When I get enraged about stuff, especially frustrations with dating and the like, I take my rage and channel it into productive things. Usually my community building work, my writing or performance. I got the greatest email this morning from my friend Jessie Dress.
Have you seen this PETA ad? It’s everywhere right now.* Chris’ little sister, who is a vegan and a fat ally, took her rage to PETA and instead of getting a nuanced response from them, just got some fat hating “Fat people WOULD feel better and be more healthy if they ate vegetarian.” Not actually acknowledging any biodiversity or anything that makes bodies different. Fat=death to PETA. Also, let’s not forget how completely misogynistic they are, and constantly striving to exploit women to “sell” veganism.
Okay, I couldn’t start off this post without a rant. I tried.
Anyway, so Jessie’s email to me, in the line of taking your rage and doing something productive with it:
Dear Bevin,
So today I was having a fucking shitty ass morning at work, and every time I went to facebook to try and escape my work and life drama, I kept seeing that fucking shitty PETA ad. It was pissing me off, and I decided to make some improvements. I posted it on FB, but also wanted to send it along to you because well, we were talking about Arts & Crafts and I thought you might appreciate.
hope your ‘danna planning is going well! Let me know when you have them finished, bc I’d for sure like to grab one of each!**
xoxo
jessiedress
Here it is! It makes me have so much joy!
*As a side note, I want to point out that I was at my fattest when I was a vegetarian. And when I was vegan, guess what, I was still fat!! For me meat is something I crave. I feel healthiest when I can get a good balance of meat, veggies and fruit. And as an animal lover I feel really good about making ethical, local choices regarding meat and feel grateful and lucky there are a lot of small grocers that carry that kind of meat nearby.
**Jessie has been kindly walking me through doing DIY screens and what what for FemmeCast merch.
by Zoe Whittall.
(If you click through to Amazon using this link and buy anything, a tiny referral goes to help maintain this website.)
25 responses so far ↓
1 Katie // Aug 18, 2009 at 9:17 am
As a big fan of fat, femmes, and DIY political statements (not to mention our friend jessie) I want to say HELL YEAH to this.
Anyone know where one of these billboards is in Texas? Cause a little wheatpaste goes a looooong way.
-Katie
2 jessiedress // Aug 18, 2009 at 9:17 am
Hearts to you Ms Bevin!
If even one time out of 5 I can make my rage productive, I feel good about it.
And I second your thoughts about fat vegetarians. I was a fat vegetarian for years. I hate to think that PETA would chase fatties wanting to make the transition away with this kind of crap, irresponsible advertising.
3 Taueret // Aug 18, 2009 at 9:19 am
Jessie! This made me smile so damn big!!!
She is such a talented piece of ferocity!
4 rachel cupcake // Aug 18, 2009 at 9:30 am
LOVE THIS SO HARD!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!!
5 deb // Aug 18, 2009 at 9:59 am
love love love love love!!!
i’m going to repost everywhere!!
6 Leah Lakshmi // Aug 18, 2009 at 10:10 am
Sharks support this 190% We love ripping up stupid fat-hating billboards with our teeth! Sharks love Bevin Branlandingham!!!
7 Bevin // Aug 18, 2009 at 10:11 am
Femme Sharks stand for LOVE and RAGE!!!
8 Sophia // Aug 18, 2009 at 10:18 am
Dear Bevin,
I found this on FB, and ran over to your page. Thanks for posting this, and thanks to your friend Jessie!
9 Alysia // Aug 18, 2009 at 10:37 am
Love love love it!
This billboard is so disgusting……thanks Jesse for making it so much better!
10 Ivan Greene // Aug 18, 2009 at 12:00 pm
Jesse… you rock!!! awesome… can you friend me on facebook and send it to me.. I want to post it to my friends.
thanks
11 Liza // Aug 18, 2009 at 1:51 pm
I, too, was still fat when I was a vegetarian.
Hell, I was a teenage vegetarian swimmer and I was still fat.
12 Zenia // Aug 18, 2009 at 2:14 pm
I’m also a fat vegetarian. So is my girlfriend. It’s quite possible to be in favor of animal rights as well as fat-positive.
13 Spunky Muldonn // Aug 18, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Yes, but what everyone forgets is PETA are insane douchebags.
Love the edit:)
14 Colin // Aug 18, 2009 at 8:42 pm
I agree with Spunky, PETA *are* insane douchebags. They totally lost me a while back with the whole “sea kitten” campaign.
15 Links: Healthy Enough, Attractiveness, Photoshop « Living ~400lbs // Aug 19, 2009 at 10:51 am
[...] and that PETA billboard? Someone ’shopped it into a HAES billboard. [...]
16 Elaina // Aug 19, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Hi there, I came across your blog via Living~400lbs.
I only have one thing to say on your photoshop: rock. On.
I have known for a few years that PETA are insane douchebags, but the thing that gets to me is that they have a lot of resources and kinda have, in the public mind, usurped the “face of vegetarianism.”
I am a fat vegetarian, and I do think more folks should be vegetarian. I am all about activism and organizing.
So I guess I’m having a kinda come-to-jesus, insanity singularity about this billboard thing. IDK. I just want them to take the fucking thing down.
I guess it’s that this org. claims to represent animal rights and activism, while it really only represents bourgeoisie interests, happy puppies, and misogyny. Makes me wanna tear my hair out.
Anyway, I like the graphic. Nice blog!
17 RachelB // Aug 19, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Thank you– the modified version is full of awesome!
18 Beauty for Ashes « Kataphatic // Aug 19, 2009 at 8:44 pm
[...] I bring you an amazing post from Queer Fat Femme called Turning Rage into Productivity. It has a great re-working of the really offensive PETA billboard everyone’s been talking [...]
19 happyhedonist // Aug 20, 2009 at 8:26 am
‘shopped image = made of WIN.
*thank* you!!
20 Alas, a blog » Blog Archive » Link Farm, Replacement Tongue Edition // Aug 24, 2009 at 9:27 am
[...] PETA ad repaired, by [...]
21 katy // Aug 31, 2009 at 6:10 am
Most of the really fattening foods are vegetarian- cake, cheese, chocolate, soft drinks, chips, bread&butter… I’ve known plenty of “Mars Bar vegetarians” who were not only fat but also unhealthier than your average fat omnivore…
22 FurryCatHerder // Sep 3, 2009 at 9:47 am
Props on the beautiful rearrangement of an otherwise highly offensive sign.
As with the OP, when I was told to cut red meat and eat more veggies, my health declined — weight rose out of control, cholesterol rose, energy declined. When I put the red meat back in, my health improved.
One size doesn’t fit all, PETA.
23 LINKAGE: Sartorial Politics, Political Follies « threadbared // Apr 8, 2010 at 12:02 pm
[...] Fat Femme take on PETA’s latest wrongheaded campaign in a long history of idiot advocacy. “Turning rage into productivity”, Queer Fat Femme posted a reader’s Photoshop transformation of the original billboard (which [...]
24 Shaluna // May 7, 2010 at 1:16 pm
I was raged when I saw pic of that PETA ad. I sent some feedback to them, but I lost their reply
. I usually support PETA, but this.. Oh dear lord! I’m a vegetarian and I’m (too) still chubby.
Btw, can I put your ‘shopped ad in my blog? I will credit!
25 Die in a Fire, and Other Terms of Endearment: Let’s do something nice for PETA! « Two Whole Cakes // Nov 4, 2010 at 10:15 am
[...] Also check out the billboard improvements posted here and here. Got a Whale-banner upgrade? Link it in comments and I’ll add it [...]
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