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The popular blogger and social commentator, Mia Freedman, found herself at the centre of yet another media controversy yesterday, after obesity advocates took offense to comments posted on her website. In a move reminiscent of the recent sacking of Catherine Deveny by The Age newspaper, Freedman’s critics are now calling on the Government to remove her as Chair of the National Body Image Advisory Group.
The Herald Sun, A Current Affair and Today Tonight, have all run stories criticising Freedman for her commentary on what she calls ‘gainer blogs’ that are ‘glorifying obesity’. The controversial blogger also became a hot topic of conversation on talkback radio yesterday, when Steve Vizard interviewed ‘fat activist’ (his words not mine) and founder of the website The Axis Of Fat, Nick Perkins.
This is not the first time the high profile blogger has been the subject of media controversy. In September 2009, Freedman was criticised by social commentator Suzanne Mostyn, for posting a link to a YouTube video on Twitter with the words: “Made me laugh. Rusty the narcoleptic dog”. Writing in The Australian newspaper, Ms Mostyn, whose 9 year old son has narcolepsy, urged Freedman to think before she tweets.
So what is going on here? Is Freedman being unfairly targeted?
What Freedman is experiencing is the downside of every success story. The more popular you become, the more you open yourself up to public scrutiny and criticism. Had the same comments been posted on some obscure website, no-one would bat an eyelid. But when a high profile figure such as Mia Freedman speaks, everybody, and that includes the cruel and the ignorant, listens and that’s what her critics are afraid of.
In her response to yesterday’s controversy, Freedman admitted she’s been scratching her head trying to figure out what she did wrong. She points to the fact that she didn’t personally write anything derogatory about the individuals who suffer from obesity. I beg to differ.
Freedman’s post was written to invite negative comments about obesity and by neglecting to moderate the discussion that followed, Freedman has demonstrated her ignorance in regards to this issue. How can someone who Chairs the National Body Image Advisory Group, not be aware of the discrimination faced by the obese in our society? Perhaps she isn’t the best person to be advising the Government on body image.
Freedman maintains she owns her mistakes. But what she really needs to ‘own’ is the level of influence she now has in our community. Her high public profile and increasing popularity was no accident. Freedman has worked hard to establish her position in the community and whilst I do admit at times I envy her position, what I do not envy is the level of responsibility she must carry on those small shoulders.
“Freedman’s post was written to invite negative comments about obesity and by neglecting to moderate the discussion that followed, Freedman has demonstrated her ignorance in regards to this issue.”
Nailed it. That is EXACTLY what this boils down to.
Nobody involved has called for Mia to be removed from her position – that’s just the media spin on the issue, as the headline “Activitists call for Sensitivity” is just way too nuanced for Today Tonight. For the various fat activists involved, this was just the final straw, the latest in a series of pieces about fat people, some of which were worse than the article currently causing a ruckus, and which have been noted and commented on in Fat Acceptance circles for some time; this stuff has been brought to Mia’s attention before. The worst thing is that she allows hateful comments about fat people to be posted, which makes the environment hostile to anyone who doesn’t conform to Mia’s standards of acceptable weight. For a supposed expert on body image issues, this is pretty poor.
I have followed this story from the beginning. What has stunned me is that Mia Freedman still cannot see that what she and others on the site posted were cruel and hurtful. That she repeatedly claims that she did nothing wrong. That she manipulated that blog post with each criticism. Rewording, rehashing what she originally wrote without any acknowledgment. That after she was criticised she moved stories around on the blog, pushing some higher up in visibility, and hiding others away (ie Skinny Girls are Liars).
And whats worse? With every new post trying to justify her actions, she allows a new level of ‘pack mentality’ fat hatred and insensitivity to be posted by her ‘followers’ – including deeply personal attacks on individuals. Its like Mean Girls – for real.
Mia Freedman still thinks this is about the ‘gainer’ post she wrote. It is that level of insensitivity and ignorance that is absolutely shattering for those who have tried so hard to advocate for issues such as body image and size diversity to be taken seriously.
Body image is not about advocating for a few more size 12 models on the catwalk and a some more transparency about photoshopping and airbrushing. It is about real people. With real feelings. And real bodies.
At the end of the day this isnt about caring about other peoples feelings. Its about Mia. Always has been.
On a personal level, I really like Mia and support what she does in general, but I must admit – these comments are relevant. What I think really needs looking at (and is consistently ignored by her) is the rubbishy and inane comments posted on her website. I posted a comment once (an upbeat, positive and socially-conscious one) and although some responses were intelligent and relevant, I was so offput by the trite and drivel some people posted in response, I have never been back to her site – and never will.
Beyond the social responsibility of her own words and opinion, a snappy dose of intelligent and selective comment moderation would be a simple way to tone down the BS that pervades some of her commentary.
@Tania McCartney: Exactly. All this could be avoided if Mia Freedman would moderate the comments before they are published on her website. I know she could make the argument that she receives too many comments to moderate all of them, but that’s the price of fame my dear!
I still think that Mia has expertly manipulated the situation to her own aims. She has now got a whole “Mia vs the Fatties” thing going on at Mama Mia. She has cunningly created an “anti fat-activism” environment that furthers her own body hate agenda for those outside an arbitrary and very narrow band of “normal” body types.
Nobody should hate their bodies, not even those at the extreme ends of the spectrum who may or may not have worrying behaviours around food.
As the Fat Activist (not Obesity Activist, thanks) who was at the centre of this maelstrom along with several others, I just want to say that NO ONE was asking for Mia to be removed from the Body Image Advisory Panel. I can’t see anything constructive that would come from that. What I was asking for was Mia to realise the offense and hurt that her approach to fat and fat people causes, not to mention the comments on her blog which indulge in blatant fat hate (no matter how much Mia says she can’t see any fat bashing). Mia has to realise that in her position as chair of the panel, she has a responsibility to people of all shapes and sizes, not just those in the ‘normal’ range of weight.
Get Real People! The fact is that obese people are unhealthy. SOME obese people genuinely have a medical issue but SOME just don’t look after themselves, they don’t eat well, they don’t exercise. Some have phsycological issues that have lead them to be obese. Full Stop.
This is what Mia Freedman was saying in her blog. The media has taken her comments and sensationalized them for their own gain. Today Tonight and ACA rely on sensationalism to survive. They stretch the truth as much as possible so that they just still fall into the Consumer Code of Conduct and can get away with it. An acquaintance from high school works for them and she’s even said that’s how they operate.
The general population needs to stop believing everything they hear in the media as truth.
To: Get Real
I did actually read Mia Freedman’s blog for myself and I’m quite sure most of the others who have commented here did the same. I don’t think anyone here is a mindless drone who believes everything they hear in the media.
….and yes the term ‘obese’ applies to hugely fat people that she was referring to as gainers (obese is simply a measurement of being overweight past the point of healthy ie massively overweight people). Her article was about hugely fat people who purposely try to get even fatter and I agree that it is disturbing these people want to damage the health of their bodies like that!
I think the whole issue may not have occured if Mia had used the term
‘óbese’ throughout the whole article rather than just ‘fat’. Society has a stigma about the ‘fat’ word. People with a chip on their shoulder have taken it and seen what they wanted to see in her article rather than really thinking it through before attacking it.