# SSBBW High Achievers



## CurvaceousBBWLover (Sep 8, 2011)

Patricia Rucker, formerly of the California Teachers Association, has been appointed to the CA State Board of Education. She is a strong advocacte for children and a high achieving larger woman. 

http://www.cta.org/Professional-Dev...b-11/CTA-advocate-appointed-to-State-BoE.aspx


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## disconnectedsmile (Sep 8, 2011)

CurvaceousBBWLover said:


> She is a strong advocacte for children and a high achieving larger woman.


i don't get what her body size has to do with her achievements.
why can't she just be a "high achieving person," regardless of her size _or_ gender?


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## EvilPrincess (Sep 8, 2011)

Sometimes it helps to see people that look like you or share a common factor with you be successful and honored for it.


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## LovelyLiz (Sep 8, 2011)

EvilPrincess said:


> Sometimes it helps to see people that look like you or share a common factor with you be successful and honored for it.



True story. Especially if, in general, the factor (in this case, fatness) tends to be associated with anything *but* doing something worthwhile in our society.


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## Shosh (Sep 8, 2011)

CurvaceousBBWLover said:


> Patricia Rucker, formerly of the California Teachers Association, has been appointed to the CA State Board of Education. She is a strong advocacte for children and a high achieving larger woman.
> 
> http://www.cta.org/Professional-Dev...b-11/CTA-advocate-appointed-to-State-BoE.aspx



Fantastic to see Emory! Thanks for sharing that.


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## genevathistime (Sep 8, 2011)

Me either. Seems silly.




disconnectedsmile said:


> i don't get what her body size has to do with her achievements.
> why can't she just be a "high achieving person," regardless of her size _or_ gender?


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## joemurphy (Sep 8, 2011)

CurvaceousBBWLover said:


> Patricia Rucker, formerly of the California Teachers Association, has been appointed to the CA State Board of Education. She is a strong advocacte for children and a high achieving larger woman.[/url]



How sad that our society has degenerated so far that 'high achievement' must also be justified by politically correct standards of size, race, religion ect.


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## bigmac (Sep 8, 2011)

joemurphy said:


> How sad that our society has degenerated so far that 'high achievement' must also be justified by politically correct standards of size, race, religion ect.



??? A lady who has dedicated her life to education gets appointed to the State School Board -- How is this odd or an example of political correctness?


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## Mathias (Sep 8, 2011)

bigmac said:


> ??? A lady who has dedicated her life to education gets appointed to the State School Board -- How is this odd or an example of political correctness?



Because her size doesn't have anything to do with what she's accomplished.


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## EtobicokeFA (Sep 8, 2011)

Thanks for sharing this great article Emory.


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## LovelyLiz (Sep 8, 2011)

joemurphy said:


> How sad that our society has degenerated so far that 'high achievement' must also be justified by politically correct standards of size, race, religion ect.



I didn't see this at all. Care to share the sections of the article that gave you this impression?


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## Jack Secret (Sep 8, 2011)

I guess this does deserve some congratulations. But the mention of her size makes it sound like she was some affirmative action case.

I also think about it this way. Most of the smartest women I have ever known were fat. Anybody who frequents just _*this *_website gets that impression!

I'm just sayin'


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## CurvaceousBBWLover (Sep 10, 2011)

mcbeth said:


> True story. Especially if, in general, the factor (in this case, fatness) tends to be associated with anything *but* doing something worthwhile in our society.



Exactly! You got my point!


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## CurvaceousBBWLover (Sep 10, 2011)

EtobicokeFA said:


> Thanks for sharing this great article Emory.



You are welcome.


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## tonynyc (Sep 10, 2011)

CurvaceousBBWLover said:


> Patricia Rucker, formerly of the California Teachers Association, has been appointed to the CA State Board of Education. She is a strong advocacte for children and a high achieving larger woman.
> 
> http://www.cta.org/Professional-Dev...b-11/CTA-advocate-appointed-to-State-BoE.aspx



*Thanks for sharing a great story*


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## butch (Sep 10, 2011)

Considering the ample evidence about fat women in the workplace having much less opportunities for career advancement (and even having less chance getting hired in the first place), and earning much less than thin women doing the same job, it is out of the ordinary to see a SSBBW have career success like this, and we should notice it.

If we lived in a world without bias, then yes, it wouldn't matter one bit if she were fat, but we don't, and when leading 'obesity' researchers at the Yale Rudd Center say that weight bias is as strong as race and gender bias in the US, then it is a big deal to notice when a very fat woman makes it to the height of her career.

I'm curious, for those of you who seem less than supportive of pointing out that this woman was fat, can you name other fat women who have similar career achievements? I know in my field, I can't think of many fat women who are at such levels of accomplishment (in fact, I can only think of one, and she isn't a SSBBW at all). Is this just an accident, and could it be, in a country where over 60% of the population is 'overweight' or 'obese'?


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## TexasTrouble (Sep 10, 2011)

butch said:


> Considering the ample evidence about fat women in the workplace having much less opportunities for career advancement (and even having less chance getting hired in the first place), and earning much less than thin women doing the same job, it is out of the ordinary to see a SSBBW have career success like this, and we should notice it.
> 
> If we lived in a world without bias, then yes, it wouldn't matter one bit if she were fat, but we don't, and when leading 'obesity' researchers at the Yale Rudd Center say that weight bias is as strong as race and gender bias in the US, then it is a big deal to notice when a very fat woman makes it to the height of her career.
> 
> I'm curious, for those of you who seem less than supportive of pointing out that this woman was fat, can you name other fat women who have similar career achievements? I know in my field, I can't think of many fat women who are at such levels of accomplishment (in fact, I can only think of one, and she isn't a SSBBW at all). Is this just an accident, and could it be, in a country where over 60% of the population is 'overweight' or 'obese'?



This exactly. I think it would be one thing if the tone of the article was all "Oh my gosh, there's this fattie who can actually do something productive! Who can believe it?!" But I think it's a powerful message to send that leaders can come in all shapes and sizes (and colors and genders and etc.), particularly since we know discrimination happens pretty regularly. 

A funny example from my own life: I was always fat growing up and, during my teenage years, one of the local news anchors was a very professional woman who was also chubby. I remember my father suggesting I could be a news anchor when I grew up after watching her. Also around this time, Rosie O'Donnell was becoming a popular standup comedian and appearing on The Tonight Show and similar programs. Guess what? My dad told me that since I was so funny I could think about being a comedian like Rosie O'Donnell. Some might find that offensive and, at the time, I think I did say gee, dad, think I can do a job that another fat woman hasn't already done? But I think seeing these women really opened his eyes that women like them (and me) could achieve something in the great big world.


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## *Goofy*Girl* (Sep 10, 2011)

butch said:


> Considering the ample evidence about fat women in the workplace having much less opportunities for career advancement (and even having less chance getting hired in the first place), and earning much less than thin women doing the same job, it is out of the ordinary to see a SSBBW have career success like this, and we should notice it.
> 
> If we lived in a world without bias, then yes, it wouldn't matter one bit if she were fat, but we don't, and when leading 'obesity' researchers at the Yale Rudd Center say that weight bias is as strong as race and gender bias in the US, then it is a big deal to notice when a very fat woman makes it to the height of her career.
> 
> I'm curious, for those of you who seem less than supportive of pointing out that this woman was fat, can you name other fat women who have similar career achievements? I know in my field, I can't think of many fat women who are at such levels of accomplishment (in fact, I can only think of one, and she isn't a SSBBW at all). Is this just an accident, and could it be, in a country where over 60% of the population is 'overweight' or 'obese'?




Exactly what I was thinking. 

These are some of the reasons why I became self-employed. I couldn't stand the discrimination anymore.

It's good to see strong, positive SSBBW role models.


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## *Goofy*Girl* (Sep 10, 2011)

TexasTrouble said:


> A funny example from my own life: I was always fat growing up and, during my teenage years, one of the local news anchors was a very professional woman who was also chubby. I remember my father suggesting I could be a news anchor when I grew up after watching her. Also around this time, Rosie O'Donnell was becoming a popular standup comedian and appearing on The Tonight Show and similar programs. Guess what? My dad told me that since I was so funny I could think about being a comedian like Rosie O'Donnell. Some might find that offensive and, at the time, I think I did say gee, dad, think I can do a job that another fat woman hasn't already done? But I think seeing these women really opened his eyes that women like them (and me) could achieve something in the great big world.



I love to see women like that. Especially Melissa McCarthy. She is so inspiring to anyone who wants to get into the entertanment industry.


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## ashmamma84 (Sep 10, 2011)

This is great. I do wonder though if race/ethnicity has anything to do with it. I read an article awhile back that said fat Caucasian women suffered negative career consequences yet women of color did not. I'll have to look for the article and post it. 

Anecdotally, most women I know in my life who are high achievers also happen to be fat (and black) - one retired as a Vice President of a bank, another is a plus size designer, another is a surgeon, another is a tax attorney, etc. So maybe having a bit of cushion culturally (ie, not receiving flack or abuse for being fat,) is something that helps propel black women to succeed academically and in the work place since precious time isn't being spent on how big or small they are. They can just be left alone to be...whatever it is they are and aspire to be. I do wonder about the intersection of race, gender and fat at play here and how maybe it can work to an advantage in some cases.


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## JulieD (Sep 11, 2011)

Just reading the article without reading all of the responses, my first impression was "that's great, but what does her size have to do with it?" Then I read all of the comments, and now I kinda don't know what to think.

I totally get the fact that she accomplished so much all while dealing with the judgments and harsh realities that a bbw, let alone ssbbw has to deal with on a day to day. I also get that she is a great role model to all of us other ssbbws who need someone to look up to and know that if she did it, we can too.

What I don't get is why her size is that much of an issue? We are all about size acceptance, so here we have someone who, regardless of her size, is very accomplished. I'm sure she has had to jump through hoops and over hurtles due to weight, but why is it an issue now? She fought that fight, won and is obviously a very successful person. 

I guess that maybe I feel that making an issue about her size take a little away from her accomplishments. All I'm saying is that I'm a ssbbw and if I accomplished something to this level, I would hate it if some one said "Julie did blah, blah, blah...all while being a super-sized fatty!!" No, I wouldn't like that...not to have my success pointed out along with the fact that I'm fat. I'm not feeling that, my success is going to be because of my hard work, dedication, and perseverance...its not going to be "because of the fat" nor "despite of the fat"...its going to be because of me, my sacrifices, and personal goals. Oh, and because I'm pretty cool


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## AmazingAmy (Sep 11, 2011)

JulieD said:


> Just reading the article without reading all of the responses, my first impression was "that's great, but what does her size have to do with it?" Then I read all of the comments, and now I kinda don't know what to think.
> 
> I totally get the fact that she accomplished so much all while dealing with the judgments and harsh realities that a bbw, let alone ssbbw has to deal with on a day to day. I also get that she is a great role model to all of us other ssbbws who need someone to look up to and know that if she did it, we can too.
> 
> ...



100% agree. Whatever pat on the back the article intended, it was inadvertently backhanded.


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## butch (Sep 11, 2011)

AmazingAmy said:


> 100% agree. Whatever pat on the back the article intended, it was inadvertently backhanded.



I didn't see the article mention her size, it was the OP who mentioned it, so in that regard, those of us in the community are making it a big deal, not the rest of the world. Does that change one's opinion, then? I mean, shouldn't we notice and cheer when one of our own does well? 

Honestly, I doubt the outside world gives two craps about SSBBWS doing well, and would only point out working SSBBWS in a negative way. I mean, just recently the NYPost went out of its way to point out that a fat babysitter smothered a baby, so it looks like the only time we get to be noticed in the mainstream press for our jobs is when our fat is blamed for messing it up.


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## LovelyLiz (Sep 11, 2011)

AmazingAmy said:


> 100% agree. Whatever pat on the back the article intended, it was inadvertently backhanded.



Yeah, I agree with butch, the article talks only about her achievements and qualifications and doesn't mention anything about her size, gender, race, or anything like that. It is some of us (including me) who are saying, "Yes, it's nice to see someone who looks more like me (in terms of body size) being honored for her hard work and appointed to a position of influence. There aren't enough of us in those positions, especially given our percentage of the population."


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## JulieD (Sep 11, 2011)

butch said:


> I didn't see the article mention her size, it was the OP who mentioned it, so in that regard, those of us in the community are making it a big deal, not the rest of the world. Does that change one's opinion, then? I mean, shouldn't we notice and cheer when one of our own does well?
> 
> Honestly, I doubt the outside world gives two craps about SSBBWS doing well, and would only point out working SSBBWS in a negative way. I mean, just recently the NYPost went out of its way to point out that a fat babysitter smothered a baby, so it looks like the only time we get to be noticed in the mainstream press for our jobs is when our fat is blamed for messing it up.



Ahhh, you see that's where I'm on the fence with this thread. If we take it back to the OP's original intent and just give a simple shout out, way to go, congrats approach...than I'm all aboard. She totally deserves recognition for her achievements, and it is nice to see a ssbbw being so successful, knowing the type of scrutinizes she had to face and over come to make it where she is. Hell yeahz she deserves recognition for that especially in our community.

But...
Some where the thread changed from giving her support and acknowledgment, to making it an "issue" that her size wasn't mentioned, or acknowledged outside of this forum. Let's say that the article DID mention that she is of a plus size stature, do you think that it would change the way most of the world perceives Ms. Rucker? I don't know if it would change the opinions of most. Those people would be sitting there with the same question that was mentioned here, what does her size have to do with it? You and I know that her size probably caused the road towards her goal to be, shall I say a little more "curvey" (hehe). The only reason we know that is because of our own walks in life have been similar to a point, I'm sure. As for those whom opinions would change once her size was mentioned, there is a high chance that it would change towards a more negative side, taking away from what she has done. That's a shame and I hope that we as a community can work together to narrow that closed mindedness people have. 

As far as the babysitter who killed the baby...the media is totally going to enhance any kind of negativity they can towards the murderer, she did after all kill a poor defenseless infant. If she was a skinny, gay person, that would have been the headline. Or black, or foreign, or a high school drop out...any way the media can take an already ill viewed person, and make them look bad. This time, they chose her size. Do I think that the rest of the world is going to walk around assuming that all chunky people are murderers, no...not at all. It was just a way the media twisted the headline in an effort to make the murderer look worse in most eyes. I kinda view it very similar to this, what does her size have to do with it...


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## KittyKitten (Sep 12, 2011)

Many of the women I've known in academia were bbws and ssbbws.


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## Johannes (Sep 14, 2011)

JulieD said:


> Ahhh, you see that's where I'm on the fence with this thread. If we take it back to the OP's original intent and just give a simple shout out, way to go, congrats approach...than I'm all aboard. She totally deserves recognition for her achievements, and it is nice to see a ssbbw being so successful, knowing the type of scrutinizes she had to face and over come to make it where she is. Hell yeahz she deserves recognition for that especially in our community.
> 
> But...
> Some where the thread changed from giving her support and acknowledgment, to making it an "issue" that her size wasn't mentioned, or acknowledged outside of this forum. Let's say that the article DID mention that she is of a plus size stature, do you think that it would change the way most of the world perceives Ms. Rucker? I don't know if it would change the opinions of most. Those people would be sitting there with the same question that was mentioned here, what does her size have to do with it? You and I know that her size probably caused the road towards her goal to be, shall I say a little more "curvey" (hehe). The only reason we know that is because of our own walks in life have been similar to a point, I'm sure. As for those whom opinions would change once her size was mentioned, there is a high chance that it would change towards a more negative side, taking away from what she has done. That's a shame and I hope that we as a community can work together to narrow that closed mindedness people have.
> ...



I agree with Julie,

SSBBW´s sometimes face prejudice in their professional life, although their ability is totally unrelated to their physical features.

However while we who (hopefully) see the true value of people regardless of size (or other physical attributes) can be happy about the achievements of SSBBW´s it would not be beneficial if media started to cathegorize people even more. We should criticize media whenever size is mentioned in a negative way. (Such as questioning someones ability or probably more common saying that someone is not a good role model.)

BBC News yesterday mentioned the results of Norwegian local government elections in the aftermath of the massacre i Oslo. The party making most gains was the centre-right party Hoyre. It´s leader since several years is Erna Solberg. She is BBW bordering on SSBBW. :bow:

http://image.yaymicro.com/rz_512x512/0/4bc/erna-solberg-4bccec.jpg

She was very close to become Prime Minister 2 years ago. So she is one example of an outstanding woman of size who is admired and trusted by the general public.


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