NAAFA Community Voices Blog
Sharing thoughts and ideas from fat community.
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Pride and Pronouns Part 1: Introduction to pronouns and gender identity
Pride is an important part of June, and pronouns are an important part of pride. And -- spoiler alert -- using the correct pronouns for people is important all year. Many transgender people and allies in the NAAFA community have experience with this, and we’d love it if you could like, comment on and share this post. For those of you who are newer, here are some pointers.
What Freedom Ain't: Fat Liberation for Folks Who Mean It
As fat activists and our accomplices continue to imagine a world free from fat antagonism and shaming, discrimination, and inaccessibility through NAAFA’s first ever Fat Liberation Month and beyond, let us also be reminded of the things that can hold us back. We can keep each other accountable, build more effectively, and perhaps move more expeditiously toward liberation. This is what freedom ain’t.
Fat Positive Travel Tips For A Post-Covid World
As a digital nomad, fat activist, solo female traveler, and the founder of Fat Girls Traveling I’ve learned a few things about traveling in a bigger body. We face so many barriers in our everyday lives that traveling outside of our comfort zone can seem inaccessible to us. The travel industry doesn’t consider fat bodies so we’ve had to become detectives when creating size-inclusive itineraries. I’ve created a cheat sheet of sorts to get you through the initial stress of traveling while fat, with specific tips for traveling during a global pandemic.
6 AAPI Influencers and Activists You’ll Love To Follow
Of the many plus-size identities out there, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are some of the least represented larger bodies in plus size media. Writer Laurel Dickman has put together a list of 6 AAPI influencers and activists that you will love to follow!
a torah that is fat
What I love about fatphobia...wait, that didn't come out quite right. Let me try again: what I find so deeply compelling about the work of Fat Torah is that the insidious pervasiveness of weight stigma --harming so many different people in so many different ways-- also means that the healing and liberation can start from anywhere.
What fat liberation means to me: It's not just about "all bodies"
In this reflection on Fat Liberation, Lindley Ashline talks about how she defines it, how fat liberation differs from body liberation, fat liberation vs body positivity, how she arrived at this point in fat liberation and how it affects her business as a photographer, activist and writer.
How Can Medical Professionals Prevent Weight Bias in Healthcare
Weight bias in the healthcare industry has many repercussions, from inaccurate diagnoses to body discrimination. But how can medical professionals prevent weight bias in the industry? Here are some tips!
There’s No Vaccine For Fatphobia
In this excerpt from Trevor Kezon's original Medium piece, the writer explores the experience of being fat during the pandemic. Find the full article and other writing by Trevor at trevorkezon.medium.com.
Reflections on Growing Up Fat and Chinese-American
In Chinese culture, women are supposed to be small. Not just in stature, but in how we exist in the world. There is this old school idea that Chinese girls should be quiet, small, slender, take up as little space as possible. There is no being loud, there is no taking up space, there is absolutely no being fat. Well. I’m fat. And I always have been. I grew up culturally Chinese American.
Diets Really Don’t Work
Stop believing the diet industry’s marketing. Stop believing the hype and the lies. We are not all meant to be the same. We come in all sizes; short, tall, thin, fat and everything in between. Learn to accept and celebrate our differences.
Stop buying into the lies that you are not fine just the way you are. Don’t believe the diet and healthcare industry when they tell you they are only concerned about your health. It’s not your health, it's your money that concerns them!
Take the time to consider what you are hungry for and enjoy the best possible food you can. Find an activity that you enjoy, whether it’s walking, swimming, dancing, working out...include that in your life on a regular basis. Focus on the things that matter like family, friends and helping others. The rest will take care of itself!
FATT Chat #2: Caleb Luna
Interview with writer, performer, Caleb Luna. Caleb describes themself as a light-skinned, superfat Latinx non-binary person with short, curly black hair, a gold piercing in their right nostril and gold hoop in their septum. In this interview, they discuss their fat acceptance story, who influenced them as a fat person and as a performer, dancing as a fat person, body diversity, and they share a number of people and organizations that they use to empower them. A resource guide to all referenced during the interview is included at the end of the transcript.