A rant, of sorts

As promised, here is the letter I am sending tomorrow to Massage Magazine:

I just had the intense displeasure of reading the “Student Advisor” article by Charlotte Versagi in the Nov/Dec 2005 issue. Ms. Versagi obviously is very prejudiced against overweight people, and this poor person, looking for encouragement and advice, instead gets their self-esteem stomped on. I am an overweight massage therapist, was all through massage school, and still am, eight years later. I have never had a problem with my weight and my profession, and to see Ms. Versagi declare: “.. It is very difficult for an obese massage therapist not to lay part of her body on the client while working” and “..I will tell you the [massage] program will be tough for you, if not impossible” are untrue statements.
Yes, massage is an athletic profession. I consistently do up to five hours’ of massages per day, five days a week, without issue. I had to build up to that, but that is true of any strenuous activity. Just because a person is overweight does not mean they are lazy, or unable to do what an “athletic” or skinny person does. I much prefer a job that keeps me moving, than sitting behind a desk 40+ hours a week.
For her to say, “I have to constantly remind [them] that their bosom or belly is touching the client”, shows that Ms. Versagi needs to re-evaluate her curriculum to accommodate students of different body types, not try to fit everyone into a cookie-cutter mold.
If someone posed this question to me, I would say: first, you seem to have some self-esteem issues that need to be worked out, possibly in therapy. If there is a deep-seated fear your clients will judge you, trust me, they are more fearful of being judged themselves. Second, if this is your calling, what you really want to do for the rest of your life, then go for it! By the end of massage school you’ll know if you can do it or not, but don’t drop out because of a “what if”. And third, if you have any problems with executing techniques, ask your teacher if there is a modification you can make. A good teacher will help you succeed, not tell you to just lose weight.
Ms. Versagi needs to learn some tact. I’m not looking forward to any other articles she publishes in your magazine, unless she changes her tone. Everyone on this earth is different, and we need to embrace that fact!

Ahhhhh, feels good to get that off my (ample) chest. That woman's article just rubbed me the wrong way, and I don't sit idly by when that happens.

In knitting news, I'm working on Creatures again! I'm almost done with the seashell border, and let me tell you, the instructions freaked me out a little, but was actually very easy to execute.

Happy knitting!