I went on a trip! It was lovely! At least, most of it was. People in small bodies go out in public and come home with lovely memories. People in fat bodies go out in public and come home with thorns among the roses. The Young Lovers This is the couple who wanted my spot…
Some days, caring for our fat bodies looks exactly like caring for any human body. On other days, we may need a little extra something to carry on. When it comes to chronic health conditions like diabetes, though, caring for a fat body can be very different. Why? Because fat bodies are subject to weight…
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…
Allies, HAES providers, body image and body positivity activists, and influencers who live in small and medium-sized bodies: Where are you when a superfat person posts a bikini photo and is rewarded with, not the accolades you receive for your vulnerability and bravery, but uniform disgust? Where are you when fat activists are exhausted at…
Over on the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH) blog, I’m talking about Mary, a fictional fatty, and her experience in the fitness world. Recently I saw a comment from a fitness professional that got me thinking. She said that she wants to help people in bodies of all sizes get to the “happy…
Rachelle Abellar is a graphic designer, fat activist, and body liberation advocate. She is the founder of PNW Fattitude, a group that hosts events for people of size in the Pacific Northwest. She also runs Archive Six, a small press and zine distro that carries work centering indie art, social justice, feminism, WOC, intersectionality, fat…
For Immediate Release August 1, 2019 Shelbey Osborne [email protected] THE BODY LOVE BOX SUPPORTS ITS 20TH MARGINALIZED ARTIST Fat-Positive Subscription Box Supporting Marginalized Artists and Small Business Owners SEATTLE, WASHINGTON –The Body Love Box is celebrating working with over 20 marginalized and small business owners since the…
This is a guest post from Dawn Clark, who graciously allowed me to share her experience at the National Association for the Advancement of Fat Acceptance, or NAAFA. – Lindley I have been fat most of my life, and if there were one word to describe my fat life thus far, it would be “uncomfortable.”…
This post is part of a series on exploring and navigating the world with a fat body and an anxiety disorder. See all the posts here. If Montana is big sky country (and it is — we’ll get there), northern Idaho feels intimate. The smoky haze begins to clear as you head east past beautiful,…
A photographer and writer explores the American west while living in a fat body with an anxiety disorder.
“Oh, phew,” said the client I’d just finished photographing yesterday, as we stood in her office. “That makes so much more sense. I found you by googling for ‘body positive photography’ anyway — this is much more clear.” I’d just told her that I’m changing my website and brand, and she immediately picked up on…
Take a look with me at Tatiana Gill’s Fat Positive Coloring Book! I’ll let you in on a bit of background about the book itself and the original cover, plus give you a peek at what’s inside. Full disclosure: I was provided with this copy of the coloring book in exchange for the review. All…
I’m the official photographer for Project HEAL’s Camp Heal 2019! Join us in Angeles National Forest outside Los Angeles this September to help heal your body image. In this video, I’m talking about eating disorder recovery and who has the “right” body for it, why I’m lending my skills to the camp, and my fave…
***I’m giving away a free pair of Dry Apron Panties! See the video and transcript for details. Contest ends at midnight on Friday, May 31, 2019. You must comment over on Youtube to enter (not here on the blog).*** In a world where living in a fat body is barely discussed, taking care of a…
What do boudoir photography, subscription boxes and stock photos have in common? What even is a stock photo? How does body liberation play into all this? In this video, I chat with the wonderful Dr. Melissa Bird about all this and more (with transcript).
Chrissy Brown is an artist who works primarily in 3D, and as a fat, disabled, queer, femme she wants to make sure she and others like her feel welcomed to take up space in the world. Her subject is fat liberation and body positivity, and she’s trying to strip away all ‘performance’ we, as fat…
Thekla Richter’s small business branding photography session was so much fun! The weather cooperated perfectly, which is rare for Seattle in November: a beautiful sunny day with air crisp enough to keep us from getting sweaty. Thekla (pronounced Tech-luh — I was dying to know, too) writes middle-grade fantasy books (ask her about the space…
The fifth time, I was puzzled. My arm was lying along the armrest, but not extending out into the aisle at all thanks to my careful arrangements. So how was I being struck hard on the arm every few minutes, particularly since almost everyone on this flight over the ocean at midnight was asleep?
I do still believe that there’s value in teaching people how to enter the walled city of acceptability, even if just for a day. But it’s the value of teaching self-defense to women who walk dark streets. It’s the value of teaching a left hook to a bullied child.
Headshots. Almost everyone needs them, and they’re not usually much fun to get. Let’s change it with a truly positive experience. Get the photos you need for your career or business — all in a friendly, cheerful and supportive environment that welcomes your body just the way it is. All genders, orientations, ethnicities, body sizes, levels of…
Have you ever gotten something extra for free? Or checked your mailbox to find a completely unexpected present from a friend? That’s how I felt when I opened up the first shipment of Adipose Issue zines from Miles Lyons. I’ve seen paper zines before, of course, but these are spectacular. Paper dolls! Special paper envelopes…
Authors who write long-form works like novellas and books seem to get the short end of the stick with the Internet, I sometimes think. Unlike us photographers, who regularly produce pretty visuals to post on social media, authors work just as hard at their art but have less to show for it in the short…
Back in December, it was my absolute pleasure to photograph fat athlete and activist Ragen Chastain in Portland, Oregon. She’s written a lovely blog post about her experience — check it out!
Today, I’m talking with one of the owner of Laughing Goddess Apothecary, Eve Enzweiler. Here’s how Eve describes herself: “I’m queer fabulous out and proud fat positive bellydancing witchy rootwoman living my best life in the mountains of New Mexico with my beautiful butch wife of 17 years. I have been on a journey of…
“The truth is, the other person in your bed is just so happy that you want to have SEX with them that they aren’t focused on your imperfections. They are INTO you, and into the fact that you are into them sexually. Live out loud and let go of your insecurities, and that is when…
“Storytelling is the essence of who we are. And so stories themselves are capsules of who we are—they represent our hopes, our dreams, our fears, and our goals.” – Kate Sullivan Representation in fiction can be a transformative experience. We infuse the stories we find of people like us with lots of additional meaning because…
This plus-size beauty queen and Nevada’s Red Rock Canyon = magic. It was 95 degrees at sunset, but luckily Ms. D is used to the heat and I had plenty of water with me, so we took lots of breaks and it worked out fine. Better than fine, in fact. She’d chosen a sparkling sequin…
Today I’m demonstrating how one of the products for February’s Body Love Box gets from my supplier to your box. Take a sneak peek at the item, a My Stretch Marks are Sexy enamel pin from Golden Tooth Club, and see me prepare an individual pin for inclusion in the box. The transcript of the…
There’s probably a photo of eight-year-old Lindley in a dictionary somewhere next to the word “competitive.” Or possibly “overachiever.” Other than athletics, in which I had little interest, if it was a competition I was going to enter it. And win it. And the more competitions, the busier I was, the more intensely I could…
You deserve to have a holiday season that’s happy, not a punishment for being you. For those of us who struggle at the holidays, here are some of the best resources on how to set boundaries, take care of ourselves, and know when to draw the line.
Let it be entered into the permanent record that I’m actually managing to take it relatively easy this week. I’m slowing down a bit, relaxing a bit. Petting the cats more and using my hands a bit less. This was a good week to upgrade my computer, since I’m feeling a bit less pressure…
It’s always a delight to talk with one of the Fat Faces, Eron, and this time we did it on the record! (Amanda is also a delight, but was absent that day, alas.) We dig deep into my entrepreneurial journey, why I chose to work with fat folks, and your official permission to take care…
Katie Breen interviews Lindley Ashline, founder of stock photography website Representation Matters (now Body Liberation Stock). Lindley explains why it’s so important that we see representations of diverse bodies in the media, and how she uses her platform to create stock imagery featuring people in all types of bodies – large bodies, brown and black…
[parallax-scroll id=”3048″] Love my photography, but a session isn’t right for you right now? Share that love with your friends with the Body Liberation Photography Refer-a-Friend program. It’s the world’s simplest referral program. There’s nothing to sign up for and no codes to keep track of. Just share any Sweet Amaranth website page or social…
In a nutshell: sexy, easy to use and great in one specific area Y’all, I’m reviewing a sex toy. Whoa. One of the most powerful aspects of boudoir photography is the journey I’ve been privileged to experience in my own relationship with my body. As you know, I’m a firm advocate for body acceptance and…
 Ms. A brought her A game (pun intended) to her session, along with The Magic Hat. Seriously, this hat was the best. She loves it and is comfortable with it, which was reflected in her ease and comfort in the photos. AND, it was the perfect prop for some implied nude images. “Implied nudes”…
 You don’t have to smile to be sexy. Or be sultry. No, seriously. Your natural expressions are what’s sexy. Some people are serious. Some people are giggly. Some people are both, or neither. And whichever comes naturally to you, without feeling like you’re “performing” sexiness, will be the perfect expression for you. At her…
One of the wonderful things about outdoor portrait sessions in the Pacific Northwest is that you can adapt and use any weather you find. This client (who is also my lovely sister!) was only in town for a short time, so we headed to a local arboretum and used the weather we were given that…
The boudoir party I hosted in coordination with Fierce Love Yoga was such a great experience! As far as I know, no one else has done an explicitly body and fat positive boudoir shoot like this before, so we’re breaking barriers, y’all. <3 Here’s the way I described the event, to refresh your memory:…
 Headshot sessions are short, but they deserve a blog feature too. We pack a lot of energy and fun into the 15-30 minutes it takes to get great headshots! I always give clients the choice of several backdrops, plus an outdoor setting if it’s not raining, so that they get some nice variety to…
 One of the most wonderful things about a Sweet Amaranth adventure session is that since we have a full day, we get a chance to take photos in really amazing locations around the Pacific Northwest. For Ms. G’s adventure session, we headed out to Lake Cushman, a gorgeous lake in the Olympic Mountains that…
I was delighted to have Hannah Schnabel join me for a portrait session for Representation Matters.me, my body positive and diverse stock photo site. Hannah is the mind behind plus-size clothing line Belle Ampleur. Hannah Schnabel has over a decade of experience designing clothing for stage and film. She’s designed and built everything from corsets, to a…
Ms. C came in before Christmas and did a body positive boudoir session as a surprise for her hubby. And when I say surprise, I mean complete surprise: All he knew was that his Christmas present this year was going to be really special. From the planning to the session to scheduling the reveal, we…
Here’s an ever-evolving list of boudoir and portrait session ideas to spark your inspiration. Some are serious, some are silly. Use them as a launching point for your imagination! See an idea you love that seems more appropriate for portraits (that you wish you could do for boudoir) or for boudoir (that you wish you…
A woman in one of the plus-size groups on Facebook made a really good point the other day: We rarely see women with double chins represented in images. Many, many women have double chins. It’s a completely normal thing. But we hide them in photos. We stretch out our necks, raise our chins, tilt our…
I am so pleased to present images of my first transgender Siren, Ms. S! I’m honored to offer a safe, fun, accepting space where folks whose bodies are outside the mainstream can stretch their wings and showcase their beauty. We started outside to take advantage of some beautiful spring weather: We dubbed this “the Elrond…
It’s garden season again! Finally! By which I mean, the highs are still in the low 50s, but it’s not raining *all* day every day. Since we’re up on a ridge, we’re a little behind the lowlands. The roses are just starting to leaf out, and I saw the first cherry blossoms just beginning to…
Recently, I talked a little bit about the risks of movement in a larger body. In Ms. H’s hula dance portraits, you can see that the reward for her taking that risk is a beautiful, skilled, graceful performance. Through her Instagram, Danielle Bex also demonstrates daily how joyful movement can be.
We’ve only lived in the Pacific Northwest for a couple of years, so there’s still a LOT that’s new and shiny. I like to just go out and wander whenever I can, even in the winter, because there’s always something amazing to find. I don’t think we’ve ever gotten back from a day trip and…
As people who inhabit larger bodies, when we move those bodies, we take risks. We risk being stared at, made fun of or catcalled. Since often, no one has ever taught us to appreciate those bodies and the way they move, we risk trying to move them in ways that are unwise or not a good…
