I just thought I would put that out there since the New York Post just emailed me, hoping to interview me for a story about partners who want their significant others to lose weight for them.

And my head just spun around in so many directions, for so many reasons, the least of which is that I can't believe this poor reporter has to do an assignment like that, and the most of which is what would ever give anyone the impression that Scott doesn't love me for who I am?

For the record? He does. 110%.

After I split up with my ex, I knew that the next partner I would have would have to fall in line with me, at least somewhat, in the realm of political and social consciousness. My ex-husband was a Republican, and fell lockstep with every conservative viewpoint possible. It was, in a word, infuriating. Such beliefs shape how you view your world, and how you act in it, and I knew after we split up that I would never date someone who wasn't at least somewhere on the same page as me. Gosh, it makes my blood boil just thinking about it all, to be honest.

When I first met Scott, he wore a pink triangle on his coat lapel. I knew he wasn't gay, so I asked him about it. He said, "Well, I've been trained to counsel gay youth and this just symbolizes that I'm someone they could go to." It was almost impossible for me not to fall immediately in love with him. After all, he was not only awesome enough to work as a youth counselor, but also comfortable enough with his sexuality to sport the second-most popular symbol of the gay rights movement. But what makes Scott so awesome as a partner is how open-minded he has always been. After all, this is a man who once interned for Mary Matalin, and identified himself as a Republican, too. To get from that point to where he is now in just a decade speaks volumes about his intellig ... open-mindedness.

Since dating me, not surprisingly, he's been introduced to the delightful and scintillating world that is The Woman with Body Image Issues. This month, Women's Health magazine described me as follows: "Feisty former Chicago Sun-Times Web editor Erin Shea has a healthy body image, and it shows." As I told a group of friends of mine recently, "Where does it show? Seriously. They need to let me know so I know where to find it for myself." I struggle more than I probably ever truly let on, but I like to think I have a good sense of humor about it all. Scott has been a tremendous support in this capacity as he has been proof-positive that men are just as fed up with all of the nonsense being discussed over women's bodies as we are.

Case in point: he and I both gave Tribune columnist Steve Johnson a ration of shit for being such a dunderheaded git about the Jennifer Love Hewitt dust up.

(I know people from the Tribune read me! He is a git, people! Jesus.)

It felt good and empowering to be out there in the Internet trenches, with my boyfriend leading the way, at not only the blog at Time Out Chicago, but also his own blog. It certainly isn't the definitive word on the subject - personally I think it's a fucking waste of time to be talking about it in any context at all, though I'm tremendously chuffed by JLoHew's response - but I am so proud to be with a man who has no problem publicly decrying another member of the mainstream media joining the chorus of people who feel the need to comment on, of all things, the size of a grown woman's body and the story about it.

But even without all of the sound and fury, he's just as patient and supportive privately. Scott knows it's a blurry line I walk, and he lightly holds my hand as I do so.

So it was funny tonight to get that email from the NY Post reporter, seeing if I could speak to being a partner whose significant other wants her to lose weight for him. Not only would that never enter Scott's mind, but also he'd talk down any one who expected that out of his or her own partner. I told the reporter, "Not me! I'm lucky that I'm not dating such a creep."

She quickly emailed me back, "Yes, you are!"

Seriously. I know it.

Posted by Erin at 05:52 PM | filed under: Random Stupidity