» Participation opportunity: Recruiting folx living in larger bodies for research (see) » “I tried to educate people about tariffs, I tried to explain that undocumented immigrants pay billions in taxes and are the foundation of this country. I explained Project 2025, I interviewed to show that they supported it. I can not compete against…
Hi friend, I really admire people who can sit down immediately after an event and write thorough analyses of it, but I’m not one of them. Synthesis* is one of my superpowers, but for me it takes time to simmer and surface. So I don’t have any long, thoughtful piece for you on Trump’s re-election…
Here’s what’s interesting me this week in body liberation and more: » Coming up: Dealing with Diet Culture and Weight Stigma at the Holidays, November 13 (see) » The right for fat people to exist free of bigotry should not hinge on their health status. (read) » Scary statistics about weight stigma and antifat bias…
Hi friend, This weekend is my last set of events of the year, and I have offerings for you on both days! Fat Trauma: Healing though Community and Fat Joy How to attend: Buy access to this event or subscribe for all Blanket Fort events On Saturday, fat-positive therapist Kayla Stansberry is speaking to my Blanket Fort members about…
Here’s what’s interesting me this week in body liberation and more: » I’m so glad to see SmartGlamour is back! Free event in New York City, Nov. 1 (see) » Allyship opportunity: Help Mark get top surgery (see) » Allyship opportunity: Sign the petition to Southwest Airlines asking them to clarify their stance on their…
Hi friend, I spent last weekend on a gorgeous island outside Vancouver, British Columbia, eating pastries and photographing this adorable couple. I can’t wait to show you more of the finished images! Now, to this week’s letter: You are worthy of rest. Up until a few years ago, I was forever getting sick, mostly colds…
Here’s what’s interesting me this week in body liberation and more: » Heaven, Hell, & Holy Body Norms (read) » Halloween Costume Feelings (read) » Empowering Parents through Fat Liberation with Laurie Ganberg, LICSW (listen) » A very simple but important distinction to keep clear! Kindness does not necessarily indicate competence (watch) » Lululemon’s billionaire…
Hi friend, A quick note about a known issue on the website: There was a bug that was preventing customers from being able to view all parts of the My Account page. It’s been fixed, so now you can set your payment options, view saved addresses and reset your password. Also, I had the pleasure of…
Here’s what’s interesting me this week in body liberation and more: » Allyship opportunity: Help keep this fat-positive care collective open (see) » my thighs are the size that they are. my knees do not GO all the way together without extreme discomfort. (read) » Our First Year: A zine by Fat Club Brighton (see)…
Hi friend, We’re trying something new this week. I’m adding writings like these to a new collection in the Body Liberation Blanket Fort Patreon, and buying access to the collection will give you access to this and every other piece that’s added to that collection in the future. (Or, subscribe to the Patreon and get…
Hi friend, I am freaking delighted to share this new Body Liberation Stock collection with you: a set of original, exclusive images from artist Kat Max. Kat (who you may have known in the past as Kathryn Hack) is one of the fat-positive artists whose work I admire most, and it’s such an honor to collaborate with her….
Hi friend, Project Heal asked me to weigh in (pun intended) for Weight Stigma Awareness Week on a topic I’d been meaning to revisit: body positivity versus body liberation. What’s the difference, and why does it matter? Here’s a short excerpt: After centuries of racism-driven weight stigma, 75 years of diet culture telling us that…
Hi friend, This month, we’re having a pretty special event in the Body Liberation Blanket Fort. Dalia Kinsey, author of Decolonizing Wellness, will be leading a discussion circle on Saturday, September 28 for healthcare providers to: Our experiences with our own bodies are reflected in the way we interact with patients and clients, so show up…
Hi friend, There’s a new supporter reward in the Blanket Fort this week – Resources & Recs: Healthcare Providers! This is an ongoing reference of existing weight-neutral and Health at Every Size®-aligned healthcare provider directories, as well as specific recommendations for doctors and other healthcare pros. It’s very US-heavy right now, but I’d love to see…
Hi friend, Today’s letter is the third in a four-part series (here are parts one and two). Bodies as business cards When our bodies are our business cards, the more those bodies are outside our cultural aspirations, the fewer people will want to buy. (And of course no business is going to appeal to everyone; how on earth…
Hi friend, The website is back up, and should be faster! There were a few different issues I spent part of the week fixing, but it has a nice new look and speed now. It’s not perfect**, but for a one-person business, I’m so proud of it. Now to this week’s letter: In last week’s letter, I talked…
Hi friend, There’s a quote that I keep coming back to over time: stop breaking yourself into bite size pieces for someone; stay whole and let them choke It’s useful as a reminder that my whole self has worth and value, no matter whether other people find me palatable or useful in a capitalist world. But…
Hi friend, A quick note on the BLP website: The work that I thought would take me a week has dragged on, and on, and on. Insert someone who was supposed to be fixing the WordPress theme erasing chunks of the site entirely, days of the site being down altogether, and endless screaming. I hope…
Hi friend, The website maintenance continues, so expect the site to be extra quirky this week. And on Friday, over in the Body Liberation Blanket Fort we’ll be watching the Your Fat Friend documentary together and having a discussion afterward. Now, to this week’s letter, an interview with fat artist Angelica Dred! Tell me about you! What’s your name?…
Hi friend, I have lots of updates for you this week! First, it’s such a cool opportunity and honor to be included in The Future is Fat issue of Womanly Mag! Pre-order your print issue here and support fat-positive media. Second, I’m working with a model next week to create new photographs for Body Liberation Stock. This time I’m…
Here are seven quick resources to start learning about body kindness and putting it into practice.
My first podcast guest appearance was on Christy Harrison’s podcast Food Psych, back in 2018. And I was terrified.
Hi friend, If you recall, back in April I did an art tour for the Seattle Erotic Art Festival called Aspirational Erotic: Body Size, Shame and Aesthetics. I thought you might be interested in how it went. This was my first time at both the festival and giving a talk of this sort, so afterward I was both proud…
Hi friend, I know we’re slightly out of Mermay now, but mythical creatures are forever, so I want to talk some more about fat merfolk. Through the kind service of Mermaid Chè Monique and the Society of Fat Mermaids, I was able to add the voices of lots of fat merfolk to An Ocean of Fat Merfolk. I also…
Hi friend, The initial lineup of events for the summer in the Body Liberation Blanket Fort is up! June 6: Movie Night with Silas June 15: Silent Reading Party with Lindley July 2: Discussion Group with Lindley July 25: Crafty Hangout August 4: Pacific Northwest In-Person (COVID Cautious) Meetup You can click on the tent graphic below to get access to…
Hi friend, When I was more active in the Health at Every Size® community, and constantly speaking up for fat people and fat patients in healthcare provider groups, people would often message me privately and tell me how grateful they were that I was fighting for them. The private support was nice, but years of…
Welcome to the fat MerMay roundup! This month we’re celebrating fat merfolk — amazing fat humans who choose to dress as merpeople for fun and sometimes profit. Below you’ll find: A very grateful thanks to Mermaid Chè Monique and her community for their input and support! An Ocean of Fat Merfolk Tips from a Real…
Hi friend, There are a couple of updates to the Blanket Fort this week that I’m really excited about! Our Fort member Sage (he/him) has started a really cool channel called Fat Masculinity. Here’s Sage’s introduction to the channel: Hello friends! I asked if we could have a channel for conversations about how fatphobia interacts…
Hi friend, I’ll be giving an art tour at the Seattle Erotic Art Festival this Friday, April 26 at 8:30 pm! Come hang out with me for an hour for: Aspirational Erotic: Body Size, Shame and Aesthetics Join photographer and body liberation activist Lindley Ashline to explore the origins and history of body image and weight stigma, and which…
» Fat-Shaming Is the Norm in Our Kids’ Favorite Shows & It’s Making Them Hate Their Bodies After the kids went to bed, I put the episode back on and was horrified by what I saw. In addition to negative fat and diet talk, the episode features a fantasy sequence in which a circus performer invites people…
» Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach When it was first published, Intuitive Eating was revolutionary in its anti-dieting approach. The authors, both prominent health professionals in the field of nutrition and eating disorders, urge readers to embrace the goal of developing body positivity and reconnecting with one’s internal wisdom about eating―to unlearn everything they were taught…
Hi friend, How do you like the new look for the newsletter? I attended an email design webinar right before I traveled earlier this month, and it got me all excited about design again. Also, you have till Wednesday to enter the drawing for the Pan Eros Film Festival tickets! As someone deeply committed to…
» For Plus-Size Creators, Tiktok Presents a New Wave of Challenges TikTok also kept a separate list of “special users” who were considered to be “particularly vulnerable.” Many of the creators on this list, Netzpolitik discovered, made videos with the hashtags #fatwoman or #disabled, or had rainbow flags and other LGBTQ+ markers in their profile….
Hi friend, Today I’m thinking about the expression “take a load off.” It’s generally used to mean taking the metaphorical weight, the load, of daily burdens and cares off your shoulders and relax. Not all burdens can be set aside like that, though. The cognitive load of existing as a fat person is one of…
» Food Psych #185: How Diet Culture Hurts Your Relationships Health At Every Size® life coach Kristina Bruce joins us to discuss how diet culture can affect relationships, how to find self-trust and self-acceptance in recovering from disordered eating, how diet culture shows up in spiritual communities, why health and well-being is about so much more…
Hi friend, I was featured in Authority Magazine recently! It was pretty cool to get to talk at length about something vital to fat and other marginalized folks – community building. In a world where larger-bodied people are openly discriminated against, paid less, promoted less often, stereotyped, and shamed, activism and community building have also become an important…
This is news I am so freaking excited to share — the launch of the project I’ve been working on behind the scenes for the last six months. It’s called SEEN., and there are limited spots, so I want to make sure you have time to grab one before this goes out to my big…
Hi friend, This week’s quote above is from Brooke Hull (they/them), a fat graduate student, who said it casually one day recently on Zoom with me. I promptly pounced and wrote it down, and am going to repeat it because it’s so important: “There’s so much more to the fat experience than just the horror…
Hi friend, SEEN. is now open to the public! Please share it with anyone who you think might find it useful. Now, to this week’s letter: I’ve got a podcast for you this week! I had a blast appearing on Abbey Roberts’ podcast Hangry Thoughts. We discuss how my photography and work challenge societal norms, conventional…
Hi friend, Funded by my Patreon supporters is a new fat creator interview! Raised in the sleepy northern Toronto suburb of Willowdale, Jay Danger is a quintessential product of the 90’s. Brought up by the sounds of Eminem, Tupac, and Biggie, and steeped in the influence of A Tribe Called Quest, MF Doom, and Mos…
Hi friend, I now have a ko-fi page! This is where anyone who’d like to make a one-time payment in support of my work, without committing to a monthly patreon donation, can do so. Please feel free to share it. View my ko-fi page » Also: It’s been 140 days of genocide in Palestine. Fatties for Palestine is making…
Hi friend, I have to admit it: I’m tired. Not mentally or metaphorically, as I often moan about it in my grappling with anti-fatness and prejudice, but physically. My spouse has been having a health issue that’s not my story to share, and in trying to ease it, we’ve put our bed down flat for the…
Hi friend, Before we dive into this week’s letter, some good news to share – Body Liberation Photos was featured over at Dating News! I had a lovely chat with their managing editor, and it resulted in a whole article about bodies in the media, how BLP got started, and why it’s important to celebrate…
Hi friend, I spent last week on partial strike in support of a ceasefire in Palestine, and in mourning for the 20,000+ Gazans dead and thousands more starving to death. I saw news of the strike just after I’d sent out last week’s newsletter, so I didn’t have a chance to mention it there, but I knew…
Hi friend, If we’re lucky, aging will happen to every one of us, but we talk about it so little, and we all deserve to understand aging and be treated better in our aging bodies. Some of it is that social media is a young person’s game. It burns out people, especially activists, as we…
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…
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…
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…
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…
