Today I am thinking about the consequences of doing while fat.
Whatever we are doing, we cannot do it in the way that thin people can.
We do not get the same publicity or opportunities. Our careers are stifled because we're either given nothing, or a trap.
Lindo Bacon once privately complimented me on my work, but never shared it publicly. Also told me they wanted to discuss having new branding images done after they came out, but then never responded to my follow-ups.
@marquisele was asked to co-author a book, but only in a way that deprived her of agency and credit. That wasn't a real career opportunity.
I've gained ~500 Twitter and ~400 Insta followers in the last 3 days. Great career opportunity, right?
But y'all aren't here for my work, you're here for the drama. I'm glad you're here and I welcome you, and some of you will love my actual work and stick around.
But once I stop delivering entertainment and go back to talking about fat oppression and photography, the majority…
…of y'all will mute me or unfollow.
(This is not the first time I've gained loads of followers from this type of situation, and I've watched them all sneak off as soon as it was no longer "necessary" to be seen following me.)
And when you do think of me, it'll be as That Woman That Called Out Lindo, not as the groundbreaking photographer or thought leader I actually am.
Ditto for Mikey, whose scholarship takes a backseat to the popcorn value of a flame war.
That means you won't be thinking of @marquisele when you want a co-author for *your* next book.
You won't be thinking of me when you need stock photos or marketing coaching or branding photos for your biz.
From now on, when you think of me you'll be just uncomfortable enough not to want to work with me.
You'll think of the thin and average-sized white folks who never made you have bad feels instead.
And while I'm dealing with constant crap like this from thin people in #HAES, I don't have *time* or energy to do my real world-changing work.
This has eaten three days of my week so far. Writing my post took four hours. I cannot tell you how many hours and…
…therapy sessions since 2016 have been devoted to dealing with y'all and your fragility and your whataboutery and your convenient silences.
I have a boudoir session in a couple hours and I have not styled the spaces I want to use yet, so I need to go haul plants and furniture.
(I want to be clear that no one, including Lindo, owes me business or opportunities. But there is a vast difference in how fat and thin biz owners are treated and this is why fat businesses languish.)
Originally tweeted by Lindley Ashline (she/her) 🌻🇺🇦 (@lindleyashline) on March 12, 2022.
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Hi there! I'm Lindley. I create artwork that celebrates the unique beauty of bodies that fall outside conventional "beauty" standards at Body Liberation Photography. I'm also the creator of Body Liberation Stock and the Body Love Shop, a curated central resource for body-friendly artwork and products. Find all my work here at bodyliberationphotos.com.