Hello FFF World
The following submission comes from Ragen Chastain who is interested in joining us as the latest Fierce, Freethinking Fatty. We will be returning to a community vote next week on her inclusion. Ragen is an award-winning dancer and you can check out her graceful moves in this video.
Ah, the intro post. My inner-researcher and inner-rebel got into a fight about this one. My inner-researcher said that we should look at some other intro posts to see how it’s done around here. My inner-rebel pointed out that that approach was not very freethinking. The rebel won, so here it is:
My name is Ragen Chastain and I blog at Dances With Fat. I live in Austin, Texas, and I am a fat competitive professional dancer. I write and speak about self-esteem, body image and Health at Every Size. I also run a non-profit called Body Positive Dance, which teaches dance from a Health at Every Size perspective. I teach public classes and also outreach to groups, including at-risk youth and people dealing with eating disorders, domestic violence and more.
I became interested in Fat Acceptance when I gained a bunch of weight after overcoming a bout with compulsive exercising and severe food restriction. After trying every diet in the world and continuing to gain weight and feel crazy, I created a two part plan. Part 1: Love myself as I am. Part 2: Get to a “healthy weight.” I achieved Part 1 and found that I was happy, healthy, athletic and had everything I ever wanted. When I started researching the science that existed around weight loss and health, I ditched Part 2 of the plan.
I started blogging because I like to provide observations, points of view, and alternative options to the products that the diet industry makes $60 billion a year to selling to us.
Since it’s an intro post I’ll tell you a little bit about myself. I am 5’4″ and 284 pounds. I have perfect metabolic health, I can do the splits, I can press 1,000 pounds with my legs, and there are plenty more fathletes out there just like me.
I believe that people are the boss of their own underpants, and it’s not my job or my goal to tell anyone how to live. All I want to do is provide alternative points of view. Some of my favorite options are these: I suggest that health and weight are two very different things; I’d also like to suggest that whether or not someone wants to change the size and shape of their body (have plastic surgery or whatever), things will probably go much more smoothly if they start from a base of loving themselves as they are and then choose things they desire, rather than trying to change because they hope that they will love themselves if they are just 50 pounds lighter or that a nose job will solve all of their problems.
I’m an unrepentant nerd and a trained researcher and so one of my favorite things to do is take “science” that is reported in the news, read the study and break it down to tell the truth (for example, recently I blogged about the embarrassingly bad science behind the “Obesity Costs the Workforce $73 Billion Dollars a Year” headline).
I have no hang-ups and I have no filter so you can ask me anything, as long as you want an honest answer.
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Wow. Yay for more nerds! I love your ‘voice’ in this post; passionate, energetic, intelligent!
Thanks! I’ll look forward to seeing you around here
Welcome Ragen!
So, what is it like being a fat dancer? Do you face a lot of skepticism and hatred, or are people pretty open to your presence? It seems like our culture is so primed to scoff at the idea of an active fatty that it has to be hard for you to have to face that bias when you compete.
In any case, you’re a skilled dancer and an insightful writer. I look forward to more of your contributions!
Peace,
Shannon
Hi Shannon,
Thank you for your kind words. It’s interesting being a fat dancer. Some people are inspired, some people are horrified, some people are unconscionably rude. Some people only notice that I’m fat when I get off the dance floor which is always interesting. I enjoy the performance aspect and I enjoy challenging stereotypes and having dialog about size, health and ability so it all works out great for me!
~Ragen
Hello Ragen, I’m in Austin too! Welcome to the group.
Yay for a fellow Austinite! Thanks for the welcome.
Ragen, I am the long wordy responder who has followed you on Dances with Fat for months now, I think you will make a fabulous addition to FFF…Hugs, Lisa
Hi Lisa,
I love your responses! Thank you for the welcome and the encouragement. Hugs! ~Ragen
Yay for Ragen, I’ve been following her blog for quite a while now. I think she’ll make a great addition to the team.
Hi Vesta,
So glad that you like the blog, thanks for the warm welcome!
~Ragen
Welcome Ragen! I’ve read quite a bit of your blog, great to have you here!
Hi there,
Thank you for the welcome, I’m excited to be here!
Great intro post, Ragen! I’ve enjoyed following you on Dances With Fat, and I found your blog on the bad science behind the “Obesity Costs the Workforce $73 Billion Dollars a Year” headline to be spectacularly good work. Can’t wait to read more!
Hi Holly,
Thank you so much, I’m so glad that you like the blog!
Great post! And I’m sorry did you say you can press 1000 lbs with your legs? That’s like Wonder Woman territory, I’ll make sure not to challenge you to a contest in this area.
Welcome!
Thanks for the compliment. If you want to win, challenge me to a game of basketball - somehow no amount of conditioning or athleticism seems to improve my ability at basketball. I do well and truly suck at it.