Body Politics: On Weight, Weight Lost, and Identity

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I know that today is the big day for overconsumption in America, but there is a thing that's been on my mind and I want to talk to you about it:
Weight loss is weird.

Almost a year ago, I decided I was going to lose weight. It started as a practical thing; I had gained a fair bit of weight since moving back in with the parental beings and starting a job that actually paid a living wage, and my pants didn’t fit anymore. Then I overshot my pants fitting and ended up in even smaller pants.

I didn’t go on a crazy diet or start an extreme exercise regime. I just started going on walks at lunch, bicycling when I was able, and eating less crap. I stopped putting sugar in my tea and ate only until I was full. I didn’t have any goal other than my pants fitting (too late!) and whatever felt healthy to me.

Sometime at the end of summer I realized that I was down from a size 18 at my heaviest to a size 12, meaning that I was the smallest I’ve been since high school.

Outfit of the Day: Ravenclaw Pride for a Book Tour

I’m going to preface this because I know the mere act of supporting an artist can be controversial. A lot of people really loathe Amanda Palmer, and that’s fine. You are more than entitled to do so. But that is not the point of this post.

Okay. Are we good?

Good.

This weekend I was up in the Twin Cities for an adventure with several friends. Friday night I went shopping and played card games with one of my best guy friends. Saturday I went out to lunch with him, then headed over to another friend’s house where I baked muffins, ate gyros, and swapped media files. Sunday my friends and I decorated cookies and watched silly web videos. It was a delight.

However, the actual reason for the trip was Sunday night when I went to Amanda Palmer’s The Art of Asking book tour stop at The Cedar in Minneapolis.

For Love and Justice: Fashion and Magical Girls

Roses, magic, frills, cute talking animal sidekicks, and attacks that will blow you out of the water in a torrent of glitter and explosions. A lot of Lolita fashion aficionados love magical girl shows, and I can see why.

There’s a lot to love about magical girls, and with the DVD of the first redubbed episodes of Sailor Moon recently arrived in my mailbox, it’s time to talk about them!