Very, very powerful and moving. What a great lady.
Imagine how dark your heart must have to be to publish such hateful comments online.
Obesity can be a deficiency in the most simple ways. But being so unaware of their own psychological issues and how their own deficiency brings darkness to everyone around them is a tragedy in our time. What void can be filled with tormenting others?
5
As dilute and individual our voices and opinions are becoming, we all need them.
Whatever happened to people's upbrining where we were taught to keep our nasty comments quietly to ourselves?
Social media has released all the floodgates to any sort of polite social restraint. Anything goes, it would seem.
What a shame this woman has to spend her creative time dealing with and trying to "educate" these poorly brought up individuals!
6
She is beautiful in finding a way to show the anonymous that they aren’t so anonymous and be as human on the internet as you are in person.
I do not agree with the way she chose to demonstrate her view with photographs, but respect that she has pushed a border.
3
@steve “And to think she did all this brilliant work without missing a meal”
Well, maybe she will lose weight some day, Steve, but you’ll still be a troll who put her down just to be mean and get a laugh.
8
The "you people", who, as you say, "shove too much food in your face" can't understand how you can order a Big Mac at a Burger King.
No doubt this mistake on your part warrants the kind of caustic tone you serve up like bad hamburgers. ("Unbelievable! This tell-it-like-it-is guy thinks they serve a Big Mac at a Burger King!") But don't eat your words. The problem may not be what goes in, but what comes out.
Your point was consumed by your vitriol. Too bad, as there is a valid point to be made about taking responsibility for weight gain not driven by genetic or other biological factors.
3
Why is it so offensive to tell the truth. Some people are fat, that is just the way it is. They don't deserve shaming but the reality is what it is. I am not in favor of saying it is OK to be fat though - that is the wrong message for kids.
2
@David because it's mean.
1
Some of the people seem like they were just looking at Haley because she was doing something out of the ordinary. And yes, she is outside the norm of average appearance; shouldn’t be a bad thing, but it is a thing. People look at people, naturally, for all sorts of reasons. I despise cyber bullying and I appreciate what Haley had done. In addition to supporting her for this work though, I feel bad for some of her unwitting and somehow indicted subjects.
3
In an era where plane and theater seats are getting smaller and smaller, and people are getting fatter and fatter, something has to give and too often it is the average sized person who is getting squeezed out. So if you are fat, buy two seats. An alternative is for the substantial overweight population to band together to lobby airlines, theaters and the like to enlarge seats instead of shrinking them. Everyone would be grateful.
2
A bracing wake-up call for all of those who forgot how to live and let live.
7
To someone who is blind, a person’s physical appearance doesn’t matter.
3
Wonderful.
Now we have people wanting to define "obesity" as a disease like some folks claim alcoholism is.
The fact is that other than the small percentage of people that have genetic causes for their obesity, the rest have only one excuse.
If you shove too much food in your face beyond how much you burn off in general life and exercise you will get fat.
Yes, it IS that simple.
It's nearly as "simple" as you people that weigh 250 pounds, waddle into a Burger King, eat two Big Mac's, three orders of fries and a couple of soft drinks and claim "It isn't my fault that I'm fat." I've witnessed it.
If that is what "body shaming" is, you've all earned it, so quit calling the rest of us names.
7
Why don’t body shamers just mind their own business? Some advice: There is no need to worry about someone else’s health choices when you don’t care for the person that you are so critical of. The energy and time spent on being critical of others, would be better spent dealing with your own defects. Your defects may or may not be visible, but you have them and need to get to work on them. Body shaming is unhealthy.
16
@M Yeah, and all of the obese folks that don't seem to be able to look in a mirror and make some life changes to help themselves are just O.K. to blame everyone else for their condition and call them names such as "body shamers".
You really don't have a clue do you?
2
Well said. People don’t seem to understand that the way you carry yourself, the way you dress, and the way you conduct your life is not supposed to be about you! Seeing so-called artists like this woman with their self righteous approach to life is disgusting. I believe thatThe way I conduct myself in my speech and the parents should be a gift to the other people in my community, as in the world at large. In this day of trademark and your identity it’s an old an archaic notion but it works!
1
Obesity is a desease and should be treated as such, no shame there. Glorifying it doesn't do it a good service either.
7
Pretty good work!
2
I love this project! These photos are amazing. A very talented and creative way to make a socially relevant statement.
Kudos to Haley!
4
I feel sorry for the overweight.
3
Please Haley, may we have more?
And to think she did this brilliant work without missing a meal!
4
You can churn out all the formulaic political victim "art" you want, but there will be no arguing with your heart, your liver and your joints.
Just give it 20-30 years.
7
After a hurricane in the mid-90s, I worked for FEMA here (St Croix) with a crew of Crucian West Indian women. When the job ended, we had a party, and as I stood for a photo with my co-workers, the only white woman and only woman not "thick", I suddenly saw myself.
The other women were all dark-skinned and mango-shaped and I was a pale, slender "ting". I could suddenly see why people here call folks who look like me "magah", meaning "meager". These large breasted and wide hipped women had "bahna", the big butts considered a thing of beauty here. I looked insubstantial, without any erotic presence: a twig to their fruit.
When the annual "tramp" occurs through town at Christmas, many women wear skimpy, bare-midriff outfits with feathers and colorful flare and dance without self-consciousness of body sizes considered obese in the States. It's clear they feel beautiful, conscious of their bodies in motion and glad to celebrate being in them.
The downside is that the Virgin Islands has one of the highest per capita rates of obesity (with all the health issues associated with that) and of heart disease in the country. It's hard not to think of back, knee and hip problems to come.
But in terms of aesthetics, pure appearances, these women feel- and indeed are- beautiful.
15
Brilliant, brave, such a social commentary. Bravo
21
Brilliant work!
12
Totally epic comebacks! She’s awesome!
13
This is a very creative and thought-provoking project. We judge each other far too often on first impressions and physical appearances and I appreciate that she is making us reconsider how we treat others. That said, I would be uncomfortable assigning and assuming the thoughts of others - how does she know what they are thinking or that they're even thinking of her? Often I have something referred to as "resting bitch face" and look upset/angry/unapproachable when in reality I'm neutral and thinking of nothing at all. I've taken enough photos of people mid-conversation to know that when we speak our faces twist in many different ways that we miss in those split seconds that a photograph is taken. How do we know that people's reactions are in reference to her body when they could have been in conversation about something else entirely with their peers? I know it's art and in a sense this is street photography, but if I was in one of these photos I'd be aghast if I felt I was misrepresented.
9
@K You ask "how does she know?" what they're thinking. She knows because they wrote down their thoughts and sent them to her!
"'The Bully Pulpit,' both a product of social media and a parody of its worst impulses, is Ms. Morris-Cafiero’s response to the tens of thousands of negative remarks she received in emails, blog posts, websites, social media and comments from all over the world."
15
@MLChadwick
In this set of photographs she does know because people did write down their thoughts.
The first set of photographs that K is mentioning -not so much. Look at the links to the earlier stories. These were photos taken of herself and others captured around her on the street. It is hard to know what exactly people are thinking in that case.
K is referring to the prior project, not the one that is the subject of this article.
1
The people who write these comments have a much more serious problem than being overweight. Their personal deficiencies, whatever they may be, drive these people to denigrate others in an attempt to buttress their own self image. I’d much rather wrestle with weight issues, which I have, than treat other human beings this way.
39
My first reaction is that it's heartbreaking how people can be so cruel, and overtly so. However, I suddenly realized that I do the same thing. I'm a 43 year old woman whose adult weight has fluctuated about 60 pounds, and I'm currently near the low end. The times when I was at my heaviest, my weight was an outer side effect of my inner life -- those were times when I was miserable due to either feeling stuck at work, stuck in life, stuck in a dysfunctional relationship with my married boyfriend, or experiencing intense emotional issues (or at many times, a combination). Also, having read some of the Adult Children of Alcoholics literature, I believe my compulsive eating was a coping mechanism that I developed to cope with the stress of growing up in an alcoholic family. So, now when I see very overweight people on the bus, I gaze at them and I privately conclude that they're dealing with an inner hell -- as I was. In other words, I judge, with pity and also relief that I'm not currently in the hell. I read an opinion piece in the Times a few years ago by an overweight woman who suggested that for some people, being heavy is their natural state; for others, it's dysfunctional. This seems most reasonable to me. There's no excuse for people's cruelty or contempt but it's complicated.
50
"Sneers, snickers, sidelong glances and outright stares revealed the reality of walking the world while fat."
Umm--
You mean "The world in America" --
I just spent ten days on a beautiful Caribbean Island staying at a place right on the beach - within steps of the ocean --
We saw people of all shapes and sizes - wearing all types of bathing attire with only one concern - that being their own personal comfort and taste --
The concept of "Body Shaming" does not exist there - and it made me take a look at how I felt about my own self-image when forced into the idea of the "acceptable"American body -- and it took me a couple of days to realize that the people there have more important things to think about --
If Ms. Morris-Cafiero had taken her selfies in the country where I just spent the last ten days - she might have received a few odd glances - but not because of her body size or shape -- and some people might have actually enjoyed watching her and joined in the "fun" --
This also reminds me of one of my favorite quotes --
"Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: 'What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?'"
~Marcus Aurelius
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@Howard G
Also consider: “Beauty is skin deep, but ugly goes straight to the bone.”
These body shamers are the ugliest of all.
6
@Howard G
Ummm... did you click the link to her project? It is from all over the world.
“The world in America?” I lived in Spain and Italy for six years and was constantly criticized for my appearance— and as the “representative” American, for the appearance of all American women. I was constantly told to get a tan, change my hair, put on weight (I’m thin), whatever flaw they decided to focus on. Many Spanish men would tell me how ugly American women were (too fat, for example). So, yes, it is a part of our culture here— but not confined to the US, sadly. It’s difficult to escape.
high horse folks - you are going to die - we are all going to die - so let's be mean along the way - cause you feel superior? Do you not get how stupid you appear? insensitive - you will die - you will get cancer have a heart attack - and what you will think well I told someone fat to lose weight - I cannot fathom the stupidity of all of you - fyi skinny people have diabetes, kidney problems, high blood pressure... etc. be kind, open, non-judgemental and you might live longer but there's no guarantee! we will all die... be nice...
19
I like it. The artist mocks the perceived self-perfection of her critics and throws back at them the ugliness of their own words.
33
Brava! You go girl! How brave to stand at the bottom of such a great mountain of sad, sad people who have only the burning of their bile to make them feel alive -- and keep marching upwards. Do keep making your way bravely upwards to stand, a lovely beacon at that mountain top, my dear. You look darned beautiful to me.
18
So witty! Thanks for the photos.
15
Go, girl.
19
Her premise / project sounds a lot like what fueled the extremely interesting "Dietland."
Which I just read isn't being renewed by AMC. Darn it. I wanted to see what came next ...
4
Absolutely brilliant work! Brava!
17
Go girl, don’t be ashamed of who u r or what u look like. Th world is full of people who will always hate or make negative comments. Be proud of the person u are.
10
I think it is nothing more than ironic when there are 162 million Americans overweight or obese that we can have such hateful online bullying.
16
I wanted to say "Bravo" too, you showed who the ugly people really are and they are obviously very insecure about themselves.
8
Most of the highly judgemental men who have nothing better to do but judge women are usually unattractive and overweight themselves. 3XL Tee shirts, baggy shorts that go way beyond the knee and stupid baseball caps with the sunglasses resting on top. You know who these oversized 'boys' are.
12
I think you missed the point of her work.
2
@Julie Zuckman’s, There are many different interpretations of art.
I love the way she totally skewers the nasty, mouth-breathing MEN who are criticizing her - b/c those men who have an opinion about her (but think she shouldn't have one about them!) have likely parked their *own* fat & shapeless bodies in their parents' basements to watch TV, play video games, and eat junk food!
8
@L
"Generalize much?"
I am not sure what to make of this artwork.
More specifically her present project is interesting and laudable. Fat shaming has got to end because it's meanspirited and counter productive. Also where does it end after all about one third of the populace is overweight? Finally it does a true disservice to the person doing the shaming. Here is a creative, inspiring person and the only thing her critics can see are the externals.
As to her first project I am less sure about its conclusions. People have mean thoughts that may or may not come to the surface. Are we really interested in policing thoughts through facial expressions that may or may not correspond to what a person is seeing? Could this be a case of resting bitch face on a large scale? Life in general presents a huge number of annoyances not the least of which are selfie takers blocking traffic. This earlier project comes off more as the irritating dictate 'smile!' lest you be taken for looking disapproving.
6
How Did They Respond?
4
Good depictions of those nasty little trolls.
9
It is heartbreaking that she lived through reactions so cruel about her body, not her soul and character.
May life be kinder to her. May people see the ugliness of their own behavior in the mirror she hold out for them.
13
I looked at the prior photo project, the one with reactions of people to her in a public space and I just don't know that the people were judgemental even if that can be inferred by the expression on their faces. It might be in the photograph, in the expression, but not necessarily in the minds of the people. We have no idea how many photos she took to get the images that were finally presented. As an art piece I love it. But it is not an experiment. I consider the public to be unpaid actors or models. The images are fascinating but they are not about her. They are art. Trolls made the project about her. my question is whether they artist took them seriously.
5
I love it! Well done,
22
Bravo.
17
A picture is worth a thousand words.
The lady is, to put it politely, overweight. Glorifying being overweight is a bad idea, inasmuch as excessive weight (obesity) is well documented to be correlated with increased health risks, shorter lifespan, large medical bills, etc.
Not a good example to set for young people, or older ones, for that matter.
There are many sources to turn to for those who wish to reduce their weight. One's healthcare professional is a good place to start.
29
But is it any of your business? Who are you to make public comments about her appearance?
Do you think nasty, vile comments are a good example for young people? Do you endorse our president calling Rosie O'Donnell "a slob" because being overweight is not healthy? And by the way, why are women shamed for being fat when more often than not men get a pass? It is unhealthy for them too. It is bullying and sexism, neither of those are healthy either.
@Ro Ma
She's probably never heard that before. And you've probably missed the point.
1
This is awesome, thanks and good luck.
14
Interesting and amazing idea. A true creative soul. Not one other person in the world would have thought of this.
But I am a bit conflicted about responding to people who make fun of one’s appearance in a public forum by making fun of their appearance in a public forum. Is this considered OK because retaliation in kind is OK? Or does being “art” make it OK? Or is it OK because the images are satirical? Or maybe it really isn’t OK after all ...
This artist made me think.
12
@Kathy
I would never advocate shaming anyone, but sharing the irony - not to mention hypocrisy - of the people who tried to shame her for having many of their physical characteristics is, to me, a legitimate artistic expression. She does indeed make one think.
10
BadAss. Well done.
55
I would call this the art of propaganda. In her first attempt for attention, Haley chose to set up a camera in the midst of crowds and photograph herself in attention-getting outfits as people tried to avoid the obstacles of her and her camera. She chose to interpret all this attention as a consequence of her obesity. All as if anyone of any weight doing the same thing would not draw the same attention.
Now she cherry picks comments from the internet about her work to make a point, not about her art, but about savoring and enhancing her self-imposed, self-proclaimed victimhood. I am sure that there were numerous comments concerned about her health, science and medicine that she choose to censor from her newest endeavor.
I wish the Times offered the whole story rather than another piece about an artist bent on self destruction in pursuit of attention.
56
@Greg Gearn
Jealous much?
8
@Greg Gearn. She was in "attention getting outfits as people tried to avoid the obstacles of her and her camera"? What "obstacle" does a person taking pictures pose - unless she is obese? Snarky.
Did you look at the series Wait Watchers?In the photos I saw, she was dressed very much like those around her - for instances, in shorts and a shirt. The contempt, and sneering directed towards her was not because she had a camera in her hand.
Your statements that Ms. Morris-Cafiero is "savoring her self-imposed, self-proclaimed victimhood", and is "bent on self destruction" might be featured by her in a future series about her experiences with bullying by strangers.
19
Wouldn't it be nice, if people just worried about themselves?! These bullies are so concerned with exterior perfection, they allow themselves to be a spiritual dump. Talk about living and breathing the superficial.
43
Brave and powerful.
19
Genius!
19
Beautiful, throw it back to the ignorant base.
20
I hope you can spread your lessons to those in Europe after your move to Belfast. As with other good art, it makes us think.
27
Hilarious-- and the images are so well done! It feels slightly wrong to enjoy the mockery of the mean-spirited, but I do!
22
Thank you, Haley for the profound compassion your work induces.
You show so beautifully the self-punishment, hatred and ugliness in the debased worlds that some create for themselves through deliberately hurting and wounding others.
You awaken us to the tragic degeneracy inherent in the lives of your attackers -- a sort of unrecognized hell -- while you reveal the nobility and humanity of their victims.
57
Wow, very powerful!
23
I love your photos. Didn’t want them to end. Love your energy, determination and creativity. Turning bad experiences into art is what artists do. You have not been coy with it, though, but blatant and out-there. You are a breath of fresh air. Thank you.
103
Brilliant!
45
An artist can show us who we are as a culture and Haley's wonderful work certainly does that.
66
Haley! Congratulations on your new project (and your move to Belfast). Wishing you continued success and be proud. xo
Sara
34
Human creativity is the most amazing thing about life.
This proves it.
The most disheartening thing is the never-ending pettiness and judgement with which so many of us content ourselves all day, every day.
Toward what end?
One day - perhaps today? - with a kindly, accepting view of others (and ourselves)…
Might change the world.
75