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lune 6. 2007
"•ÿortlani,
w re Fat and All That
Fat Girl Speaks
this weekend
by N icole R onal H ooper /T he
P ortland O bserver
S inger/actress Q ueen Latifah,
comedian M o’Nique and the new
American Idol Jordin Sparks all have
Sahara Dunes: nurse by day, burlesque dancer by night. Dunes will something in com mon with most
perform at this weekend’s Fat Girl Speaks at Portland State University. women: they are plus-sized. These
women have put their stamp on pop
culture and a positive image without
being rail thin. Yet society often turns
an ugly face to the obese. In Portland
there’s Fat Girl Speaks, acelebration
o f size, self and sexuality.
3/reciidiziiht in $ w eltei 2 Meni $ í ’ 'Ô 'Ô Q
“It is a life changing for a lot of
people,”
said Olivia McClelland, 31.
Beef* Pork • Lamb • Poultry • Seafood
"N o matter as me being a w oman in
-Lunch $5.95. 'D inner $ 9 .9 5 anb u/>
this society you are constantly be­
Pork Rib, Brisket, Turkey, Chicken, Ox Tails & More
ing told to hate your body. It’s a
constant mirage o f messages and
Beer and Wine Available
that’s the bottom line with Fat Girl
Open 11:30 AM - 9:00 PM Monday thru Saturday Speaks.”
In 2004, Stacy Bias, a local entre­
preneur and ow ner o f the web site
Technodyke.com , decided to start
Fridays
Fat Girl Speaks because she saw die
need for an event that deals with
4057
body image in a positive way. The
N. Interstate Ave.
event was sold out.
503-493-9414
“We had not idea there would be
so many people,” said McClelland,
¿Sf 'U -Í.ÍC ÍO 1 4 S
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SMOKEHOUSE -A ^ ,( nil
Blues
photo B y M ark
W ashin <; ton /T hk P ortland O bserver
Fat Girls in Planning: Jenny Bruso, Amithyst Fist, Shawn Mathis and
Olivia McClelland meet for the upcoming evening of fashion and
performances that celebrate positive body images.
head organizer for this years FGS.
The following year, the event was
held at Roseland Theater. More than
I,(XX) people came but McClelland
says that some o f the Roseland staff
was rude and ridiculed performers.
McClelland wants the world to
know that fat jokes aren’t funny,
especially in an environment that is
supposed to provide a safe space.
Fat G irl S peaks is also an event
to en tertain . In p rev io u s years,
M cC lellan d says there w ere som e
co m p lain ts ab o u t the lack o f d i­
v ersity . A t a sexy size 16, b u r­
lesque p erfo rm er S ah ara D unes
w ill jo in the roster. D u n es, 30,
says w o m en sh o u ld be busy em ­
b racin g th e ir bodies.
As an African-American she has
heard stereotypes that black women
carry their weight better, yet she had
body image demons.
Dunes will join various local and
national performers at Fat Girl Speaks,
includingavendorfair, fashion show
and performances on Saturday, June
9,2007at PSU'sSmith Memorial Stu­
dent Union Ballroom. For more infor­
mation visit www.fatgirlspeaks.org.
JUNE 10th at 6 p.m.
Lee Williams
The Spiritual OC’s
Performing live at
The Double Tree Hotel
Ballroom in Portland
For more information call
UPROOTED ENTERTAIN­
MENT 503-875-1425
Or visit: www.uprootedentertainment.com
Tickets available at the following outlets (To charge by p hone call):
T ickets W est 1-800-992-8499 • O ne S top R ecords 503-284-2435
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