Juliana Olabintan Nwanze, wife of International Fund for Agricultural Development IFAD president Kanayo Nwanze, poses at the Capitoline Museum in Rome and gives Michelle the classic side eye of death; but in this case, the little smile seems full of pride.

via Michelle Obama In Rome On Wednesday PHOTOS.

As always, be well

CF

Michelle my Bell, who woulda thunk it! You have taken the world be storm and have proven that this country can and does produce fantastic African American Women who love their country as much as the next person and can thrive and succeed on their own terms.

I salute you every day.

Below is part of an article by Robin Givhan of The Washington Post

WASHINGTON — So far, the first lady has chosen to be a food bank volunteer with an outsize entourage and an education activist with the largest soapbox imaginable. But Michelle Obama also fills a role that is not of her choosing but that may, in fact, be the most influential: She serves as a symbol of middle-class progress, feminist achievement, affirmative-action success and individual style.

And she has done all this on the world stage, while being black.

Time and again, observers grasp for adjectives to describe Obama’s combination of professional accomplishment and soccer-mom maternalism. It’s no wonder so many eye her with awe and disbelief. Or why a minority still view her with suspicion. There have been few broad cultural precedents for what she represents.

Historically, television has been more progressive than reality, preparing a society for the moment when what only existed in the shadows surges into the spotlight. From “Soap” to “Will & Grace,” TV helped people envision gay couples living picket-fence lives. “Maude” and daytime soap operas raised the topic of abortion before it became a political wedge issue. And popular culture has more than once suggested that the idea of an African-American president wasn’t so far-fetched. But it rarely introduced viewers to anyone like Michelle Obama.

As always, be well
CF

My first reaction was, did you just call me a man? My first thought was, damn I have really let myself disintegrate into nothingness. I guess I have accepted my fat so much that I am not seeing myself as I really am; my body image is hella distorted and right now my self-esteem is really fu@ked up. I really just stopped caring once I got to a certain level of obesity; I assumed I would be this way for the rest of my life and being invisible to the world wasn’t that bad. Except, you are not really invisible…hey, someone just thought I was a man.

My heart is breaking and I must do something. I have to change my trajectory, find another life path because this one is no longer working for me. I mean come on, he called me “SIR” twice and didn’t really realize the mistake until I said something. My ego can’t handle that; I used to look like this (pic on left) and now I look like this (pic on right). It’s tragic!

As always, be well
CF

She’d still be an idiot, but here is a very funny video. This is going to have you in tears. Enjoy!

As always, be well
CF
Barack the Vote!…4 days to go

As always, be well
CF
Barack the Vote!

Here we go again; another Brit with a dumb ass television show to make fat women feel unworthy of love. This charming UK-based television show is called, Three Fat Brides, One Thin Dress.

In each episodes of Three Fat Brides, One Thin Dress, three brides-to-be have just eight weeks to transform their appearance and well-being, with the prize of the wedding dress of her dreams for the bride who has the greatest success.

But how will they cope with the added pressure of Gillian McKeith (show host) on the wedding scene? Will they make it to their big day a few sizes smaller? Or will they want to call the whole thing off?

Of course women would rather call their wedding off than be fat. Of course fat women don’t deserve love. Of course this is a bunch of bullshit and it really pisses me off. I am so tired of society telling me that because I am fat, I am not worthy of the same love and happiness as a skinny person. I’ve got news for you idiots, there are a lot of skinny women out there who are seriously miserable being thin for a variety of reasons. And what does it say about the self-esteem of the women who go on these shows? Because it seems to me, if you don’t already love yourself, losing weight to fit into a wedding dress is not going to do the trick.

Love and beauty are in the eye of the beholder; love isn’t real nor does it last when it is based solely on the way a person looks. Being admired for your looks is flattering, but if it’s the only reason you love me, that’s a complete turnoff. If you can’t love me for everything that I am, then you simply don’t love me.

If you can’t love every curve and bulge on my body, then I don’t want you. Fat women, and women in general need to stop waiting to be chosen and go out there and choose. And once you’ve made your choice, then go on some dumb ass television show to compete for the wedding dress of your dreams in the size that you are, not some size that society thinks you should be.

As always, be well
CF

As always, be well
CF
Barack the Vote!…and keep your reproductive rights

Teach a Girl, Teach the World

As always, be well
CF
Barack the Vote!…because of course, Girls Rule