FullaBella's Journal, 04 April 2014

Friday - April 4th - and I am still chuckling at myself.... 'A little hypersensitive are we, B?"

I took Mushy to the vet to have her bandage removed this morning. She's doing well and thank you for the concern and well wishes. To clarify - didn't get hung 'in the basket during the ride' - she has very thick, plush bed liner. Her toenail got hung on it after I'd already taken her OUT and was setting her on the ground. Lesson learned - maybe she won't grab for the basket but MOMMY will make sure she's got a 12" radius clearing before descending to the floor.

Anyway, while there at the clinic, a guy bringing his dog in leaned over to her and said 'what a chubby dog... aren't you a chubby dog... what's your name ... chubby dog?'

I pulled her closer to me and put my arm around her, took a sharp inhale and looked away from the Jerk, doing my BEST not to judge or react. But he persisted 'What's her Name?'

I looked him in the eye and said "NOT Chubby!"
The moron actually responded, 'Seriously? Her name is 'Not Chubby'?

"No!" I barked... at that point making ME the loudest B*tch in the Barkhouse.

I continued, "Her name is not important at this point as it's obvious you've never seen a genuine full blooded Chinese Pug. She's not a TOY. She's not a MINIATURE and she's NOT CHUBBY. She is a little over her normal range because of medications but is otherwise very HEALTHY and looks JUST LIKE SHE'S SUPPOSED TO LOOK.:

Can you say ... PROJECTION? Eighteen months of trying to love and accept MYself for who and what I am, love myself at any weight, working thru the "love yourself" challenge and trying to break years of bad scripts and broken records running in my head of all the people who called me 'chubby' then 'fat' and labeling me 'morbidly obese' and shaming me into not liking myself and remembering that I was more than a number on a scale or tag on a pair of jeans... it all came to head in a showdown with an ignorant man at the pet clinic.

I was PO'd! I wanted to say 'I'm surprised you even noticed her sitting there on the floor - from that 4 inches of belly hanging over your belt I bet you haven't seen your own feet in years! Who are you to call ANYONE chubby!" But I didn't. For that would make ME as judgmental and harsh as those at whom I'm angry.

The guy came back out from the exam room and had an actual tear in the corner of his eye when he leaned over and said, "Ma'am, I want to sincerely apologize for upsetting you. I didn't mean that as an insult but I can tell you took it that way and I am very sorry."

I responded, "Thank you. I appreciate that. I get really weary of my dog being fat-shamed just because she doesn't fit into a cookie cutter idea of what this breed is supposed to look like. As she can't speak out for herself, it's my job to do so."

Of course, I was speaking out for MYself in that conversation too. I thought about my reaction on the drive home. Back in the day, a chubby child was a healthy child. A 'fat' person was regarded as wealthy and well to do. Only the poor and sick were thin.

Then somewhere along the way ... the ideal woman went from being Marilyn Monroe or Sophia Loren. The perfect female specimen gracing the covers of magazines had to be a teenage waif who looked like she could be broken apart with one stiff blow. This is the image *MY* generation grew up on feeling BAD because we couldn't be that. I watched a documentary about models this weekend called 'chasing beauty' and the fact is only very tall 'teenage' girls can pull of the look of haute couture we grown women are trying to buy and wear.

And I realized, it was done to DOGS. Pugs were actually bred down from Mastiffs. Then toys and miniatures and suddenly any dog that can't fit in a purse is 'fat' or 'too big'.

Anyway ~ that was my morning. I'm sure that guy will go home and tell his wife about the very witchy woman at the clinic. I doubt he'll call any dog 'chubby' for a while though.

One day, one bite, one imbecile at a time. That's my goal.

Thanks for visiting with me.

Bella

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2034 kcal

Fat: 98.26g | Prot: 152.50g | Carb: 146.46g.   Breakfast: Coffee-Mate Sugar Free Caramel Macchiato Coffee Creamer, Spectrum Organic Virgin Coconut Oil, Milk (2% Lowfat with Added Vitamin A). Lunch: Cornbread Stuffing (Dry Mix, Prepared), Cheddar Cheese, Turkey Breast Meat (Cooked, Roasted), Sweet Pickle Relish, Hellmann's Mayonnaise with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Laughing Cow Mini Babybel Cheddar Semisoft Cheese, Tuna in Water (Canned). Dinner: Smucker's Cherry Preserves, Smart Balance Omega Natural Peanut Butter, Bob's Red Mill Chia Seed, Quaker Old Fashioned Oats. more...

1852 kcal

Activities & Exercise: Sleeping - 24 hours. more...