Performance artist Selina Thompson is fat. Fat. F A T. FFFFFFAAAAAATTTTT TUH TUH TUH. Not curvy, not chubby, not jolly, not 'big and beautiful' not 'larger lady'. Fat. She is fat like she is brown eyed. She is fat like her hair is black. Fat like her skin is brown. Fat. Selina says fat and needs you to say fat because it is fact. A neutral fact. An adjective. Not a negative. Selina talks about this in her one woman show Chewing the Fat. It is the first of a two part body of work titledThe Edible Woman. This is not a feminist piece of art or polemic. It is not a journey of self acceptance. It is purely an exploration of Selina's body image and attitude to food. And it is very nourishing for those hungry for a new approach to body shape, diet and eating. 

Last night I went to see comedian Katherine Ryan perform her latest stand up show Glam Role Model at the Brighton Komedia. If you watch TV chances are you have seen Katherine Ryan. She's the female comic who is allowed to speak and doesn't get edited down to appear as 'silent blonde sidekick' on TV panel shows - a fate all too often meted out to other women who appear on comedy panel shows. Why is this? Perhaps it is because of her Canadianess that refuses to be quieted. Or her delivery that can border on brash and can't be ignored. Or maybe just because Katherine Ryan is plain funny. Too funny to edit down to give the men more air time for their bon mots.