It's been 10+ years since I first discovered fat liberation...here's what I've learned. In 2014, I discovered fat liberation and have been talking about it since. So after all these years, I wanted to share my top takeaways about body image, being fat on the internet, the common fears we share, and more. TW: mention of body image struggles in childhood. Like the podcast? Leave a review where you listen!
People judge others negatively, and that sucks; I’m sorry you have to go through that.
Some people will judge you very harshly and unkindly. Some people will think of you neutrally or positively. Some people are hyper-focused on themselves and whether or not you are judging them negatively.
If you have a bigger body or are marginalized in additional ways, you are going to be experiencing more bias and judgement, and that is not ok.
If someone is judging your body size or fatness negatively, then it might be because they feel shame in their body and want to pass that shame to you to feel temporary relief. It’s not your shame to hold and deal with. Also, some people are just plain cruel or bigoted and you should not have to deal with that.
Those people shouldn’t be able to dictate how we live our lives, what we look like, how we dress or how we present to the world as a fat person. However, they often do get to dictate, either from fear of experiencing shame, changing our behaviours, or due to very real safety concerns, changing our behaviours. This world is often unsafe (especially for the most marginalized), and how you react to that is understandable.
For many of us, the story we've been told about fat bodies seems pretty logical: being fat is unhealthy. We know that society stigmatizes fat people because they “choose to be fat” and “drain public resources.” Others who view body diversity more favourably would argue that it’s not the fault of people in bigger bodies that they are the way they are (because fatness is a “disease”), but it’s still important to be healthy, i.e. in a smaller body. We are taught that concerns about weight are rooted in science, medicine, and a desire to improve individual and population health outcomes.
Anti-fatness didn’t begin with medicine. In reality, the beliefs that fat people are unhealthy as well as lazy, unintelligent, undisciplined, unattractive or less worthy have deep roots in religion, the enslavement of Black bodies, colonialism, “scientific” racism, sexism and social control. It was never about health.
Thanks to the work of Black scholars, including Dr. Sabrina Strings, we know that anti-fatness comes from anti-Blackness as well as other oppressive forces. But WHY were certain beliefs about Black bodies created? Who started the myths, and what were they saying? How do those stereotypes about fat Black bodies manifest today? We are going back thousands of years to see where all this nonsense started. Using a variety of sources, including, of course, the go-to book for talking about this Fear of the Black Body by Sabrina Strings, as well as Belly of the Beast by Da’Shaun L. Harrison and concepts from bell hooks, Patricia Hill Collins, and more. TW: O words, anti-Blackness, slavery, sexism, brief mention of sexual assault, general white fuckery.
We’re constantly told that being fat is bad for us, that fat people are ticking time bombs and are pathetic, sad sacks. Is it true? Are fat people giant losers who are doomed to an “unhealthy,” miserable existence? In this episode, we flip the script and explore the surprising advantages of fatness. From better disease outcomes to unique social benefits, mental health perks, and even survival advantages, I share 49 benefits of being fat you probably haven’t considered. How many can you think of? TW: brief mention of O words.
It's been 10+ years since I first discovered fat liberation...here's what I've learned. In 2014, I discovered fat liberation and have been talking about it since. So after all these years, I wanted to share my top takeaways about body image, being fat on the internet, the common fears we share, and more. TW: mention of body image struggles in childhood. Like the podcast? Leave a review where you listen!
People judge others negatively, and that sucks; I’m sorry you have to go through that.
Some people will judge you very harshly and unkindly. Some people will think of you neutrally or positively. Some people are hyper-focused on themselves and whether or not you are judging them negatively.
If you have a bigger body or are marginalized in additional ways, you are going to be experiencing more bias and judgement, and that is not ok.
If someone is judging your body size or fatness negatively, then it might be because they feel shame in their body and want to pass that shame to you to feel temporary relief. It’s not your shame to hold and deal with. Also, some people are just plain cruel or bigoted and you should not have to deal with that.
Those people shouldn’t be able to dictate how we live our lives, what we look like, how we dress or how we present to the world as a fat person. However, they often do get to dictate, either from fear of experiencing shame, changing our behaviours, or due to very real safety concerns, changing our behaviours. This world is often unsafe (especially for the most marginalized), and how you react to that is understandable.
For many of us, the story we've been told about fat bodies seems pretty logical: being fat is unhealthy. We know that society stigmatizes fat people because they “choose to be fat” and “drain public resources.” Others who view body diversity more favourably would argue that it’s not the fault of people in bigger bodies that they are the way they are (because fatness is a “disease”), but it’s still important to be healthy, i.e. in a smaller body. We are taught that concerns about weight are rooted in science, medicine, and a desire to improve individual and population health outcomes.
Anti-fatness didn’t begin with medicine. In reality, the beliefs that fat people are unhealthy as well as lazy, unintelligent, undisciplined, unattractive or less worthy have deep roots in religion, the enslavement of Black bodies, colonialism, “scientific” racism, sexism and social control. It was never about health.
Thanks to the work of Black scholars, including Dr. Sabrina Strings, we know that anti-fatness comes from anti-Blackness as well as other oppressive forces. But WHY were certain beliefs about Black bodies created? Who started the myths, and what were they saying? How do those stereotypes about fat Black bodies manifest today? We are going back thousands of years to see where all this nonsense started. Using a variety of sources, including, of course, the go-to book for talking about this Fear of the Black Body by Sabrina Strings, as well as Belly of the Beast by Da’Shaun L. Harrison and concepts from bell hooks, Patricia Hill Collins, and more. TW: O words, anti-Blackness, slavery, sexism, brief mention of sexual assault, general white fuckery.
We’re constantly told that being fat is bad for us, that fat people are ticking time bombs and are pathetic, sad sacks. Is it true? Are fat people giant losers who are doomed to an “unhealthy,” miserable existence? In this episode, we flip the script and explore the surprising advantages of fatness. From better disease outcomes to unique social benefits, mental health perks, and even survival advantages, I share 49 benefits of being fat you probably haven’t considered. How many can you think of? TW: brief mention of O words.
How many of these do you resonate with? On my show, The Fierce Fatty Podcast, I go into these even deeper on episode 205 "Stages of Fat Identity: Signs You’re Thriving or Trapped." You can also hear the signs that perhaps you're still struggling with anti-fat and diet culture beliefs. If you’ve lived your whole life being told that fat is bad and dieting will be your salvation, then unlearning those messages can be hard. This episode will give you a roadmap to track your progress and celebrate your journey so far!
In episode 205 of the Fierce Fatty Podcast, "205: Stages of Fat Identity: Signs You’re Thriving or Trapped," I shared the details on the stages of fat identity, from “ugh, why am I fat?” to “heck yes, I’m fabulous, unapologetically me!” I also covered the 21 signs that maybe you're struggling with anti-fat bias and have internalized those messages. Go check out the episode (#205) to get all that juicy info anywhere you listen to podcasts.
Are you thriving in your fat identity, or still getting lured with the promises of diet culture (ahem, GLP-1s)? In this episode, I share the details on the stages of fat identity, from “ugh, why am I fat?” to “heck yes, I’m fabulous, unapologetically me!” Learn the signs that show you’re rocking self-acceptance alongside the traps that might still be holding you back. If you’ve lived your whole life being told that fat is bad and dieting will be your salvation, then unlearning those messages can be hard. This episode will give you a roadmap to track your progress and celebrate your journey so far!
A recent opinion video from The New York Times titled “Confessions of a Former Body Positivity Influencer” claims to expose the dangers of the body positivity movement. But does it actually represent what body positivity (and fat liberation) have historically stood for? Short answer: nope. In this episode, we watch the video in real time and break down the misinformation and subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways anti-fatness is repackaged as just “caring about your health.”
TW: anti-fat beliefs.
Does weight loss surgery make you thin and healthy? What percentage of people is it successful for? Are the side effects worth it and what are they exactly? This episode is a deep dive into "bariatric" surgery AKA "weight loss" surgery AKA stomach amputation. TW: There are mentions of the types of surgeries, outcomes and side effects as well as general awful stuff fat people endure.
It’s part 2 of the GLP 1 deep dive! In this episode, we are covering “food noise,” the weird things that people are reporting happening to their bodies on GLP-1s, horrid stuff that’s happening in the UK, lawsuits, safety planning for those taking the drugs, and whether taking GLPs goes against fat liberation. TW: for British anti-fatness, side effects, and mental health.
How can we convince healthcare providers to examine the harm they cause when they tell fat people to lose weight and deny us care? It can be pretty hard to realize that you haven’t been providing evidence-based care so it’s a challenge! That’s where the work of the disability community comes in with their medical and social models of disability. This lets us communicate how medicalizing fatness is not helpful in the same way it’s not helpful for many in the disability community. Alongside that, let’s talk about harm reduction ideas! We’re getting deep today, come join me :)
It’s NOT the most wonderful time of the year for a lot of fat folks because many will be spending time with anti-fat family and then once you survive that it’s into the “New Year New You” diet culture dog shit. Ugh. Want some tactics to overcome this stressful time? Tune into this episode for the salve to all this nonsense. Don’t forget: you’re worthy, you always were you always will be.
It’s NOT the most wonderful time of the year for a lot of fat folks because many will be spending time with anti-fat family and then once you survive that it’s into the “New Year New You” diet culture dog shit. Ugh. Want some tactics to overcome this stressful time? Tune into this episode for the salve to all this nonsense. Don’t forget: you’re worthy, you always were you always will be.
💭 I would restrict my food to lose weight and subsequently developed two restrictive eating disorders. From the moment I opened my eyes in the morning I thought of food and what I would soon be “allowed” to eat for breakfast and then counted down the moments until lunch. This behaviour was praised because I was fat.
Seemingly there are non-stop stories and notifications of celebrities and influencers being on a new “weight loss journey” after starting on weight loss drugs. Now, Oprah is among that cohort and it has had an impact on her relationship with WeightWatchers. But hang on a minute, doesn’t WW sell weight loss drugs? Let’s dig into it! Bonus: I also share my favourite purchases under $100 that have positively impacted my life!
Have you ever read the “Am I The Asshole” questions on Reddit? If you don’t know what AITA is: People ask the internet if they were in the right or wrong about a situation that happened in their life. Well, these questions are a source of endless entertainment for me! I brought my friend Summer Innanen from Eat The Rules podcast to get her verdict on four AITA posts that I picked out around weight and diets. Some of these AITA question askers are grade A donkeys and also there are some grey areas where things are less clear. TW: anti-fatness, ableism, gender A-Hole behaviour.
Woah nelly, can family be trying or what? Especially if you’re the only one talking up about bad behaviour and feel like the black sheep or are being told you’re “tooooo sensitive”. If we want to (or have to) spend time with family, having some tactics in our back pockets is a great idea. Sharing your stories, an analogy with a donley and different word tracks in this episode will help you join family celebrations with a little more ease.
