Size doesn't matter: It would have been easy for Kreme to revert to every fat joke he's ever heard when writing about "size awareness," but he didn't ("Full Bloom," Inferno, Stephen Lemons, July 28). Sure, the story had a sense of humor -- and even a few fat jokes out of the mouth of Kreme's colleague, Jett -- but it didn't make fat girls look like the poor pathetic losers that most of the mass media portray them as. It made the point that they love who they are.
Also, the truth has always been that a whole lot of guys love rotund girls. Find them sexy as hell, in fact! That full-figured look has always been a fetish to a lot of us. Also, there's been a myth that overweight girls are much easier to get into the sack, which makes them all the more alluring. I mean, any man who isn't attracted to your va-va-voom cover gal must be gay!
For guys like me, there was a lot of news in Inferno this time: Who knew before this column that this big-girls night was going on at Buster McNutty's, that a clothing company called Big Beauty Wear is starting up around here, or that the publisher of Big Butt magazine lives right here in the PHX?
Jefferson Teal, via the Internet
Good lovin': I'm a big gal myself, and I can't tell you how good it made me feel to read the "Full Bloom" Inferno column! There's actually a place I can go -- Buster McNutty's -- where men will appreciate me and where I will feel totally at home. I had heard about such places in Los Angeles, but I never knew that the Phoenix area is so progressive.
I have always had such a low opinion of myself, because no matter how much I diet, I can't lose the pounds. I'm the kind of person who needs only to walk by a slice of pizza to gain a couple of pounds. I know it's unhealthy to keep adding the pounds, but at least I know now that I can get some good lovin' no matter how fat I get. Maybe my low metabolism isn't all that bad a thing, after all.
Thanks for giving a BBG hope.
Alicia Anderson, Glendale
Fat is phat: Thank you for doing a great job on this "Full Bloom" column. We BBGs have a lot of new members to our Yahoo! groups, and we're actually getting men out of the closet!
I have a photo for the skinny chick who went to the club with Kreme [um, that would be Jett]. I think it's a cute pic of her actually having a good time. She doesn't smile much. Ha, I think she needs to eat more!
Goddess Neme, Chandler
Or maybe fat is just fat: You should be ashamed of yourselves! You shouldn't be pushing the dangerous idea that being outrageously overweight is a good thing! I don't care what these crazy women in your column are spewing, weighing 250-plus pounds on the average female frame is unhealthy and gross.
These women are delusional. Most of the men they are appealing to are freaks of nature, fetishists who probably are in need of extended mental-health care and strong antidepressants.
But it's interesting to know that the notion is out there (to this extent) that obesity is desirable, even sexy. Because it's up to health-care professionals to set people straight.
Dr. Terry Bender, via the Internet
Easy like Sunday morning: Like the rock group Queen said back in the day: Fat-bottomed girls make the rocking world go round! Fat girls are the best in the sack. I know because I've had a lot of BBWs, and I can tell you they love doing it -- almost as much as they love munching out.
About the girl in your cover story who says fat girls ain't easy, that's a joke! Don't believe me? Well, go to that fat-girls night at Buster McNutty's, and as long as you're not a burn victim or a total 'tard, you will get laid.
Name withheld by request
Eat, drink, get laid: What's up? I just finished reading the story about the big girls. That was just too funny! Especially that bit about Big Butt magazine. Is that for real? It's hard to believe that the guys you mentioned like women that big.
I've got a little extra weight, but not that much. Wow! Maybe I should start eating more if I want to hang out at Buster McNutty's. Hee-hee, eat all you want and get laid by hot guys, too. Anyway, good for these ladies! Jett made me laugh with that line: "Where's the buffet?"
Just wanted to write in and say this was a really good Inferno. I've read them all, and this was the best one yet. I think Jett and Kreme should be on TV. I'd watch them all the time.
Rachel Block, Phoenix
You get what you pay for: Are you fucking serious?! A Jett and Kreme story as the cover feature?! I'd rather develop a cutting habit than read that torturous drivel.
Every Jett and Kreme column I've attempted reading has been a literary turd. Thanks for the lack of substance this week, the insult to your readers who look forward to pertinent articles. This was the proverbial "fuck you" to those who support your rhetoric. I can almost see the shadow of a fist flipping me the bird on your front cover.
J. West, Scottsdale
God's Will
A case of selective reading: Sarah Fenske's "The Last Supper" feature was a commendable piece of balanced journalism (July 21), and how New Times reader Rob Frier concludes that Fenske "took sides" against Serrano's is beyond me ("A Welcome Policy," Letters, July 28). It appears that his own bias resulted in a case of selective reading.
However, like Frier, my sympathies in this matter lie with Serrano's. To the reader who asked "what Jesus would do"? I can only surmise that if fired Serrano's employee Terra Naeve were really as tight with the Almighty as she claims to be, He would have helped her find another job.
The fact of the matter is, if Naeve had been leading a group studying human evolution instead of the Bible, her most ardent supporters would be praising the court's decision, not praying for justice to be done. That makes them hypocrites, plain and simple.
Christopher Davis, Phoenix
Walk the Christian walk: In regard to your article "The Last Supper," I confess that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. But this article speaks unfairly in regard to God's character. God's character is constant and never-changing. I want to speak of His integrity. God is a covenant keeper. A covenant and a contract are the same. Accountability is required.
God stands by all His covenants, or promises. God expects His people to be covenant keepers as well. God does not expect or ask people to make contracts they cannot keep. Nor does He put them in situations where they would need to disobey His terms. God gives people wisdom, when they seek Him, regarding making such covenants.
According to God's word, once Terra Naeve agreed to the "no fraternization" rule at Serrano's, she had to be accountable for it. Even if it meant she needed to leave the Bible study group to keep her job. God's word did not tell her to break the covenant by disobeying her employer and remain part of the Bible study. God expects Christians to walk according to His commands and ways, but we still must play by the rules. Hopefully, Terra Naeve has learned that she needs next time to ask more questions before blindly signing on the dotted line.
It was unloving for her to force Serrano's to fire her. It was unloving for her to take out her frustration and anger by dragging this into court. It was unloving for her to say her rights were violated. It will be unloving if she proceeds with the appeal. This is about her pride, not God's commands. I believe that God has upheld the Serrano family, as evidenced by the court ruling.
Karen Newell, Phoenix
A wake-up call: I applaud the Serrano family for not being intimidated by the EEOC and Terra Naeve.
Terra signed off on the restaurant's policy as part of her employment agreement. Now she is trying to hide behind a religious pretext that the EEOC is pushing. The article shows that the Serranos tried to accommodate Terra. But rather than accept her mistake, she invoked God's will and insisted she did nothing wrong.
Here's a wake-up call for Terra: Arizona is a right-to-work state, and if you must violate your employer's policies, then hit the pavement. Find a job that will allow you to mentor a Bible-study class. Don't blame the Serranos for a decision that you made of your own free will.
This is just another case of the "I'm a victim" mentality in our society. Instead of accepting that God doesn't pay the rent, Terra Naeve got a lawyer and sued!
The Serranos can look forward to my increased patronage.
Name withheld by request
Class action: Well, of course the Serranos are bigots!
Studying the Bible is equivalent to pressuring young hostesses to drive around with a manager?! To believe that, you'd have to be a moron or so bigoted that you can't grasp reality.
No, the Serranos didn't want to fire Terra Naeve -- they just wanted to control her life 24/7. They claim that they don't "toot [their] horns" about their religion, but they did manage to let your reporter know how much they help out at St. Vincent's Catholic church.
They ban "fraternization" among managers, yet they practice nepotism among management. More hypocrisy. Their lawyer tells the jury that Serrano's employees "can learn the Bible from anybody." Well, anybody except a manager at Serrano's.
To assert some slippery slope is just inane. Even though the Serrano's attorney tried to find evidence of religious solicitation, he couldn't. Of course, lack of evidence didn't dissuade him or apparently his clients from their bigotry.
George Ertel, Scottsdale
