Wednesday, November 10, 2010

When Blogging Goes To Far

I know most of us read fashion magazines on a regular basis, whether you have a subscription, you buy a copy at the drugstore, or just scan pages of one while your in the check out line.  We all read them.

One of the magazines I occasionally purchase is Marie Claire.  Normally they have something that catches my eye, like last month's copy with Victoria Beckham on the cover, what fashionista doesn't want to glance at that??  


In the last two weeks though, I've heard some terrible things about Marie Claire's Maura Kelly, who writes Marie Claire's A Year of Living Flirtatiously blog.

It all centers around one of CBS new sitcom shows called Mike & Molly.  The show is about a couple who meet at an Overeater's Anonymous group.  Mike a cop, and Molly a teacher.  Although I've only seen about 5 minutes or so, it seems like this comedy does have it's funny moments, and has in fact, been extended to have a full season.



Unfortunately, for some reason, Marie Claire's blogger Maura Kelly decided to answer this question on blog on MarieClaire.com:

Do you really think people feel uncomfortable when they see overweight people making out on television?"

Here are bits and pieces of what she had to say:

Hmm, being overweight is one thing — those people are downright obese! And while I think our country's obsession with physical perfection is unhealthy, I also think it's at least equally crazy, albeit in the other direction, to be implicitly promoting obesity! Yes, anorexia is sick, but at least some slim models are simply naturally skinny. No one who is as fat as Mike and Molly can be healthy. And obesity is costing our country far more in terms of all the related health problems we are paying for, by way of our insurance, than any other health problem, even cancer.
(This is where it gets down right mean in my opinion)
So anyway, yes, I think I'd be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other ... because I'd be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything. To be brutally honest, even in real life, I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room — just like I'd find it distressing if I saw a very drunk person stumbling across a bar or a heroine addict slumping in a chair.
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 As you can understand, this blogger did not receive very good feedback!  She received almost 2,000 comments and reports have said Marie Claire has received over 28,000 complaints and calls about the blog.

  What I don't understand, is why she felt she should answer that question on her blog, in the first place?!  Is  that really something a fashion blog should be discussing?  And why should she use her blog as a way to be so insensitive and demeaning, especially to people who were doing nothing to deserve it??

Would you ever use your blog to hurt other people??  Would you choose to write about something as hurtful of a topic as this?  I know I've written about body issues before, but never have I discussed people who may be overweight, or have I tried to write specifically about one's looks in a mean way.  Most of the time when talking about weight, it is about myself, and how I try to eat healthy or helpful fitness tips from celebs.  I know a time or two I have written about the pressure models feel to be thin, and how we should promote healthy body images and support one another.

I just feel so bad for the two main actors of the show.  Someone's weight shouldn't affect whether they can have a job doing what they love to do, should it?  (Unless they are near death in being over/underweight)  These two actors are good at what they do.  They are talented, why can't they have their time in the spotlight?!?  They deserve happiness too!

pictures: marieclaire.com and bing.com

Do you feel outraged by this??  As a blogger what do you think??  Should she have answered that question on her blog??

Do you try to be sensitive to others?  
Have you ever used your blog to hurt others?
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*On, another note, it's good to see blogger again!  I have been gone for a week!  I hate when that happens, it makes me feel like I'm letting my readers down! Here's a run down of what's been going on: last Thursday, I woke up hours before I normally do and I could barely get my eye to stay open, and it was continuously burning and watering and looked kind of bloodshot, so I knew I had to skip work and go straight to the doctor.  It was something I've never experienced before!
  
The doctor said I had an abrasion on the top layer of my cornea!  I guess when you wear contacts like I do, the ones you can keep in for a month at a time without taking them out, there's a possibility of your tear ducts not being able to have the tears flow over the cornea properly and do what it needs to do, and if that happens it can cause an infection/abrasion.  It just came on all of a sudden.  The doctor said it was good I came in the first day it started acting up, because had I not it would have turned into an ulcer on the eye?!?!  Scary right??  I had no idea you could get an ulcer on your eye!  Thankfully they gave me these powerful prescription eye drops for my left eye, which I have to apply every four hours.
  
The downside is, and the main reason I haven't been blogging, is that I can't wear my contacts until my eye drops run out.  And I no longer have glasses, because the last pair I had broke a few months ago, and I just never got them replaced.  So you can see my dilemma.  Now I'm not blind, but I've been doing a lot of squinting this past week! lol  I've still been working and my eye looks so much better, thankfully it really improved by the Friday afternoon, but I can't stop using the drops until they've run out.  I think it's almost empty.  I just couldn't wait any longer to blog, so I'm blogging!  Not bad so far, just starting to get a headache, but I should be fine!  Glad to be back!  And will be stopping by your blogs!  Lots of love! 

9 comments:

C.W. said...

Glad to see that you're back, I was wondering where you been. Sorry about your eye, it sounded like it was a pain. In reply to that terrible post by Maura Kelly, she was a stupid XXX for using her blog to answer a question like that. That had nothing to do with fashion. I'm a pretty much a cut throat kind of chick but I would never go that far. I really feel bad for the actress and actor that she was talking about. Words hurt, I don't think people realize that now a days.

www.originalprototype.com

Anonymous said...

Hey I had something very similar happen to my eye too! It hurt so bad. I'm glad your back! I have missed you.
I personally don't see the first part of her answering the question, but the second part seems very hurtful and rude.

Leeann @ Join the Gossip said...

First off - that IS scary about your eye but I'm glad you're going to be OK! And glad you're back!

As far as the blogger - not OK for her to be so cruel. I wonder if this is an isolated incident where she just went crazy for some reason haha, or if she's know to write this way? And I hope she got fired!



P.S. Glad you like the lipstick!! :D

Leeann @ Join the Gossip said...

First off - that IS scary about your eye but I'm glad you're going to be OK! And glad you're back!

As far as the blogger - not OK for her to be so cruel. I wonder if this is an isolated incident where she just went crazy for some reason haha, or if she's know to write this way? And I hope she got fired!



P.S. Glad you like the lipstick!! :D

Whit said...

I'm happy you're back!

That woman was just mean! I thought she was especially demeaning when she said she didn't find obese people "aesthetically pleasing."

Geeeez.

Sherin said...

Oh no: I hope you recover really soon. I missed reading The Hot Spot!

Oh my: that was really horrible what she said. A blog is meant to be a positive and fun platform, not somewhere to be mean. That's so awful! I can't imagine why anyone would want to hurt someone else like that.

Leia said...

Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry to hear about your eyes! I hope everything gets healed 100% soon!

Leia

Jazzy E (Hivenn) said...

Argh i've heard about this. I'm kind of glad it's not UK. It's ridiculous really
x hivennn. enter my giveaway? six whole miss patina dresses to giveaway.

Ana said...

I never understand hurtful comments, on blogs or otherwise. Why people take the time out of their day just to be mean towards someone else is beyond me. I can see how someone might not agree with certain lifestyles, but mean remarks don't help anyone, not even those who make them.
Other than that, I'm glad to see that you're back blogging again! I hope your eye gets well soon!

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