Hi friend, As I write this, it’s 19° F, unusually cold for Seattle. The little brown birds are pecking at seeds out on the deck, and I need to bring the hummingbird feeder inside and thaw it. I always think about fat joy more in the winter, which is a season that’s – well, not…
We’ve got a full schedule coming up! Here’s what’s going on in the next couple of months. My Origins of the Feelings workshop is on January 20, and there are fresh new events in the Body Liberation Blanket Fort including a movie night and body doubling in addition to everyday community. Find all the details…
Hi friend, One of the things that’s important to me for the year we’ve just begun is holding more events and workshops. I’ll be announcing the new Blanket Fort schedule next week, and right now I’m excited to announce my first workshop in over a year! On Saturday, January 20 at 4 pm Pacific time…
I hope you had a lovely second half of December. I spent mine making big plans for 2024, hanging out on Zoom/the phone with long-distance friends and family, and taking a few real, true days off. One of the things that’s important to me for the year we’ve just begun is holding more events and…
Hi friend, First, a couple of announcements: I’m excited to support the SeekHer Foundation as a mentor for their new program ‘Our Bodies Belong’. Check out their site to learn more and apply for their Winter 2024 Cohort. Also, I’ll be more or less unavailable from now through mid-January as I do a little hibernation, spend time…
I’ve been thinking so much about the cost of things lately, and how they interact with cost of living and marginalization and capitalism and labor and psychology. Last week, I had the privilege of a behind-the-scenes chat with the organizer of Seattle Fat Con (affiliate link), an event happening in January here in town. I’d…
Hi friend, An ongoing pandemic, skyrocketing cost of living and ongoing cultural and political upheaval all over the world have sent relationships that were previously “grin, grit your teeth and get through it” territory over into chaos and active conflict. At the same time, we humans seek closeness and community. We want and need celebration and…
Hi friend, I have a lovely announcement to share before we get to the heart of this week’s letter: Nic McDermid’s Fat Positive Practice Guidebook is now available! Nic has been speaking truth to power at the intersection of eating disorder treatment and body liberation for many years, and this is your chance to learn directly…
My heart remains so heavy for the Palestinian civilians being slaughtered in Gaza. A population already made up of 50% children, which speaks to the violence they have endured for so long now. And heavy for Jews, particularly those in the diaspora, who have no say in what the government of Israel does and are…
Hi friend, Here in Seattle, we’re well into our damp, drizzly, chilly, earthen season that will last with slight variations into next May. Though I offer outdoor photo sessions here year round, since it rarely gets very cold, indoor sessions are picking up. It’s also the time of year when I both slow down personally…
I’m so excited to bring you a guest piece from Marilyn freakin’ Wann this week! Marilyn is one of the fat activists I admire the most, who’s been fighting for fat justice and rights since I was knee-high. She’s also the author of the book Fat!So?, and you can learn more about her here. Marilyn recently shared…
I’m excited to be a part of this program and be a mentor! Check out SeekHer’s feed and links for more info. From SeekHer: In honor of #BodyAcceptanceWeek, we are excited to announce the launch of the newest SeekHer Scholars program – ‘Our Bodies Belong’!In recent years, more people have experienced a surge in eating…
Hi friend, This week, let’s do something a little different and revive the fat creator interview series, starting with artist Ashley Anne Strobridge. Ashley is a Vermont-based artist who finds inspiration in both the natural world and fantasy. As a fat, disabled vegetarian, she creates whimsical designs in a variety of media that draw on…
This is the Body Liberation Photos Ask a Fat Creator (and Allies) series, in which we find out more about the lives, work, and breakfasts of all kinds of large-bodied and marginalized creators and their allies. This interview is with Ashley Anne Strobridge, a Vermont-based artist who finds inspiration in both the natural world and…
Hi friend, An ongoing pandemic, skyrocketing cost of living and ongoing cultural and political upheaval all over the world have sent relationships that were previously “grin, grit your teeth and get through it” territory over into chaos and active conflict. At the same time, we humans seek closeness and community. We want and need celebration and…
Hi friend, The situation in Gaza is weighing on me so much this week, as is the grief of Palestinians and Jews at the occupation of Palestinian land by the state of Israel. Opining on these events is far out of my lane, so I encourage you to hope over to this email from Vicky Bellman at Concentric…
This is an image from greatly-missed departed photographer Laura Aguilar, who was active from the 1970s through 2000s. I’m thinking today about my forebears in art and activism, the legacies we leave when we’re gone, and the role of allies in keeping those legacies alive. More on this soon, after it’s had some time to…
Model E. eating a cupcake at Flaming Geyser State Park. Browse stock photos for cooking, eating and interacting with food» Reader Michelle Molash has a great addition to last week’s letter on who profits when fat people are hated: “The entertainment industry profit from us. The fat buffoon who thinks he can do any number of things that only…
Despite there being more fat people in the United States than thin people, thin folks like to act like — and occasionally seem to believe that — we simply don’t exist. Living in a thin body is to exist in a bubble where everyone with a body unlike yours is invisible. Thin people won’t produce…
A throwback to 2016 (!) with Client D. at their Wildest Dreams session. I’m currently booking body liberation photo sessions » Over in the Body Liberation Blanket Fort, we’ve added some new emotes to cheer each other on, created a new #fatshion (clothing and fashion centered on larger bodies) channel and are reveling in glorifying o*sity with…
Client J. at their Confidence session. I’m currently booking boudoir & portrait photo sessions » As Twitter continues to fall apart, where are y’all hanging out these days? It seems like everyone has splintered out to a dozen different platforms. I’m most active in the Body Liberation Blanket Fort these days, followed by Bluesky, but here’s where…
Client J. at her Confidence session this week. I’m currently booking boudoir & portrait photo sessions» It’s been a few weeks since you’ve heard from me, and it was because I was out having a lovely time wandering around California on an epic road trip. I’m coming to understand that, just as much as any…
Let’s talk about a dynamic that we fat people who talk about fat constantly, endlessly, infuriatingly get from thin people: #notallthinpeople. Any time a fat person writes about discrimination, hatred, bigotry, or ill treatment at the hands of thin people, you thin folks get uncomfortable. Maybe your heart sinks a little, or your stomach gets…
Client M. and their incredible sleeve tattoo. I’m currently booking boudoir & portrait photo sessions» Before we get to it, I have an extra unicorn chaser for you this week! Blanket Fort member Jeri Lynn is hosting an adorable batch of foster kittens and running a live cam so we can all enjoy their precious floof. Also,…
From a recent session with Kyra Sutherland of Joyful Divergence. I’m currently booking small business photo sessions » This week I have a Body Liberation Blanket Fort update for you before we swing into the regular letter. The Blanket Fort is my fat-friendly and body-safe community that centers fat folks and welcomes everyone. And it’s going strong, with…
A mother and daughter I photographed in Salt Lake City in 2019. This is a bits-and-pieces week: a celebration, a request, a frustrated grump and a note for supporters. Let’s start with the celebration! Last week, the Body Liberation Guide went out to 5,317 of you. The rate at which y’all open these emails is spectacular, too – almost…
A sneak peek of my shots from my dear friend K.’s wedding. I’m currently booking portrait and boudoir sessions» This week, I want to build a bit on what I told you in last week’s letter about how getting into media articles works. I talked a bit about the calculation that goes into responding to…
An image I created at the 2019 NAAFA convention in Las Vegas, NV. Browse stock photos of fat people» The subject line of this email – Do plus-size passengers deserve a bigger seat on a plane? – is the title of an article in the Dallas Morning News in which I was quoted this week. The article itself is pretty…
“Privilege is a set of unearned benefits given to people who fit into a specific social group. Thin privilege is backed and promoted by a multi-billion dollar diet/wellness industry.” » Cori Rosenthal The longest-running series over on the Body Liberation Photos Instagram and Facebook pages is my thin privilege series. A common objection to the…
A leafy summer botanical boudoir session with R. Learn more about my boudoir sessions » Hi friend, A quick note before we get started: I’m now on the new social platform Threads as @bodyliberationwithlindley. I guess we need to talk about NEDA – the (American) National Eating Disorders Association – today. Honestly, I was reluctant, because they’ve been…
A group photo of the crew at One Connection Healthcare, a Health at Every Size®-aligned primary care office in Ballard, WA. Learn more about my small business photo sessions » Last week, I had the joy of attending this year’s Weight Stigma Conference. I tuned in remotely – the conference itself was in Denver this year, but for the…
Thin privilege is uncritically living in a culture that credits your body size to your (presumed)…
What is Juneteenth? Why do we celebrate it? And how can white people help Black people on this da…
Thin privilege is the ability to see the isolation, rejection and humiliation of fat people as “f…
When the world surrounds us with body shame, we can build a shelter of love for ourselves and our…
What is Juneteenth? Why do we celebrate it? And how can white people help Black people on this day without taking over? Juneteenth is on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. Since as of 2021, Juneteenth is now a U.S. federal holiday, more white people are aware of its existence, and thus more white people need to…
“There is an Indian proverb that says that everyone is a house with four rooms, a physical, a mental, an emotional, and a spiritual. Most of us tend to live in one room most of the time but unless we go into every room every day, even if only to keep it aired, we are…
I first wrote this piece in November 2020, but it unfortunately hasn’t lost any of its relevance, as Donald Trump continues to be in the news. (For folks outside the U.S., feel free to swap in any larger-bodied politician of relevance.) A perennial problem is cropping up yet again: the fatphobia of the American left….
Weight stigma is so entrenched that fat jokes are considered acceptable fodder for insurance comp…
Once a friend of mine observed that in their daily life, they just felt like they didn’t see many fat people at all. And it’s true: fat people are often missing from public life, especially very fat people. Why might that be? BMI is bull, but let’s use the master’s tool for a moment to…
Anonymous reader submission: Thin privilege is being able to go out to eat at restaurants and/or …
When the world surrounds us with body shame, we can build a shelter of love for ourselves and our…
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…
Last week, I talked about a big negative of the trip I just took. This week, though, I want to share a big positive: Southwest Airlines’ customer of size policy. Southwest is the only American airline that makes an actual effort to be good to fat people. They weren’t always this way; in fact, they used to…
Thin privilege is buying clothes off the rack at a brick-and-mortar store.
This is one of the ar…
Thin privilege is not negated by body dysmorphia, poor body image, or an eating disorder.
We fa…
I’ve just returned from my first long trip during the pandemic. I traveled from the U.S. west coast to east coast for my sister’s MBA graduation. We come from a blue-collar background, she’s a single mom who fought every step of the way for this, and I’m so proud of her I’m about to burst. …
Thin privilege is the ability to talk about thin privilege.
One time, @thecrankytherapist and I …
Let’s talk about football players and BMI. When the topic of body mass index, or BMI, comes up, one of the first responses is usually someone pointing out that some very obviously muscular and fit people — like football players — are considered obese* by BMI measurements. And thus, the argument goes, BMI is a…
{the daily fat} Fat people deserve community.
👉 More on body liberation: bit.ly/bodyliberationgu…
