Hi friend, Occasionally I get professional crushes on people, people whose work or presences I really admire, and I’ve been crushin’ on Kayla Stansberry for a while now. Kayla runs the @fatpositivetherapist Instagram account and Fat Positive Everything newsletter and podcast, and it was a joy to join her and record our chat for you. Kayla decided to call our…
Hi friend, How are you feeling about the new Patreon membership tiers? In case you missed it, last week I adjusted the subscription tiers and pricing to better help me support you. That change is also letting me start planning more exciting events for the rest of the year, starting with having Kayla Stansberry in to talk about fat trauma…
Hi friend, I hope you had a restful holiday season. I was able to have a nice little reset that’s informing my plans for 2025 and making me determined to bring more of that spaciousness into my everyday life. As I’ve planned for this year, so often what’s come up for me is, how do I…
Hi friend, I know there’s a major American holiday to go before we hit January 1, but I’m taking a couple of weeks off, so I want you to have and hang onto this guide for when you need it. I’ll next see you with a new Body Liberation Guide in mid-January. Depending on your…
Hi friend, I’m taking a little time off this week, so no main letter from me. Next week, I’ll send you my guide for setting boundaries over the holidays. In the meantime: 1. Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to present on race, body image and sexuality at the Seattle Erotic Art Festival, or SEAF….
Hi friend, Last week was kind of wild over here. A windstorm hit the Seattle area that left half a million people without power and did widespread damage. We were without power for a few days and have some tree damage to our deck, but we’re safe and back home and I’m thankful. This week,…
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…
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…
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…
Hi friend, There are so many reasons why fat people are hated, but today, let’s look at just one: profit. Who profits when fat people are considered second-class humans? The diet industry. Worth $72 billion in 2020, the diet industry is one of the obvious culprits in this list. They still haven’t figured out how to…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
