NAAFA Community Voices Blog
Sharing thoughts and ideas from fat community.
Image shows a young black woman with blonde hair and wearing glasses, a pink sweater and a laptop on the desk in front of her.
Blog postings are shown in date order of posting (newest to oldest). You may search by author, tag or use the following categories: Events, From the Newsletter, Guest Posts, History, Legislation, LGBTQIA+, Medical, Press Releases, Resource Guides, Videos, Webinars.
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Media and Research Roundup - July 2022
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media & Research Roundup. This issue features: looking at the credibility of studies, issues in getting accurate blood pressure reading for fat folx, and other medical issues.
Report from the International Weight Stigma Conference
The annual Weight Stigma Conference (WSC) is an international interdisciplinary gathering of scholars, advocates, community leaders, and others whose work addresses weight stigma (bias against people who are considered “overweight” in their cultures). Founded by British scholar and activist Dr. Angela Meadows in 2013, the conference has been held in Birmingham (UK), Canterbury (UK), Reykjavik (Iceland), Vancouver (Canada), Prague (Czchek Republic), Leeds (UK), and London (UK). Although the conference was founded in 2013, COVID-related delays made this year the 8th offering of the in-person conference, with a commitment to adding more virtual elements in 2023 and a fully hybrid conference in 2024. 2023 and 2024 locations are yet to be announced.
NAAFA has supported the conference as a sponsor for many years. This year, for the first time, we sent an official delegation. Board Chair Tigress Osborn and Board Member-at-Large Elaine Lee traveled to Berlin in July to represent NAAFA at the conference and learn from fat community leaders from sixteen countries.
NAAFA Chronicles 78: February 1987
The NAAFA Chronicles reflect a piece of fat acceptance/fat activist history. In the February 1987 issue, you will find: discussion about a study on how size affect salary for executives, compulsory dieting in institutions, use of the word "thin" and "fat" on everyday language and more!
ANTI-RACISM + DISABILITY JUSTICE RESOURCES
July is Disability Pride Month! Multiple marginalizations can equate to not being seen and recognized on one hand and the potential of hate and violence on the other. This month’s resources look specifically at the intersection of BIPOC and disability.
Media and Research Roundup - June 2022
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media & Research Roundup. This issue features: 14-year old Zeke Sanchez and how he is changing body expectations, memories of activist Dr. Cat Pause and discussion of the numerous weight loss drugs that the FDA is approving, and more!
RESEARCH SURVEY OPPORTUNITIES
NAAFA is introducing RESEARCH SURVEY OPPORTUNITIES, a new monthly feature in the NAAFA Newsletter and on the NAAFA Community Voices Blog,.
The purpose of this feature is to share the opportunity to participate in surveys or studies that directly affect fat community. These research participation opportunities have been presented to NAAFA for possible sharing by the individuals or organizations that are leading the research. They were not created by nor are they sponsored by NAAFA.
Anti-Racism Resources for LGBTQIA2S+ People of Color
June is Pride Month! While the LGBTQIA2S+ community and allies celebrate the month with parades and activism events, gay, trans and queer folx deal with biases and discrimination on a daily basis. Compound that with being a person of color and you add a layer of racism to that. This month’s anti-racism resources look specifically at that intersection.
Media and Research Roundup - May 2022
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media & Research Roundup. This issue features: body positivity and what "everyone knows"; Texas State Troopers are facing disciplinary action based on their waist circumference; how food hierarchies can be antifatness, classist and racist; a petition against weighing children in school, and more!
NAAFA Chronicles 76: December 1986
The NAAFA Chronicles reflect a piece of fat acceptance/fat activist history. In the December 1986 issue, you will find: a review of the news from 1986 relative to NAAFA and fat acceptance!
NAAFA Chronicles 75: November 1986
CW: Discussion of intentional weight loss and weight loss surgery complications.
The NAAFA Chronicles reflect a piece of fat acceptance/fat activist history. In the November 1986 issue, you will find: discussion from a conference at the NY Academy of Science that diet-based approaches to permanent weight loss are "a disaster" and should be abandoned, updates on WLS procedures and more!
Media and Research Roundup - April 2022
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media Research Roundup. This issue features: "A Jar of Fat", a play written by Seayoung Yim, Plus Size Mommy takes on ABC and media that get plus-size pregnancy risks wrong, Tigress Osborn talks about NAAFA's work with Google in developing guidelines for inclusivity in marketing, and more!
In Celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Month
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. To our Asian and Pacific Islander community members, we honor you and past generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have made positive contributions to American history, laying the groundwork for future generations to continue their important work.
NAAFA Chronicles 74: October 1986
The NAAFA Chronicles reflect a piece of fat acceptance/fat activist history. In the October 1986 issue you will find: the declaration of fat independence, protesting Oprah Winfrey’s statements on national television, making employment a higher priority, and more.
Remembering Dr. Cat Pausé
Dr Caitlin (Cat) Pausé, scholar, a mentor, a teacher, an activist, and a tireless advocate for fat rights, passed away in her sleep on March 26th, 2022. Dr. Angela Meadows shares her memories of Cat and the accomplishments she made in fighting for fat community.
FAT POLITICS IN ACTION: PENDING LEGISLATION SEEKS TO PROTECT AGAINST WEIGHT BIAS
“The cultural shifts around acceptance of fat and questioning the diet industry and the pervasiveness of diet culture, some of those things have empowered more fat people individually to think about, ‘Oh, when my rights are being violated, this is not my fault.’ ” - Tigress Osborn, NAAFA Board Chair
Riding the wave of these cultural shifts, there are two legislative bills currently making their way through the State Houses of Massachusetts and New York.
WAGE DISPARITY FOR FAT AND OTHER MARGINALIZED PEOPLE
When people talk about diversity and inclusion in the workplace, they are usually referring to diversity as presented by ethnic, racial, gender identity, disability, and sexual identity demographics. Less often is body diversity considered. It has been reported that employers often perceive fatness as a sign that the fat person has less leadership potential, is not as intelligent, is less qualified and costs the employer more than their "normal" sized peers. Fat employees often receive a lower starting wage than employees with smaller bodies. The fact that body size is not covered by anti-discrimination laws in most states or other legislative districts affects everyone with marginalized identities.
Media and Research Roundup - March 2022
For the latest information and research on fatness, check out the Media Research Roundup. This issue features: lack of plus-size representation in fashion week, being weighed at the doctor’s office, anti-discrimination in Brazil, WW’s violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act Rule and more!
NAAFA Chronicles 73: September 1986
The NAAFA Chronicles reflect a piece of fat acceptance/fat activist history. In the September 1986 issue you will find: an FDA investigation of the gastric bubble is discussed, information on what happened to NAAFA's proposed name change, media and publicity, aerobics for large-sized people, and more.
ANTI-RACISM RESOURCES CELEBRATING WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH 2022
Each month, we will be featuring educational resources on the NAAFA Community Voices Blog. This month, we focus on Women’s History Month 2022 and Black women that everyone should know. The breadth of the contributions of Black women to the U.S. is immeasurable. There are too many to recognize in this compilation, so here are just a few.
Driven to End Weight Stigma
In this piece for Women’s History Month 2022, Barbara Altman Bruno PhD gives us a glimpse into why she felt “driven” in working to end fat stigma and toward fat liberation. Dr. Bruno conveys some of the history of the fat acceptance/fat liberation movement from her perspective, the beginnings of Health At Every Size and her work in preserving our history for the future.