I spent most of my childhood, all of my teens, and the early part of my twenties being overweight. Despite dropping 65 pounds while in college, I continue to struggle with my weight and body acceptance issues on a daily basis.

Having been judged by my peers for being fat and knowing the extreme pain and torment harsh words, silent stares and hushed snickers cause, I make it a habit to keep my mouth shut when it comes to others’ weight.

So, was I offended this week when I read Maura Kelly’s blog post (that ignited a firestorm) for Marie Claire “Should “Fatties” Get a Room? (Even on TV?)?” Nope. Do I agree with her opinion? Not at all.

As of this writing, Kelly’s post has over 2,500 comments, hundreds of bloggers have written about her and the Today Show did a segment on the post (according to the show, both Kelly and Marie Claire Editor-in-Chief Joanna Coles declined to appear on the program).

Editors at Marie Claire have provided Kelly with a platform to engage readers, be snarky and draw visitors to the site, day after day. She’s doing a damn good job. Just about the entire Internet is talking about her and Marie Claire was a trending topic on Twitter.

I was surprised to hear that Coles and Kelly turned down an appearance on the Today Show. Both had released statements about the controversial post – why not take the opportunity to further explain what Marie Claire was trying to achieve with the piece that was sure to upset its primarily female audience. The biggest question I have is why did an editor assign a story about a television show to a writer who, according to Kelly’s post a) is “not much of a TV person” and b) never saw the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly? I’m left wondering more about the journalistic integrity of the magazine than Kelly’s issue with overweight people kissing or watching “a very, very fat person simply walk across a room.”

I’m glad Marie Claire is willing to publish controversial articles and doesn’t feel the need to overly censor its writers. I support Kelly and her right to voice her opinion under the First Amendment. Personally, I would rather disagree with someone than never hear his or her take.

And to all of the people who were offended by Kelly’s post, remember: “When people attack you, you always have to remember that a lot of what others say about you has a lot more to do with them than you.” – Hillary Rodham Clinton (Thanks to my colleague Lisa for posting this quote on her Facebook page.)

It’s an age-old perception. The Democrats aren’t tough enough in their rhetoric or their actions. And in the face of terrorist threats and devastating disasters, many people want a leader who is ready to … well … kick ass. President Obama’s handling of the BP oil spill in the Gulf has generated a lot of criticism about his approach as being too calm, cool and collected. So when he told the “Today” show’s Matt Lauer that he was in the region a month ago talking to local fishermen and experts to get answers that would help him determine “whose ass to kick,” it created quite the buzz. I even saw one person on Facebook suggest that he sounded like our former president.

What most people seemed to miss is the lead-in from Matt Lauer that lead to this tough talk from our President. He was talking about the critics and said people feel this isn’t the time for him to meet with advisors. He said they feel he should spend more time in the Gulf and, “…I never thought I’d be saying this to a president, but kick some butt.” When Obama responded, he used “ass” instead of “butt.”

Much of the buzz was around how Obama is finally getting tough and whether it’s appropriate, genuine, etc. or just the work of his speech writers. Again, no one seemed to factor in that he was set up to give that quote. When we prepare spokespeople, we counsel them to be aware of “quote trapping.” Sometimes journalists will use the language they want you to use in an effort to get a specific quote. In this case, Obama gave Lauer what he wanted and took it one step further. From there, it took on a life all its own.

Ya know, we’ve all used them. Um … let me think, I believe I heard a well-seasoned broadcast journalist, a former editor of a top celebrity magazine and a high-profile lawyer all use them several times in one interview earlier this week. Ya know, filler words, those verbal pauses and missteps like um, er, so, ah, and ya know.

Yesterday Meredith Vieira was interviewing Janice Min, former editor of US Weekly and Jeanine Pirro, prosecutor, former judge and contributor to the Today Show, about Larry King’s impending divorce from his eighth wife. What struck me most about the interview wasn’t Larry King’s divorce but the number of times filler words were used in the segment. I think my senses were heightened because I watched Min on The Joy Behar Show a few weeks ago and vividly recall the number of times she said ya know, like and um during an interview about Tiger Woods’ infidelity. While both interviews tackled the scandalous topic of cheating, I wasn’t focused on the messages being delivered but rather on the number of filler words used.

I should note that I’m as guilty as the next person; I often catch myself saying “ya know” a few times a day. I bet my colleagues could attest to hearing the longer filler, “ya know what I mean.”

The problem with filler words is that if they are used frequently, they tend to chip away at a spokesperson’s credibility. When we media train our clients we look out for these types of words and phrases. If you are scheduled to appear on live broadcast television, you need to rehearse and try to minimize the use of filler words as much as possible.

Here are some helpful tips for minimizing the use of um, er, ah, ya know, so, but, etc.:

· Speak slower: If you are like me and live in the NY Metro area, chances are you are a fast talker. Slow your pace down. Take your time and annunciate your words and you’ll be less inclined to use fillers.

· Listen to yourself: As part of our media training sessions, we record clients during mock interviews and let them listen to themselves. This is a valuable exercise. Most of us don’t even realize we use these words.

· Be aware: Making yourself aware of the habit is the first step. My fifth grade teacher had a jar in our classroom called the “Like collection.” Every time we misused the word “like” we had to contribute a quarter to the jar.

An article in this week’s Advertising Age profiles Isaiah Mustafa, the “man your man could smell like,” who appeared in a television spot for Old Spice.

Mustafa played for the NFL for four seasons, but didn’t realize fame until he teamed with Procter & Gamble on a campaign for the brand’s body wash. The spot debuted during the Super Bowl (see the irony?) and has become an Internet sensation, garnering more than 6 million views on YouTube.

I’ll admit I hadn’t seen the spot or heard of Mustafa prior to reading Advertising Age. The spot is hilarious and he’s certainly easy on the eyes. According to the article, the PR “bonanza” wasn’t planned. Mustafa has been on NBC’s “Today,” the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” and the “CBS Early Show.” He’s apparently scheduled to be on “Oprah” next week. The article’s author, Jack Neff, suggests the buzz is of “…Snuggie-esque, if perhaps not yet iPad-esque, proportions.”

The success of this campaign is clearly not just about Mustafa; he was a relative unknown. It’s about Mustafa’s appeal combined with super-clever creative and an ad slot that cost between $2 and $3 million. While the exposure is enviable to be sure, is Mustafa an iPad-in-the-making? Highly unlikely. But the investment is definitely paying off for P&G in the form of buzz.

(Note: P&G’s share of the body wash market was slightly down in the four weeks ended February 21, according to the article.)