“Whole worlds exist in people that they feel they have to keep hidden away in order to present only the acceptable parts. Those of us facing the world in a stigmatized body don’t often get away without complex feelings about that body. And those messages that build shame only make it harder for a lot…
I’ve had the honor of being on a number of Australian podcasts, and every time, I wonder the same thing: What do they think about my American accent?? More importantly, it is very cool to have the opportunity to speak virtually all over the world about body acceptance and fat activism, most recently with the…
“Even in the Bath & Beauty world, a lot of it is very thin-centric. Because we’re not trying to cater to the mainstream ideals of beauty, I think we feel less of a need to remain traditional with what we make and it allows us to really get creative with what we do.” » Gloria…
In this episode of Friend of Marilyn, Cat Pausé and I talk about the to-be-revived Body Love Box, the Body Liberation Guide and how what you focus on moves you forward.
“By publishing zines about the fat experience, I am helping de-stigmatize fatness in society. I do what I do with the hope that everything I put out into the world will inspire others, break down fat stereotypes, and change negative attitudes toward fat people.” » Rachelle Abellar Today’s interview is with Rachelle @archivesix. Rachelle Abellar…
“The pieces I create are not perfect. They take a bit of me. I’m odd and I’m memorable, I love myself, and I love my work. Through my pieces I express my joy, my hopes, all of my experiences over the continuing course of my existence. Each piece is a piece of me, and when…
I’m so excited to introduce you to an array of fat and marginalized creators (plus an ally or two). We’ll be talking to models, writers, artists, photographers and more. I’ll be posting one interview here per day. Since Nov. also contains Small Business Saturday, consider these as your businesses to support this year. Here’s how…
Stop asking fat people to hold the discomfort of learning that you have thin privilege.
One of the reasons I talk about vulnerability in business so much is that giving ourselves the grace and space to be vulnerable allows us to not expect perfection from ourselves or others. When we give ourselves the grace of imperfection, it means that when we mess up — as we inevitably will, as people…
In which I describe how Health at Every Size®, fat liberation, fat acceptance, and body positivity advocates can use the Help a Reporter Out (HARO) list to change media narratives around bodies and weight. How to HARO: Help a Reporter Out, or HARO, is an email list that reporters use to find sources for stories….
Today I’m asking body-positive and Health at Every Size®-aligned nanny and parent consultant Sarah @bodypositiveparenting all about her job, including: 🚸 What does a body-positive nanny do? What does #HAES have to do with it? 🚸 What should parents look for in a nanny who will help their kids grow up with a positive body image? 🚸 What Sarah…
In which I clear up a misconception that’s come up a few times lately about my photographic work and its relation to Allgo (canweallgo.com).
Use these beautiful plus-size pregnancy stock photos from Body Liberation Stock to increase the diversity of your marketing materials, website and social media feeds.
Every repetition of “But being fat is unhealthy” is a reinforcement of a false, oppressive, racist, unjust set of lies that are perpetuated in the face of all evidence in the service of massive profits and increased power. You heard me. Privilege is unearned, but it’s not something you need to feel bad or guilty…
In which I talk about the Unpacking Weight Stigma workbook series, which helps fat folks and their allies untangle internalized weight stigma and apply their newfound knowledge to the real world. Find all the workbooks:
In which I talk about the Unpacking Weight Stigma workbook series, which helps fat folks and their allies untangle internalized weight stigma and apply their newfound knowledge to the real world. Find all the workbooks here.
In which I talk about how and why I chose Discord for my body-positive, fat-positive community space. To get access, support my Patreon at any level. It starts at $1 USD per month (and if that’s a hardship for you, please let me know and I’ll be happy to give you free access). Once you…
Here is this week’s body-positive journaling prompt from Body Liberation Photos.
In this month’s Ask a Fat Creator interview, we’re talking to Kristine Zaftig, a fat and fat-positive artist who showcases women of color in her paintings.
“The images we see—or don’t see—matter. They tell us what’s possible.” » Emily Nagoski The more we see unrealistic, idealized people in advertising and the media, the more it makes us doubt the worth of our own bodies, skin colors, looks and orientations. Thankfully, the world is changing. Customers are demanding better from the companies…
A soothing few minutes at one of the beaches of Deception Pass, Washington state.
In which I talk about whether love is enough to salvage a relationship, whether people can change the direction of their relationships and whether you should keep giving people second chances.
Thin privilege is not having to learn both sewing and pattern making to have clothing that’s fun, stylish, creative, fits well…or just fits, period. One of the most common dismissals that gets thrown at fat folks when we talk about how apparel companies would rather lose money than make clothing for us is, “You can…
I’m taking some time off this week, so I had a chance to revisit my terrarium. I took all the plants out and set them on an unfolded trash bag, then wiped down the lid, inside and outside of the aquarium. I didn’t bother cleaning the bottom, since it’ll just get dirty again. Raymond lifted…
Here is this week’s body-positive journaling prompt from Body Liberation Photos.
In which I demonstrate a) repotting tradescantias and b) why I’m not a plantfluencer. No apologies for the terrible video.
“The images we see—or don’t see—matter. They tell us what’s possible.” » Emily Nagoski The more we see unrealistic, idealized people in advertising and the media, the more it makes us doubt the worth of our own bodies, skin colors, looks and orientations. Thankfully, the world is changing. Customers are demanding better from the companies…
If you’d like a shorter podcast listen, Love, Food is for you. In each episode, Julie answers a letter from a reader. As a podcast guest, I love this format because I feel like I’m speaking directly to someone out there! This episode is for all who were once theatre kids, or anybody who’s ever…
I love digging in and talking about the practical aspects of body liberation, especially when it comes to running a business. On Massage Business Blueprint, Allissa, Michael and I discuss how all types of brick-and-mortar businesses can attract and welcome fat folks as customers and clients, including: How to talk about fat bodies (fat? larger…
In which I talk about why I set no-advice boundaries on some of my posts on Facebook and Instagram, and how you can support people you care about without giving unsolicited advice. Support this work by signing up for my free, beautiful and useful Body Liberation Guide newsletter at bit.ly/bodyliberationguide, and drop a dollar or…
Thin privilege doesn’t make you a bad person or one with super special benefits. The super special benefit is not facing the obstacles placed in the way of fat folks. Your body size is mostly or always included, and you don’t have to constantly think about it. Privilege is unearned, but it’s not something you…
In which I talk about how thin privilege — like any other privilege you might have — isn’t just something you have, or don’t have: it’s a spectrum. As you follow the spectrum of human body sizes toward the smaller end, thin privilege increases. As you go towards the larger end of the spectrum, thin…
Find the perfect gift for your partner, lover, friend, or family member for Valentine’s Day in our curated list of body-positive and health at every size-aligned Valentine’s Day gifts.
Every single time I’m asked to be on a podcast, it’s an honor, but it’s an especially big deal to be the very first guest on an existing podcast! Jenn Hume, owner of Hell Yeah Tech, and I talked on her Hell Yeah Techcast about websites, marketing and inclusive stock photography. Jenn is exactly my…
“The images we see—or don’t see—matter. They tell us what’s possible.” » Emily Nagoski The more we see unrealistic, idealized people in advertising and the media, the more it makes us doubt the worth of our own bodies, skin colors, looks and orientations. Thankfully, the world is changing. Customers are demanding better from the companies…
Let’s talk about research. When it comes to weight and health, everyone’s a scientist. People who haven’t picked up a textbook in twenty years are suddenly confident that they know more about fat people’s bodies than the fat people themselves do. What’s more, they know just what fat people should be doing (or not doing)…
In which I talk about how parents pass diet culture to their children across generations, breaking that cycle, and the limits on what parents can do for their kids’ body image.
Here is this week’s body-positive journaling prompt from Body Liberation Photos.
In the Body Love Shop: The mini-book My Body Positive Journey from artist and illustrator Tatiana Gill! This little book is a quarter-size look at one woman’s journey towards body acceptance. Gill’s work is unflinchingly honest and vulnerable. 🔑 Intimate🔑 Honest🔑 Raw🔑 Lived experience
Thin privilege is not having your body used as a shorthand for a long list of negative qualities, characteristics and traits. Dolores Umbridge. Ursula. Kingpin. Jabba the Hut. The Dursleys. Fat lawyers and politicians in 150 years of political cartoons. It’s no coincidence that so many villains in books and movies are fat. Their weight…
Why do people hate and fear fat bodies? Weight stigma — also known as fatphobia, fatmisia, anti-fatness and fat hatred — ties into threads of power and profit going back centuries. Let’s look at one of the factors: The just world fallacy. Our culture wants us to believe that bodies are simple machines with simple…
Mowich Lake is one of my favorite semi-hidden Washington day trip destinations. It’s located in Mount Rainier National Park, but getting there requires you to take a separate route from the main park roads, over some (public access) unpaved logging roads that are more or less adventurous depending on how recently they’ve been maintained. The…
I’ve had a few requests to see my high-humidity plant setup. I am constitutionally incapable of making a short video, but here you go!
In which I discuss the concept of body grief, grieving the loss of body privileges and how to talk about that without reinforcing oppressive beauty ideals. See @bodyimagewithbri for more on body grieving! Find a version with subtitles here. If you’d like to represent actual fat people in your marketing, check out my inclusive stock…
“The images we see—or don’t see—matter. They tell us what’s possible.” » Emily Nagoski The more we see unrealistic, idealized people in advertising and the media, the more it makes us doubt the worth of our own bodies, skin colors, looks and orientations. Thankfully, the world is changing. Customers are demanding better from the companies…
Here is this week’s body-positive journaling prompt from Body Liberation Photos.
Thin privilege is buying clothes off the rack at a brick-and-mortar store. This is one of the areas where the spectrum of privilege is really easy to see. The larger your body, the more limits there are on where you can buy clothing, and the options diminish really rapidly. Folks who wear a size 24…
Many fat folks have reclaimed the word and are using it as a neutral descriptor, but to the world at large, “fat” is an insult. So should you be using it?
I’m still not officially open for client photography sessions due to the delta COVID variant, but I recently made an exception for a(n outdoor, distanced, vaccinated) group session that’s been in the works since pre-pandemic and will be revealed soon. Dr. Spriggs (she/her) was part of that group, and she stayed for a few minutes…
I’ve only been to Mount Baker, Washington in the fall, and that’s the way I like it. The time of year of that first visit was coincidental — it was on my trip list and we wanted to get in before the highway closed for the winter — but I don’t know that any other…
