Gyms are temples for people who aren't fat to worship at the altars of their not-fatness. Gym workouts are anti-fat devotionals offered by the devoutly fitness-minded worshipers. No matter how "judgment-free" a gym claims to be, gyms are infested with fatphobic people, including fat people who are battling not only their own biology, but the... Continue Reading →
Fat & Trans: Reclaiming My Autonomy
By: J Aprileo | February 16, 2019 Being nonbinary and using they/them pronouns has proven to be difficult in my move to the Midwest. It seems that everyone reads my body as female. It’s not out of malintent, more so it would seem that it’s habit. To folks around here, certain body types, and body parts,... Continue Reading →
What Body Positivity Actually Means (or Meant)
"Body positivity" was born in 1996 and has an actual definition and core competencies. Learn about The Body Positive organization's mission and vision here. Explore the competencies here. There's a fantastic article on Everyday Feminism, by Kaila Prins, "Here’s Why the Definition of Body Positivity Isn’t Up for Debate." One of the tenets of body... Continue Reading →
Why The Fat Positive Cooperative?
I recently searched the Internet for fat positive resources, and I quickly found myself awash in fat hatred and anti-fat links. There were no actual fat positive links in pages and pages of results, even though I know there are fat positive articles and blogs out there. This fruitless search was the final catalyst for... Continue Reading →
The Fat Five: Janet Conroy-Quirk
This is the start of an ongoing series of posts called "The Fat Five," five questions on fat positivity and the fat experience answered by a member of the fat positive community. If you're interested in submitting answers to "The Fat Five," email fatpositivecooperative@gmail.com. When and how did you learn about fat positivity? In early... Continue Reading →
Let’s Fight for Everyone
Hi, friends. I’m Jude. Let’s talk about everyone’s favorite uncomfortable thing to discuss: privilege within the body positive/fat acceptance communities, yay! I know the word “privilege” is loaded and seems to have very nasty connotations, but I am using it because some fat bodies are more privileged than other bodies. Make no mistake that a... Continue Reading →
Nope Nope Nope-ity Nope
Dearest reader, This may come as a shock, but you cannot participate in intentional weight loss AND actually be fat positive. Intentional weight loss, hereafter IWL, is antithetical to fat positivity. IWL is LITERALLY anti-fat. It's about losing fatness. That is fatphobic. You cannot be actively anti-fat and fatphobic and actually be fat positive! Now,... Continue Reading →
Fat Spotlight: Tiana Dodson, Body Liberation Coach
Tiana Dodson, first name rhymes with Diana, (she/her) is a body liberation coach who works with fat folks to help them live their best fat lives. Read more about her here. She's currently working on holding 100 conversations on fatness. You can sign up to participate through her website. She's located in France, so the... Continue Reading →
Fat Positivity Doesn’t Require Self Love
You don't have to love yourself to be fat positive. Fat positivity, in theory and practice, is about justice, not self love. The radical notion that fat bodies are inherently worthy of respect, dignity, and equal treatment challenges systemic anti-fat bias and anti-fat discrimination (aka fatphobia or fatmisia). When fat positivity is co-opted into so-called body... Continue Reading →
Fat Spotlight: Caleb Luna
Caleb Luna (they/them) is a "fat, brown, queer writer, activist, teacher, performer, fat babe and scholar," as described on their page, where you can find links to their social media at the top right. I first came across their work on either The Body is Not an Apology or Everyday Feminism. A binary that implies... Continue Reading →
Exact Numbers and Levels of Fatness
TW: quote referring to the O-word later in post I ditched the scale a few years back, meaning I no longer own a scale and, when I go to the doctor, I either refuse to be weighed or stand facing away from the numbers and ask not to be told my weight. There's nothing the... Continue Reading →