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 diet industry. Worth $72 billion in 2020, the diet industry is one of the obvious culprits…
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.
I wrote this in a moment of frustration recently and wanted to share it even though it’s not really meant for my folks here, because the very nature of a blog is to be consumed. To be clear, lurking is fine! No one owes me interactions or a relationship. But there are an awful lot…
Here’s something to think and write about in this coming week: How has your view of your body and society’s beauty standards changed since you started journaling? How could it continue to change?You’re welcome to share your answers here (as long as they meet the space boundaries in my pinned stories) or write them down…
You are not too old to be photographed. You are not too old to cherish the skin that covers your body and bears witness to each year of the life that you have lived so far. You are not too old to feel comfortable in your body, to feel gorgeous and loved and cherished and…
Our fat bodies are valuable for more than what they offer other people. So often, when people try to come up with something good about fat bodies, the first and only idea is “comfort.” So many folks have fond memories of snuggling with lovely warm soft fat bodies as children, or snuggling their own children….
Turns out I didn’t have enough spoons to both record this AND write a nice post for it, so in summary: 👗 Fabletics👗 Old Navy👗 Supporting companies that don’t carry your size👗 @saucyewest👗 #fightforinclusivity👗 I still have way more of a southern accent than I realized
I recently talked about how people who are privileged in a particular area often expect people who are marginalized in that area to educate them, give them ideas and even fix their organizations for free. I’m also thinking about people like @ragenchastain, who answer literally thousands of emails per month to provide free labor around…
In the Body Love Shop: Fat-positive soaps! Get a little bathtime love in your mailbox with one of these fat-positive glycerin soaps. Each measures about 3″ across by 1″ high. Created by a fat, marginalized artist of color. Buy one or a selection, or get a random soap surprise! 🧼🧼🧼 Lindley Ashline | Body…
Our bodies are valuable for more than what they offer other people. So often, when people try to come up with something good about fat bodies, the first and only idea is “comfort.” So many folks have fond memories of snuggling with lovely warm soft fat bodies as children, or snuggling their own children. After…
🎉🎉 GIVEAWAY DAY 🎉🎉 I’m excited to be giving away two pairs (four total) tickets to the BodCon’s Beauty and Body Confidence event (online) on August 31! I’m not affiliated with this event, but when they contacted me I was impressed by the range of body sizes, identities and heritages of their speaker lineup. Giveaways…
Here’s something to think and write about in this coming week: How can I be kinder to myself today, tomorrow and next week? How can I be kind to my mind? How can I be kind to my body? If this prompt was helpful for you, there are 57 more in my free 58 Body Positive…
Content note: Trauma, water fear, injury Every time I get into wild water (not a pool or hot tub), it’s a victory over my anxiety disorder. When I was about 13, I went wading in the ocean at a church camp on the North Carolina coast. I loved ocean swimming and had zero fear. The…
I’m old-fashioned and still buy all my music, because I’m super picky about what I listen to and I like owning my mp3s. (I once managed to narrow a Pandora list down to exactly four songs because I couldn’t stop messing with it.) My playlists could use some fresh sound, so I bought some new…
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: Toxic masculinity and sexism.
Here’s something to think and write about in this coming week: If you were able to show up fully in the world, without body shame, what might that mean for you and your life?
“Body liberation. Rather than just expanding the beauty ideal to become more inclusive, let’s work towards freedom from relying on beauty to find value.” Lindo Bacon @lindobacon ◇─◇──« »──◇─◇ Image description: A fat white woman with glasses, short brown hair and a floral cold-shoulder top stands in a forest with shadows from tree branches crossing…
Ask Lindley: How can I live in a world that hates my fat body?
When I’m working with clients to create images during my body- and fat-positive photography sessions outside Seattle, I always try to get some laughing photos! Laughing is joyful, it loosens us up and helps us relax, and it gives us a different perspective on ourselves. Posed shots are nice as well, but how often do…
Thin privilege is having options. Thin privilege is having options for cargo pants, for kayaks, for bras, for in-store shopping, for hiking pants, for boots, for horseback riding, for androgynous clothing, for swimsuits, for cars, for desk chairs. It’s never having to conduct panicked research to figure out which seat on the bus or the…
🧘 Featured stock photo collection: Inclusive and body-positive yoga and meditation 🧘 This collection at Body Liberation Stock includes solo and group yoga and meditation images. There’s representation of folks who are fat, BIPOC, have invisible and visible disabilities, have limb differences and more. They’re all available for commercial use in your marketing — from…
Y’all know how much I love unicorns, so I’m delighted to offer fat unicorns in the shop with washi tape!
Thin privilege is never being denied the ability to immigrate due to your body size.
Here’s something to think and write about in this coming week: Is it possible for me to consider my body as a partner, rather than an adversary? What might that look like? You’re welcome to share your answers here (as long as they meet the space boundaries in my pinned stories) or write them down…
Hubby took these photos of me and I’m in love with them. (And him, too.)
I’m considering re-opening my calendar for body-positive boudoir, portrait and small business photography session bookings soon, so I’m judging level of interest. I’m vaccinated and I ask that you be as well, for my and your safety. Sessions will be distanced as much as possible and preferably outdoors. My home/studio is outside Seattle, WA. Are…
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: Political power. We have a recent example of a fat man as the U.S. President, but here…
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 primary factors: Racism. As ably described in great depth in Sabrina Strings’ recent book Fearing the Black Body,…
I promised I’d make more videos, but speaking off the cuff makes me so nervous! So I’m sharing a trick I recently learned for helping myself AND other people feel more comfortable in social situations. Click through and watch it on Instagram for closed captions/subtitles. I’m a photographer, writer and fat acceptance activist. Dive deep…
Here’s something to think and write about in this coming week: If you were able to show up fully in the world, without body shame, what might that mean for other people in your world? You’re welcome to share your answers on the Instagram post (as long as they meet the space boundaries in my…
Thin privilege is not having your “health” status be constantly the focus of, and scrutinized by, an entire culture. A comment from @conceivingitall in a discussion we had the other day made me realize how much fat folks’ health* is a cultural obsession. When you live in a fat body, your health is public property….
Fat people MUST be treated as the experts on our own lives, bodies and oppression. Must. Here are 5 reasons to learn about weight stigma from fat people. 1. Learning about weight stigma from people with thin privilege deprives the people most affected by fat hatred of the opportunity to speak authentically about our lived…
“The ocean does not apologize for its depth and the mountains do not seek forgiveness for the space they take and so, neither shall I.” » Becca Lee Be the first to know when I reopen my calendar for body-positive boudoir, portrait and small business photography sessions. ◇─◇──« »──◇─◇ Image description: A fat person with…
Ultimately, you can’t change hearts and minds that don’t want to change. Here’s how to convince people to stop dieting or being fatphobic.
My Seattle photography office is where I spend most of my time. This is where some of my most precious things live, where my cat Blue hangs out, where I edit photos and post to social media and hold remote client photo reveals. Here’s a tour.
One of the best things about summer is water: swimming, splashing, wading, dancing, drinking, flavoring, floating, fishing, boating, or soaking in it! The larger your clothing size, though, the more challenging it can be to find a swimsuit you find comfortable or beautiful. For folks who wear clothing sizes larger than are generally carried at…
Fat folks’ health* is a cultural obsession.
I don’t want to reclaim Ursula. Released in 1989, Disney’s animated movie The Little Mermaid struck me at a formative time in my life. Ariel hit me right in the heart. Open and sunny and earnest and curious and longing, both of us. Both of us yearning for unexplored territory. Isolated in rural North Carolina…
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.
I recently talked about how people who are privileged in a particular area often expect people who are marginalized in that area to educate them, give them ideas and even fix their organizations for free. I’m also thinking about people like Ragen Chastain, who answer literally thousands of emails per month to provide free labor…
I’ve produced another workbook! This one is for everyone who’s ever run, or tried to run, a group (whether online, like a Facebook group, or in person). Running a support or special-interest group of any kind — online or offline — is one of the kindest things we can do for our fellow humans. Though…
One of the most important issues facing weight management, bariatric, dietetic, endocrinology, special interest groups, and other provider groups and practices today is weight stigma. It’s important to update your resources, handouts, training, certifications and other materials to remove stigmatizing language in order to improve patient compliance and positively impact clients. Here are ten ways…
Need the body image boost that comes with getting used to bodies like yours? Here are 40+ accounts of fat influencers, models, and everyday folks to follow on Instagram.
As you know, I’ve been recovering from long-term sleep deprivation caused by sudden-onset sleep apnea after major dental work last year. It took months to get a diagnosis and treatment. I’m so happy to be somewhat back to normal, thanks to my CPAP machine. I have better days and worse days, and I’m still struggling…
The Pacific Northwest is heading into an extraordinary weather event, where Seattle could reach 104 degrees for at least two days in a row, and Portland, 109 degrees. The dry eastern side of Washington state could reach 114 degrees. Like two-thirds of Seattle, we don’t have air conditioning, but we’re lucky and privileged enough to…
Here’s one concrete action you can take to help end weight stigma: Stop saying that weight loss doesn’t solve anything. And I’m going to need you to read alllll the way to the end of this post before you @ me, because I am not jumping on the diet wagon here. Does intentional weight loss…
Image description: A fat white woman in a short-sleeved red dress sits in front of a stone wall and shrugs. There’s a pattern I’ve seen displayed dozens of times by people and organizations who are asked to walk their talk about size inclusivity, and it goes something like this: Invalidation or gaslighting of the fat…
Image description: Lindley, a fat white woman, stands in front of a brick wall in a heart polka-dot dress. She’s holding a rainbow umbrella and smiling. It’s always a pleasure to speak with Jodie Gale of the Psychosynthesis Centre — did you know we recorded a podcast episode together? — and today we’re talking about…
In a world where clothing companies constantly claim to be inclusive, it can be hard to tell what is actually inclusive, especially if you don’t wear plus sizes yourself. Full clothing inclusivity requires carrying up to at least a 12X/size 40 U.S., ideally with a custom sizing option. (And, even more ideally, with options for…
Image description: A fat white woman stands on a city street corner in a silver dress and cape. Buy a similar stock photo >> It’s a story as old as time: Someone sees an injustice in the world and bands together with a small group of friends to fix it. The princess is locked in…
