5/6/2002: Miss Jumbo Queen contestant
 

http://cellar.org/2002/missjumboqueen.jpg

Welcome to Thailand, and most specifically to an elephant grounds where they hold a contest to find "Miss Jumbo Queen". Here, contestant Lalita Songrat has won not the major award (I couldn't find the actual MJQ winner), but has in fact won the "heaviest" category, weighing in at 421 pounds.

So who will be Miss Jumbo Queen if not the jumbo-est queen? The contest is held "to select the contestant who best exhibits the characteristics of an elephant, by virtue of her grace, elegance and size". The job of the winner? "To lead the jumbo banquet and help promote elephant conservation causes in Thailand."

Ah, ain't civilization great?

Promoting heffalumps? Hmm, I'd like to see who won the contest for 'longest nose.'

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/Photo.../jazz_done.jpg

Jennifer Portnick leads an aerobics class at Miraloma Community Church in San Francisco in a Feb. 19 file photo. Jazzercise Inc. says it will no longer require instructors to look trim and fit, settling Ms. Portnick's complaint that she was refused a job because she weighed 240 pounds. The change in company policy, based on a settlement with her and mediated by the city's Human Rights Commission, was announced this week.

Patrick Tehan/AP

Welcome to the USA. Exercise your legal right to be fat. You go girl.

hahaha. the look on her face is priceless. man. ah.

she looks like she's about to punch someone.

good for her. i read about that in the paper tonight after i got home from work.

she'll buttfuck you in the mouth

Looks like she's giving the thumbs down..

I know I'm going to get flamed for this, but my first thought regarding Nic Name's post is that I don't think I would want her as my regular instructor. I watch an instructor for how to properly do moves etc, as well as admire her body as inspiration for me to work hard. I do not think I would enjoy watching her work out, nor would her physical appearance inspire me. Maybe her personality makes up for this. I have not taken a class lead by this woman nor do I know how physically fit she is. If I did, I would possibly have a different opinion.

She has just as much right to work in whatever job she pleases as anyone. She would likely be great inspiration for those who are technically overweight and find superfit women to be annoying. If she can do her job properly, and her classes are full, she deserves her position.

For the record, too thin people working out are in fact painful to watch as well. I regularly see a severly underweight woman running on my route. I'm always waiting for her legs to snap in half at the knee. Blech.


:::closing eyes and hitting POST:::

No flame here.

I don't know. It seems odd, but I know some women are intimidated by the perfect instructors. Maybe it puts some women more at ease. It's not what you'd expect, though.

What I wonder is if she's been doing this for quite some time. If she has, why isn't she smaller? Could be genetic I guess, and without the workouts she would qualify for Jumbo Queen. If she hasn't, maybe losing weight along with her clients is a bonding thing for them.

btw, anyone else get a kick out of the phrase "Portnick's complaint..."?

Maybe so... but there has to be some middle ground between "perfect" and 240 lb.

Yeah I've wondred about that too. You'd think somebody who spends a lot of time swimming would be in good shape. And indeed, when the Dallas kids were taking lots of swimming lessons a few years back, all the instructors (maybe 3/4 of whom also doubled as life guards) had roughly the build you'd expect.

Except one. She was portly, no getting around it. It did seem odd. But she was a good swimmer, and a good swimming teacher, with a good rapport with the students (including grownups--I signed up for an adult swimming class one summer and she turned out to be the instructor).

I'd take one of her classes, apart from the fact that I'd rather trap my nipples in the seatbelt buckle than do any aerobics class.

And as always, should the new Miss Jumbo be unable to perform her tasks as queen, the 1st waddle-up will take her place.

I'd be fascinatedly interested to see Ms. Portnick lead a class. I mean, doesn't she get winded or anything? If not...she's a frigging marvel.

I just love plus size gurlz.

One of my favorite dance teachers is overweight (no idea what she weights, but maybe a size 18 or 20 and not tall). She teaches several classes a day and is the director of a dance company, and has been dancing since the 1970s. It's definitely just genetic for some people.

I think that studios should hire whoever can do the job, regardless of whether they look like people's idea of an aerobics instructor. After all, when I think "aerobics instructor" I think of a twenty-something, skinny white girl, but they certainly wouldn't refuse to hire someone of a different race, age or gender.