The Curvy Nerd, aka Alexa is a blogger based in Los Angeles
Hello there! Who is the Curvy Nerd? Well, me! I’m curvy, and a little nerdy, and I like to blog about my struggles with weight, body image and my new found journey to fitness. However, as the “nerd” bit indicates, this isn’t just a weight loss blog. You’ll also find analytical pieces on portrayals of weight in the media, fat characters on TV and topics such as fat shaming, food guilt and fat sexuality.
I am body positive (skinny ≠ happy), take ownership of the term “fat” and I’m a lifelong Weight Watcher. I also really love food. A lot. (especially curries)
Content prior to April 2011 is from my other blog project, Mavenity. So if something looks familiar, yes, it is the same person. But going forward, The Curvy Nerd will take the well-received weight & fitness blogging from Mavenity and expand upon it.
Why curvy?
Curvy varies by person, but I generally take it to mean a woman has a nice shape, often hour glass, and is proud to have tits and/or hips and/or a generous derriere (or what have you). Curvy is body-positive, and for me an apt descriptor of my body type regardless of size. 80lbs overweight, I am curvy, and when I lose my weight, I will still be curvy. A lot of weight loss bloggers focus on the idea of being “thin” or “skinny,” but I hesitate to apply those terms to myself. I don’t really want to be either. I want to be smaller, sure, but always strive to stay curvy.
Why I want to lose weight
Espousing body positivity whilst trying to lose 60-80lbs might sound a bit funny, but it’s a happy balance I’ve been working on, and will continue to develop. I’m not ok with my physical size, even though I like who I am as a person, and accept the person that being overweight my whole life has turned me in to. I know that many of my actions and habits that have made me fat are also unhealthy, so while I believe in “healthy at any size,” I do not believe that I am currently healthy at my size. It’s not all about health, and I won’t pretend it is, though developing healthy lifestyle habits that stick is a huge part of my effort.
I have little interest in being “thin,” “skinny,” “svelte” or any other culturally accepted iteration of marginal size. However, I must also accept the part that the media and cultural stigmas have played in my desiring to be thinner, and will blog about them. Western and especially American culture (particularly in L.A.) makes it bloody difficult to be big(ger), and it is true that I would like to have an easier time shopping, dating and in my professional career. I’m tired of wondering whether being a fat girl was the reason I didn’t get X, Y, Z. I accept myself, my quirks and my limitations. I want to lose weight, and I think that’s ok.
Why I’m a fat kid
Some bristle at my liberal use of the term “fat kid,” “fat girl,” or “fat chick.” I believe that we give words power, and can take ownership of generally pejorative words as a means of disarming their negative meaning. I am not a fat apologist or part of the fat acceptance movement, but I don’t think that being fat means you are bad, lazy, gross, unloveable or invisible. I adopted this moniker from my friend Emily, who started referring to herself as a fat kid in college. To us, it means we acknowledge our inner fat kid: growing up a literal fat kid, you see the world and develop self-esteem (and hang-ups) differently from those without weight issues. Even if I get “skinny,” I will always be a fat kid. Picked last for dodge ball. XD
The real deets
This Curvy Nerd also goes by Alexa, and lives in Los Angeles. Something of a nomad, I have lived in Washington D.C. (birth through elementary), Atlanta (middle & high school), Boston (university + four years), Germany (junior year of high school) and London (6 months 2005, 8 months 2007). I currently work in TV marketing and previously worked for an educational non-profit. I keep my other foot firmly planted in journalism, in which I hold my Bachelor’s degree. Accordingly, I am working on a novel (or three). I am a happy single gal (who loves herself but is ready for a relationship, thanks) with two awesome, fluffy ginger Maine Coons and a lot of DVDs/books.
