Oh.... except ravers, apparently.
Anyone else notice this conversation last week? It has several different variables but mainly goes something this: Blah blah blah, holidaze were good but I ate too much, blah blah, oh my GOD I am like SO FAT now at my 5 to 8 pound weight gain because my mom made a shitload of my favorite cookies and chocolate was everywhere and I sat down to this gorgeous, delicious giant dinner and then, horror of horrors, everyone expected me to EAT IT. IT WAS AWFUL, THERE IS NO GOD, DON'T LOOK AT ME, I'M HIDEOUS, HIDEOUS!!!!!!
Um.
Ok, so. The West Coast is already skinnier than other parts of the country. It's true, check Stats Canada http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-620-m/2005001/c-g/adults-adutles/4053576-eng.htm. Probably due to all the bicycling / MEC wearing / yoga practicing and of course the plethora of available soy products, as well as the Asian influence (how many fat Asians do you know? That's what I thought. By the way, who do I have to kill to get some more hot black guys to move here??? SERIOUSLY)... but I ask you... is it possible that all these factors have resulted in extra sensitive body image and more sneaky high-school style anorexia? EVEN in progressive and love-filled lands such as: Of the Ravers? (NB: I use the term Ravers loosely to describe the electronic music scene as a whole - techno / hip hop / tribal / hippie / dnb/ dubstep / etc etc. It's a term reclamation and stufff). It's weird, because recreational choices that often include marathon dancing, yoga, mind-expanding drug-use and vegan-ism aren't exactly a recipe for obesity. In fact you would think that the assumed accompanying neo-hippie mentality would perhaps encourage people to take care of themselves by eating enough. So why do I keep encountering more and more shrinking women on the dance floor who say they are simply "forgetting to eat"? Hrmmmmmmmm.
Now if you've ever uttered that line, please know that I DO realize that it IS sometimes quite genuine to get caught up and lose track of everything. My mother, for example, is a crazy work-a-holic who will go for hours without so much as a nibble... one day she prescribed yogurt to me for my upset tummy because it once "helped my stomach stop hurting when it was empty". Um... you mean HUNGER? Rrrrright. (I love that woman). BUT I'mma be straight up now..."forgetting to eat" as a habit can start to look like a weight management technique after awhile, even if it's subconscious. After all, you didn't forget to put on clothes today and that's also necessary - oh wait, bad example cause I SO never wear clothes - ummm... ok, retry. You didn't forget to go to the bathroom today, right? Better example. Yes.
Now I get that a lot of time not eating is a mere result of lack of planning. Things are stressful, there's a million to-do's and food is a lower priority at that exact moment. This actually used to be a big Sweet Soul move in the first days of throwing shows... we'd be so busy and have forgotten all about food. Then we'd remember by the time it was simply too late to go get something. You can usually tell which events those were by the subsequent photos of us looking SHITFACED by about 10:30 pm (usually one of our eyes is kind of closed, our grins are lopsided and my boobs are hanging out, like more than normal). Now we make time cause we got sick of peeling each other's faces off the floor. In general, I find that if you can plan your outfit, you can plan your dinner. PS: MDMA is not dinner, ummkayyy?
You've probably noticed that people who don't eat not only get more wasted, they also get "hangry". You know "hangry", it's a combo of "hungry" and "angry" and occurs when your brain keeps thinking about food instead of how to act like a nice person. I've also noticed hanger in some extreme I-ONLY-eat-organic-seaweed people which can also start to look like sneaky anorexia sometimes. Cause I know lots of vegans, and they actually eat a lot of shit. Some of it's even tasty!
Ok. I should take a time-out to assure you that I'm not saying this to hate on anybody. And I know that you can be naturally thin while having healthy eating habits. And those who struggle with their self image, I'm not judging, I love you, I'm there on and off like anyone else. BUT. Those who are forgetting to eat. Please remember how powerful you are, especially within a subculture that doesn't buy into conventional TV-land. Social influence quickly replace media influence in such circles and trends spread quicker than my legs in 2006 (good year. sigh.). What I mean is that for every cool-looking chick who forgets to eat, another four also start forgetting. Then suddenly everyone's friends are trying to maintain this weird starvation weight by not eating and they start taking more drugs or speed or diet pills to maintain their energy levels. AND MEANWHILE, EVERYONE IS HANGRY. It's a world I don't enjoy. Reminds me too much of ballet school. You wanna see HANGER? Try CP at age 14. Not pretty. No pun intended.
Ravers of the World: let us eat. I promise everyone will still look nice in their gorgeous hand-made organic bamboo cotton backless dresses. And for fuck's sake, no jumping off the Lion's Gate bridge because you ate that extra box of chocolates this Christmas. It's the holidaze, for crying out loud. You were drunk.
And now here is a gratuitous un-graded, un-retouched shot of my un-starving bum captured by Tallulah. Send it to all your hot black friends immediately and tell them to visit Vancouver. (Yes, I know it's a stereotype, but there's also another stereotype about hot black men that I've also found to be pretty true, so whateves. Do it).
Heh heh.
kisse n' kix
xoxo
CP
