I rarely read blogs that focus on either gender or health. It has nothing to do with the quality of the blogs or the importance of the subject matter; they just aren’t topics that mesh with my normal interests. However, there are two examples that have caught my eye during the past year. They are very different in tone and approach, but both are striking examples of passion and the power of blogging.
[EDIT: please note that adult language and adult subjects are featured in these two blogs - they are not recommended for children and they may be a bit questionable for teens as well.]
Annie’s Rexia - I recently discovered that the author of HexMyEx (one of the blogs in my blog roll) had started another blog. I very much enjoyed HexMyEx for its wit and the somewhat surreal stories told by the author, but hadn’t checked in for some time. As funny and clever as the stories were, there was always a sense of snark and humor in the author’s prose which indicated a very strong person. Annie’s Rexia is a much more personal, honest, and disturbing read. I use the word disturbing because the author has gone through some pretty horrible times and still deals with related issues to this day. It’s bare, honest, and adult reading. The same wit and skill remains in the writing, but it’s a more honest and real blog. On one hand, it’s heavy reading and not for the faint of heart, mind, or soul. Yet, at the same time, it can be very uplifting to see a troubled person struggle to work through their problems and make progress. Annie is no super woman, but she’s definitely a hero and an inspiration to people who suffer from eating disorders and various forms of abuse. She’s married a great guy this year and has a couple of wonderful daughters, so I’m crossing my fingers that things continue to improve for her, despite that rocks that life continues to throw at her.
Shapely Prose - Shapely Prose is very, very different from Annie’s Rexia. The authors have a “take no prisoners” approach to spreading the word about fat acceptance and don’t you dare get in their way! Kate Harding, Fillyjonk, and Sweet Machine fight a never-ending war against people who look down on fat people (they insist on using the word “fat” instead of gentler words like overweight). Both the blog posts and commercials are fiery, passionate, and occasionally antagonistic. Definitely adult stuff here (note: the profanity only seems to fly in moments of extreme passion or anger, but it’s memorable when it comes out). There have been times when the bloggers haven’t been very tolerant of dissenting opinions and they can be very blunt in their assessment of people they don’t agree with. However, they do have important things to say and they cover their topic thoroughly. And kudos to them for the BMI Project, which features photos of many different women, including their BMI scores; they’re trying to show that the BMI (Body Mass Index), which powers so many diet and weight loss programs, has some serious flaws and limitations that need to be examined.
I can’t say which of these blogs is “right” or “better” than the other. However, I think it’s very interesting to look at how two different blogs deal with somewhat similar topics. Both blogs both speak to the power of blogging and social media as platforms to talk about important, occasionally personal topics. Passion and deep feeling may come from different places inside a person, but the blog is a great way to craft and deliver important writing about important topics.
I can’t guarantee that you’ll like either blog, but I highly recommend checking them both out. You might learn something new and you’ll definitely remember both blogs for a long, long time.
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BlogDay2008
