# 'Chubby Chaser' - A TVO, Canadian film documentary



## John Smith (Sep 14, 2017)

"Blending live action and playful stop-motion animation, filmmaker Jeff Sterne looks for other men who appreciate a full figure on a woman and addresses his feelings of exclusion in society because of his love for big-girl beauty. Spurred into action by his niece, he explores why the female beauty ideal has changed from real size to no size, and in the process hopes to find acceptance for himself and his niece."

http://tvo.org/video/documentaries/chubby-chaser


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## Tad (Sep 15, 2017)

Given that the name and creator name are the same, I’m guessing that they have dusted off this documentary again &#8211; we discussed it here previously in 2012 (the joy of public broadcasters, by necessity they recycle! There was no reason you'd have been aware of a five year old discussion, I'm just linking it in so you can see what was said back then)


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## waldo (Sep 15, 2017)

Tad said:


> Given that the name and creator name are the same, Im guessing that they have dusted off this documentary again  we discussed it here previously in 2012 (the joy of public broadcasters, by necessity they recycle! There was no reason you'd have been aware of a five year old discussion, I'm just linking it in so you can see what was said back then)



Unfortunately it is not viewable in my region. I am guessing only viewable in Canada. You would think if it is 5 years old they could just post on YouTube and make available to everyone. There is plenty of content out there for size acceptance from the fat person's point of view, but fat admirers are still so largely marginalized. I really wonder if it is any easier (possibly even harder) to be a young FA today than when I was coming of age in the 80s and 90s.


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## Tad (Sep 15, 2017)

It just occurred to me, if this was first shown five years ago, and was probably filmed at least a year before that, the niece is all grown up now. Would be interesting to hear her perspective on the documentary now, and how it did or didn't change her perspective on such things. Would be just one data point, but a bit of a proxy for 'how much should we address such things with tweens/teens?"


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## wrestlingguy (Sep 15, 2017)

I had an opportunity to interview Jeff Sterne the director back in 2012, when the documentary first came out. If anyone is interested, here's a link:

https://phil.varlese.blog/2012/09/24/chubby-chaser-the-director/

Jeff and I have remained friends over the years, and correspond periodically. Great question, Tad. I will ask about his niece, though I don't know if he will want to share additional information about her. If he does, I'll pass it along.


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## waldo (Sep 16, 2017)

wrestlingguy said:


> I had an opportunity to interview Jeff Sterne the director back in 2012, when the documentary first came out. If anyone is interested, here's a link:
> 
> https://phil.varlese.blog/2012/09/24/chubby-chaser-the-director/
> 
> Jeff and I have remained friends over the years, and correspond periodically. Great question, Tad. I will ask about his niece, though I don't know if he will want to share additional information about her. If he does, I'll pass it along.



"Phil  For people in the fat community, the name chubby chaser is similar to fat admirer, meaning that it carries more of a fetish connotation."

Not a constructive contribution - just sanctimonious (and likely self-loathing) garbage. The subtitle "Bitter Old Man" seems quite appropriate.


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## RabbitScorpion (Sep 16, 2017)

Somewhere on Dims, a few years ago, we had a thread on the different meanings of the term "chubby chaser". It has different meanings depending where one is.

In some places/social circles, it is assumed to be a gay male who prefers high-BMI men over men of lesser weight.

In others, a straight man who hopes to exploit women who assume that BBWs will consent to relationships without commitment or explotitative relationships (because of the stereotype that heavier women have difficulty finding good relationships).

In yet others, a man who prefers women with a high BMI over one with a lower BMI (for any relationship, regardless of quality). TVO's documentary covered this meaning.


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## wrestlingguy (Sep 17, 2017)

waldo said:


> "Phil  For people in the fat community, the name chubby chaser is similar to fat admirer, meaning that it carries more of a fetish connotation."
> 
> *Not a constructive contribution - just sanctimonious (and likely self-loathing) garbage.* *The subtitle "Bitter Old Man" seems quite appropriate*.



Really? How so?

I thought it was constructive back in 2012 when it was written, and judging by the amount of views over the years (and lack of criticism of the interview during that time), I would say that at the very worst, it was met with apathy. Does that really sound sanctimonious to you? 

If you go back to the original thread from 2012 posted by Tad in his earlier post, you'd see that the name was actually not Sterne's preference for a working title. Even though he wasn't an active participant in the fat community, he certainly understood the nomenclature, and was well aware of the interpretations of "Chubby Chaser"

I actually think he went with it because he realized that his audience would likely be more people outside the fat community, who had already heard the "chubby chaser" term over the years, thanks to old tv shows like Phil Donahue and Jenny Jones.


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## Tad (Sep 17, 2017)

Waldo, I have no idea how you read all of that, and that was the main point you came away with. Both in terms of how you read it that way, and how you found that the most notable takeaway. Obviously you did read it that way, but .... To make such an aggressive post about a five year old interview with no other context honestly comes across as almost wilful trolling.

Could you explain what it was about that passage that bothers you so much?


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## waldo (Sep 17, 2017)

Tad said:


> Waldo, I have no idea how you read all of that, and that was the main point you came away with. Both in terms of how you read it that way, and how you found that the most notable takeaway. Obviously you did read it that way, but .... To make such an aggressive post about a five year old interview with no other context honestly comes across as almost wilful trolling.
> 
> Could you explain what it was about that passage that bothers you so much?




Yeah you're right, my post was a little overly strong. I don't know if it worth getting into the details of my reasons for this other than to say I know the poster in question has expressed some 'ambivalence' towards FAs in the past, and I find myself being 'triggered' by the whole fetish accusation being thrown at FAs all the time. It is a very loaded term, and I don't see us having any chance to achieve greater societal acceptance if we accept it's use to describe us as a group.


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## wrestlingguy (Sep 17, 2017)

waldo said:


> Yeah you're right, my post was a little overly strong. I don't know if it worth getting into the details of my reasons for this other than to say I know the poster in question has expressed some 'ambivalence' towards FAs *in the past*, and I find myself being 'triggered' by the whole fetish accusation being thrown at FAs all the time. It is a very loaded term, and I don't see us having any chance to achieve greater societal acceptance if we accept it's use to describe us as a group.



Key words......"In the past"

During the time I wrote some of those blogs (2010-2012), I was far from ambivalent. I was angry at a lot of people who called themselves FAs and attended my events in NJ (and other places that ran events I attended). I felt like those guys were giving anyone who said they were a Fat Admirer a bad name. 

I stepped away because I knew that angst could do no good for me. Since that time, I got engaged to a gorgeous woman, have become more a proponent of fat activism, and support (financially) endeavors that would be considered fat positive.

I cut off most of the people (men & women) whose actions in the community went against my core values. Others cut me off for the same reasons. I regret none of it. I still have some good friends from Dimensions, BBW Chat Zone, the BBW Canada group on Facebook, and from my NJ BBW events. Those are the people that I care for and whose opinions I respect (and I have to tell you that not all of them agree with me on things, & vice versa). 

Something I've learned over the past 5 years is that it's better to stick to discussion of an issue or point, rather than discussing the person making the point.

So to respond to your first post directed at me.......OLD? Yes (though my fiance' doesn't see an issue). BITTER? Hardly. 

Your response sounded more bitter than mine. Sorry my post triggered you.


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## John Smith (Sep 18, 2017)

Tad said:


> Given that the name and creator name are the same, Im guessing that they have dusted off this documentary again  we discussed it here previously in 2012 (the joy of public broadcasters, by necessity they recycle! There was no reason you'd have been aware of a five year old discussion, I'm just linking it in so you can see what was said back then)



Oh, I didn't know about it.


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## John Smith (Sep 18, 2017)

wrestlingguy said:


> I had an opportunity to interview Jeff Sterne the director back in 2012, when the documentary first came out. If anyone is interested, here's a link:
> 
> https://phil.varlese.blog/2012/09/24/chubby-chaser-the-director/
> 
> Jeff and I have remained friends over the years, and correspond periodically. Great question, Tad. I will ask about his niece, though I don't know if he will want to share additional information about her. If he does, I'll pass it along.



Interesting.


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## quantumbits (Sep 19, 2017)

(removed my prior comment.)

I'll have to watch that interview tomorrow see what i think about it.


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## Forgotten_Futures (Sep 19, 2017)

waldo said:


> Unfortunately it is not viewable in my region. I am guessing only viewable in Canada.



https://www.tunnelbear.com/

Make an account, verify your email, spoof your location into Canada, enjoy. Just make sure to turn it back off so you don't spend monthly data on things not related to location spoofing.


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## waldo (Sep 19, 2017)

quantumbits said:


> (removed my prior comment.)
> 
> I'll have to watch that interview tomorrow see what i think about it.



Hey I read your original post and found it quite interesting. It came off (to me) as a sarcastic commentary (born out of frustration?) on the current 'culture war' that is going on in our society with the cultural Marxist intersectional SJWs versus more 'traditional' viewpoint. Certainly as FAs, who by definition objectify women as much as any others, we find ourselves squarely in the cross-hairs. And as mentioned earlier in this thread, the many bad actors who fall under the FA category (particularly the sleazy closet cases who only chase fat chicks for sex and keep this separate from the rest of their life) don't help our cause for legitimacy. This needs a separate related thread (or two) of it's own but I fear there will be a lot of hesitancy to engage in the dialog from many.



Forgotten_Futures said:


> https://www.tunnelbear.com/
> 
> Make an account, verify your email, spoof your location into Canada, enjoy. Just make sure to turn it back off so you don't spend monthly data on things not related to location spoofing.



Thanks for the info. I will check it out


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## Svenmad2167 (Sep 23, 2017)

Too little too late for me I'm turning my back on the movement cuz the moment turn their back on me


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## waldo (Sep 24, 2017)

Svenmad2167 said:


> Too little too late for me I'm turning my back on the movement cuz the moment turn their back on me



Would you be willing to elaborate on how the 'movement' turned its' back on you? As was discussed recently in a thread on the FA board: there seems to be a lot of hostility from many fat women toward men who self-identify as FAs or just give the impression of being interested in these women partly because of their plus size rather than in spite of it. I assume this is what you are talking about. I haven't been in the dating scene for decades, so I can't comment from personal experience, but everything I see is pointing toward the idea that relations between men and women have never been worse, with the BBW/FA community (what is left of it) possibly being no exception to this.


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## Svenmad2167 (Oct 4, 2017)

Ok Waldo.
To eliberate why I turn my back on the movement. I'm going to roll the clock back 21 years ago. Now I went to my first BBW dance. And the women where ok. But I had this nagging feeling. That I was going to be later on this is a decade before social media came out. A couple months later they had a bachelor auction. And guess who got the lowest bit and that's when the rumor is and lies came out. That I was a witch or warlock practicing witchcraft. which I am not. And I met a BBW at another dance. But it felt the same. What are you doing here?, We don't want you.we don't need you. why don't you go home. And in 2006 was the last BBW event. I went to until I had planned to come back. Now Facebook came out in 2007. I had a account off and on. But recently when I put my pic. Get laughed at. Or get the pass. Which is no likes or comments. And it's off line too. I can see that I am not wanted or not catching someone's eye or heart. Even my own church treats me like a 10 year old. That I have just recently left. I had surgery 3 years ago. And I wish I had died on the table. And a couple of accesses on my face. And it left some permanent scars. On my face. And because these scars no BBW or ssbbw would their right mind would date me. So I have gotten used to being ingored. So I have decided to turn my back. On the BBW events and movement. Because bbws find it. So easy to ingore me


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## waldo (Oct 6, 2017)

Svenmad2167 said:


> Ok Waldo.
> To eliberate why I turn my back on the movement. I'm going to roll the clock back 21 years ago. Now I went to my first BBW dance. And the women where ok. But I had this nagging feeling. That I was going to be later on this is a decade before social media came out. A couple months later they had a bachelor auction. And guess who got the lowest bit and that's when the rumor is and lies came out. That I was a witch or warlock practicing witchcraft. which I am not. And I met a BBW at another dance. But it felt the same. What are you doing here?, We don't want you.we don't need you. why don't you go home. And in 2006 was the last BBW event. I went to until I had planned to come back. Now Facebook came out in 2007. I had a account off and on. But recently when I put my pic. Get laughed at. Or get the pass. Which is no likes or comments. And it's off line too. I can see that I am not wanted or not catching someone's eye or heart. Even my own church treats me like a 10 year old. That I have just recently left. I had surgery 3 years ago. And I wish I had died on the table. And a couple of accesses on my face. And it left some permanent scars. On my face. And because these scars no BBW or ssbbw would their right mind would date me. So I have gotten used to being ingored. So I have decided to turn my back. On the BBW events and movement. Because bbws find it. So easy to ingore me



You bring out a sad reality about the 'BBW community'. As people who are heavily discriminated by society as a whole, once they are in their own little group, they can be quite indifferent rather than welcoming toward 'newcomers' to the community. But the fact that so many of the men who enter this community with bad intentions (say they are looking for relationship but only want a sexual fling) makes a lot of fat women distrustful of and as a result callous toward FAs. I would bet you have a much better chance finding a relationship via online dating sites than BBW dances/social events. Just like we need to remind fat women that not all FAs are like the nasty ones they may have encountered, so it is true that FAs need to remember not all fat women will put up walls and/or hypocritically judge you on your appearance.


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