The Fat Reenactress

The Fat Reenactress

Sunday, April 6, 2014

First Blog entry and Introduction.                               Sunday, April 6th, 2014

For my first blog entry, I'd like to introduce myself and give you some of my background.
     My name is Julie Rockhold, and I've been reenacting for almost 34 years. I started when I was 13 years old, and I've been fat that entire time. I've dealt with fitting issues all my life (clothing wise and socially ) and have been driven to achieve that "period correct" look, in spite of my size.
     When I first thought of doing this blog and calling it the Fat Reenactress, I asked my friends for their thoughts and opinions. general consensus was, there are LOTS of us out there, who are overweight, but want to look "period correct". My friend, Angela, suggested I use the 18th c. term "prosperous" instead of fat. I thought about it, but realized 2 things
                  1) I'm fat. I own that. No matter what you call it, "fluffy", "prosperous", "Reubenesque", or "built                        for comfort", what it all comes down to is....overweight. the only term I DO have issues with
                       is Obese. Oh, and just when that word didn't seem unpleasant enough, let's add  "morbidly".                          Ah, yes.... LOVE seeing "morbidly obese" on my medical charts. (and FYI...in the medical                            field, anyone over 25 pounds overweight is considered "morbidly obese").

                   2)  The Fat Reenactress just trips off the tongue.

     But back to my bio. I started reenacting the 18th century in an Explorers group ( a division of the Boyscouts...so technically...I can say I belonged to the Boyscouts.) representing Voyageurs, french canoemen, that were common in the Michigan area where I grew up. From there, I became interested n the Revolutionary War and War of 1812. I started my 1812 career by volunteering at fort Meigs, in Perrysburg, Ohio.  For the Revolutionary War, I joined the 10th Va. Regt. out of Michigan, then later joined the 84th Royal Highland Emmigrants (British)....gotta LOVE a man in a kilt!!!
     During my college years, I worked at 3 different National parks.
       1) Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial
       2) Valley Forge National Park (for 3 seasons)
       3) George Washington's Birthplace and National Monumment (for 2 seasons)
    Each one was a different time period....War of 1812, Revolutionary  War, and  1730's civilian life.

     Over the years, I've joined various reenacting groups, depending on where I was living at the time. In 1995, I met my husband, Terry.....he deserves a whole blog post of his own....and needless to say, he shares in my love of history and clothing.  We married in an 18th century wedding in 2000.  Since then, not only does he do Regency events with me, we have also branched out into Steampunk/ Victorian.

     This blog will not only deal with clothing, research and producing items for the larger woman, but it will also deal with just being heavy in the hobby and in today's society. I'll share my trial and errors with patterns, but I also hope to show how to add to your image (and hopefully self confidence) and your impression through the use of accessories. Remember....accessories ALWAYS fit!!!!!

     I hope you'll enjoy this blog, and I welcome ALL comments....good AND bad. But just be aware, I can be as sharp tongued as anyone, so nasty comments will be dealt with accordingly.

LET THE BLOGGING BEGIN!!!!


18 comments:

  1. Thank you! I am not a skinny woman and never have been...and always feel uncomfortable around these women who have never dealt with body image problems...not to mention the medical establishment ! I am married to a wondeful man who loves my curves and when we reenact together we are always stopped and complimented! I love your pictures and look forward to seeing more in the future!

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  2. Lovely and wonderful. You are so sweet. Where in Michigan are you from? I grew up in Milan. I have one little teeny, tiny request, and if you chose not to do, I completely understand. Would it be possible to use a larger font? My eyes are getting old and I had to get up close to read. Again, if you chose not to,it will not hurt my feelings. You are wonderful and I enjoyed reading your "About You." Also, I thought of Kirstie Alley's "Fat Actress" when I first read your title.

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    1. Thanks! I grew up in Monroe to answer the first question...and the second one we read at exactly the same moment that my husband and I went "dang...we need to make this bigger....even WE can't read it!!" I'll remedy that. <3 (first time out...working out bugs. )

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    2. Wow, we were so close! And, I am glad that you did. You have a great blog here!

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  3. You are off to a great start my friend. I am so excited to see what you have in store for us. Knowing you we will laugh and cry all at the same time.

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  4. Thank you for blogging. We're just starting in the 'rondy' scene and I have been struggling with what to do in terms of costuming, especially since I'd like to wear a buck skin dress. The pattern use 2 skins...really?

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    1. Two skins of WHAT? I would have to use at LEAST 1/2 a cow!!!

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  5. I'm looking forward to your blog--I would love to see lots of dressmaking articles! (How to)

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    1. I'll try and do some on the dressmaking...I usually forget to takes pics while I'm cussing out the pattern/fabric. I have a couple of other outfits I'm working on, I'll take pics of during the process. :)

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  6. Definitely looking forward to your blog! I too am a plus sized historical costumer and boy, can plus sized historical costumes be an...adventure. I am definitely an advocate of accessories making the outfit! We went on an outing in costume this past weekend and while my 1890s outfit was rather plain, it was the accessories that made it shine!

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    1. I'm a fan of plain outfits....with different accessories, you can get different looks!!!

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  7. Very, very good writing Julie and very entertaining and informative as well.

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  8. You had me at the title. Very informative and entertaining so far--what a great idea! :)

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  9. I have the double whammy--I'm not just 'fat', I'm 'OLD'. So take your lemons and make lemonade. My go-to re-enacting character is Queen Victoria! I mean, she's 'fat' and 'old' but also 'rich' and 'powerful'. You can add more descriptives; 'empress', 'queen', 'ruler of a world-spanning empire', 'longest reigning monarch' and a lot of other stuff.

    The only thing I disagree with you about is that it's NOT the accessories (although goodness knows they help! I mean a diamond crown goes a long, LONG way) it's the ATTITUDE. Whoever you portray (Catherine the Great, anybody? Not exactly a stick-insect either) OWN it. ROCK it. Know in the deepest part of your soul that you look AMAZING and that nobody can touch you for fabulousness.

    That's the real secret.

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  10. You rock for making all this! I’ve been wondering how the heck I can pull off 18th century undergarments (stays will be a royal pain in the waist.) and a robe a la francaise in blues and grays. Now I know that it won’t be a pointless venture because I know I can rock the sacque back like nobody’s business. :)

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