be Pretty. I was a little leery it might be one of those afterschool specials "LOVE ME! fat people rock!!", but then I saw it was written by Neil LaBute. In the Company of Men is one of my most favorite movies. RTBP is about a regular guy who really loves his girlfriend but notices a few of her physical imperfections and when he mentions them to her all hell breaks loose.
I love it! Let's all go.
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nati
I really don't like these grand declaratory campaigns to show people how awesome fat girls are (consisting of nothing but telling people how awesome fat girls are). But the first 44 seconds of this video is cool. I mean, come on, who doesn't love stop motion??? AND! I found out this girl, Lindsay, actually posted some cool You Tube videos, check out her channel.
COFRA, the Coalition of Fat Rights Activists, invites fat girls to join the YouTube group DARE TO SHOW YOUR FACE. I guess you just make a video and talk about how cool it is to be fat. Well, I make videos all the time (they're called vLogs). These vLogs always show my face and I'm so damn cool, I don't need to say it. That's why I'm less inclined to participate at this point. But I totally suport the effort. The girls really are gorgeous, and I do love to see them talk about themselves!
With that said, I don't get COFRA and these other organizations of fat girls fighting for "status" in a shallow society, yet doing nothing truly creative to carve out a niche. My suggestion is that COFRA and other fat acceptance groups put their money were their mouth is and make a change as a group of consumers. Why don't you spend an ungodly amount of cash on innovative plus designers? Because right now fat people are the majority, yet plus designers with vision and creative guts go out of business every day. My opinion? Your money speaks louder than your fat face on YouTube. Boycott LaME Bryant and spend spend spend on the cool designers at Lee Lee Valise's boutique in Brooklyn. If you are at a loss, there are all kinds of data bases to help you shop smart. Like Lisa over at Beauty Plus Power. Or you can send me a message. Talk to you soon!
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Natalie Ferraro and the You Don't Love Me's is playing the Cabin Fever Festival tomorrow night. Come out, bitches. Let's get a drink after.
Cabin Fever Festival
The Medicine Show Theater
549 West 52nd Street (between 10th and 11th), 3rd fl.
Friday, February 20th
10pm $10
Valentines Day was OLD DICK! but I looked cute in my new lovenati dress and homemade sweater thigh highs held up by a sexy damn garder belt! WOO! OH! And great party, Aurea! here's a pic of me in my new dress and Juleah.
My goal is to get Jenita to join Rebekah and I at bootcamp! Great Big Task! If I do it, Rebekah's treating Smoothies and Salads! BAM!
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Today I bought www.lovenati.com. Part of the slow decimation of +plushus and the birth of my own blog, my own clothing line, and my own music...nothing epic. Just simple songs, and simple dresses and simple blogs.
thanks for hanging out!
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nati
My dear friend, Caryna, introduced me to watercress before she moved away to miami. So I often recreate a version of the salad she used to make for me when we were roommates in Carroll Gardens...it's one of my favorite comfort foods.
watercress
pear
feta
walnuts
simple oil and vinegar dressing
sometimes I use raw apple cider vinegar (cuz it's SO good for you) but very little since it's
very strong and the flavors of the salad need balance...so experiment...I like it when the pear is the only sweet flavor that balances the bitterness of the watercress and the feta warms everything up...I'm NOT a fan of walnuts, but in this salad it works, feel free to use almond slices, or a fattier nut like cashews (yummmmm).
the picture of the salad above is a WAY more fruity (a more colorful and wetter) version of the original earthy salad:
watercress
cilantro
yellow/red bell peppers
persimmon
mandarin oranges
pears
oil/vinegar/mandarin orange juice/pepper dressing
by the way, i love using this picture of caryna. Makes it seem like she's my imaginary friend I tore out of a magazine and pet every night before bed. ...she puts the lotion on her...
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nati
Wow! I just LOVE fat stereotyping in the media. Thanks, Januvia, for depicting all the diabetes patients in your commercial as obese. We all know that bad diseases only happen to fat people (like the gays, they deserve the fruit of their glutinous lifestyle). Being overweight is the real enemy. Skinny people, no matter how unhealthy or sedate their lifestyle, will find love and get better jobs with excellent health insurance (get famous on a reality TV show) and never need to worry about any bad things happening to them (and if something bad does happen it's an unavoidable tragedy). We should do what ever it takes to stay skinny. Those poor fat people with their diabetes that need Janovia. Pray for them.
If you missed the sarcasm up there, please check out a book called The Obesity Myth, the first chapter alone will change your life.
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nati
i'm naked. I have wet hair. I am NOT wearing makeup. I'm talking about Apple Cider Vinegar!
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nati
I would like to say I'm shocked that US weekly cut the President of the United States out of his family portrait just to make room on the cover to chide a fat tacky Jessica Simpson, but I am not. Poor Jessica...she can't even gain 10lbs. I guess that's what happens when the foundation of your craft is what you look like. I think she would make a fine member of +plushus accept for the fact that she can't even carry an extra ten pounds. +plushus girls have a special talent for being 100lbs over weight and still looking pretty...sorry Jessica, you're just not as gifted as I am.
Oh and obviously she doesn't have enough gays to tell her that outfit is a big fat NO at any size. Did she lose a bet and have to dress from Newport News catalogues? Oh and get a bra. Oh and tank tops in the new millennium are cut better than the ones from the 80's.
Ok, teasing aside, I love her body, she's awesome...more softserve pop stars please.
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nati
Longest vLog ever...10minutes. but it's got some nuggets
1. nasty pics of Doc Rocket and Rebekah
2. me wearing baby jane makeup
3. drive the flu away with high heels and lipstick
4. CARE PACKAGES! send me a care package and I'll vLog on it.
5. changing the name from +plushus to lovenati...what do you think?
...so put the tea on, sit down, put your feet up and see me NOT talk about fitness today...cuz I'm so damn sick again!!!
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nati
She's back, Bitches!!!!
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nati
Things that irritate me come less frequently than things I love, though I believe they both deserve a little face time.
Today I LOATH subway rookies. Or at least people who act like it's their first time on a subway. I have even less patience for a should-know-better-New-York-native who insists on entering the train first only to stop as soon as they enter the car to secure the coveted Lean-On-The-Door section like some sort of first-class right of passage. If you insist on doing this, why not wait till last so the rest of us can move to the center of the train, pass on the right...all these very logical unspoken rules of travel. I have noticed MTA has an add campaign for the travel-challenged, but it doesn't seem to help. "hold on to the railing, you might fall" "don't hold the doors open, you might cause the train to go out of service." "don't give your bag a seat, give that nice lady a seat" Really? We need signs for this? No Golden Rule? No Do Unto Others brand of responsibility?
This applies to elevators as well. If you enter first, go to the back. If you want to be by the flashy buttons and the door, fall last in line when entering. This also applies to sidewalks. If you run into someone you haven't seen in years, take your little reunion to the side, out of the flow of foot traffic.
I won't go on. Either you know what I mean and the point has been made, or you are looking quisitively at the screen and all the examples in the world will not save you the next time you're in front of me on a subway platform.
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nati
this is a 5 minute vlog. it basically says:
1. I'm sick
2. I've lost 10 lbs on the Flu Diet
3. I've only worked out once in 2009
4. check out my cute dog
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nati
This year I moved to Lefferts Garden which is only two Q train stops away from the unaffordable bleach white Park Slope. In my neighborhood, every block has 2 wig shops, 2 99cent stores, 2 jerk chicken hubs, 2 corner stores, and a laundry mat. I have to travel to Park Slope for organic food, foods with out high fructose corn syrup, well... basically I get no substantial nutrition from my neighborhood. But on the way to Park Slope I pass 2 Mc Donald's, a Wendy's, a KFC, a Popey's Chicken, various fried food chains I've never heard of before but that seem to thrive in African American neighborhoods across the country, and a Papa John's or two.
So, when I heard this woman take a stand and ask that the fast food chains let up for one year so that some smaller sit down restaurants and good grocery stores can get a fair start, I almost cried. Actually it makes me wanna find out about the zoning board and community meetings here so I can be a part of the growth of a neighborhood I've grown to love deeply.
For America to malnourished it's people for profit is a crime. It's not a quick massacre, no blood, no rallying, no marching, no revolution, no intervention by a world court, no bigger stronger nation to step in and save us. But it's just as dramatic only stretched out over decades. You feed the poor unglamorous pigs your slop, you fatten them up, then you tell them they're shit for being fat and charge them more for health insurance.
I just want to run away to another country where life is about quality food, and quality friends, and maybe I have to become a farmer who sings at the local pub for fun, but I don't have to be cool, and I don't have to be beautiful. Let's go!
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nati
As you know, the DCL is the most exclusive circle of somebodies in Park Slope. And yesterday the ladies of drunken classiness celebrated the wedding of their most beloved Queen Bee, Rebekah Peterson, at Sette Enoteca over champagne mixers and assorted egg dishes. Her wedding blog has been hailed as "off beat, but traditional." and the quinescential "indie/DIY experience" the theme is country livin', the setting - Poconos, the guest list - coveted.
"Is the famous plushus nati, the blogging broad of the plus industry going to be there" you ask? You bet your sweet tits she is and that means you will too! You'll get to see me outdoor iceskating, indoor pool partying, and behind the scenes with Rod Morata, the favorite photographer of photographers...the Ornette Coleman of picture makers who only shoots the most fabulous weddings.
I'm sure, by now you've noticed my tres chic cowel necked purple and black sweater with pockets. I found it at Loehman's for $40 and I just happened to have a gift certificate...I'd like to see you beat that, Thrifty Thelma. And it's worth the itching...purple is the new MGMT and peach belini's are the new bangs. Would you like to learn how I made my hat at 2am the night before the the brunch while watching Gossip Girl? I've provided with a link because I care.
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nati
31. let myself be unpretty, embrace the flaws, strive to look real...especially in photos
32. keep my house very clean
33. make money off my blog
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nati
This vLog is too long...it really just says:
1. I was too sick to work out this weekend
2. stretch properly after your workouts
3. drink fresh juices
feel free to skip this one...
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nati
Boot Camp Fitness NYC is a great place to work out! No frills, no fancy showers, no fancey locker rooms, no steam, nothing but good old fashion sweat. The owner, Jeff is aproachable and knowledgable and also working on his own fitness goals, so I am always encouraged. 5 classes a day fits most schedules, every class is different so you're body doesn't get used to it and plateau (like with Curves...yuck). You also learn while you sweat...as they give you pearls of fitness wisdom from how much you should poo to how much water to drink to how far to push yoursel in class. There is an outdoor program, but even if you're doing the indoor...they find exciting ways to get you outside when the weather is nice...like running cross the brooklyn bridge. I totally recommend this place for all fitness levels since you can modify your work out and they never push you too hard. I also recommend this for busy people who can't plan their own work outs, it's like having your own personal trainer for only $90 a month. Also, unlike gyms where you have to look good, the goal here is to sweat hard and grunt and cry and push yourself to the limit so when you're done you feel like you can do anything!
Stats:
weight - 280lbs
goal - lose 70lbs in 8 months
work out buddy - Rebekah
rating - Boot Camp Fitness - 9
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nati
