Bearing the Body (Woof Woof)

Having a few ties to the so-called “Bear Community,” I was very interested in the fat studies reading. As the author notes, fat wasn't always a negative thing: “To be fat was to the ruling elite to be vicious, common, and unlearned (20).” The bear community seems to want to reclaim or take ownership of nonstandard body types. Body hair, large bodies, and over the top masculinity mark the terms the bear community uses: bear, cub, wolf, pup, otter, and chub. The occurrence of “chubby-chasers” must be in some part be a reaction to a nation that acts out against people of nonstandard weights; I'm thinking about Fast Food Nation, The Biggest Loser, as well as the host of shows that litter BBC America and The Learning Channel. In this way, I see the bear community as an act of resistance against the idea that all homosexual males are feminine, and an ownership of the nonstandard body types. That being said, the bear community points to the fact that it is more acceptable for males to be large bodied than it is for women to be large bodied.