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…
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…
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…
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….
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…
To think and write about this week: Name three things you like about yourself that have nothing t…
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…
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. …
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…
With the major and still-growing popularity of crowdfunding subscriptions in supporting creators — from Patreon to Ko-fi to Instagram and Youtube subscriptions — it seems like everyone is offering one. That includes lots of your favorite body-positive, fat-positive, Health at Every Size® and body liberation creators. In fact, there are lots of reasons to financially…
Maybe you remember the advent of (mainstream anyway) period panties from a few years back? For a long time, there were no options to speak of for fat bodies, but no more! With the help of my brilliant assistant Kit, at the link below are nine options to choose from, carrying a range of sizes…
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 letter before you @ me, because I am not jumping on the diet bandwagon here.
Happy belated Trans Day of Visibility! Trans, non-binary and exploring folks are precious, valid and welcome. I see you. Also, I’m seeing progress on my hand injury since getting a steroid shot a few weeks ago, woohoo! It’s not 100%, but it’s the closest it’s been since October. That means I’m booking photo sessions again — head to…
It’s an excerpt week! First, a little hand update: I’m seeing some minor improvements in my De Quervain’s tendonitis after having a steroid shot in the wrist a few weeks ago. I’m still being cautious with booking photography clients, but I have a few people booked starting in mid-April and that should be okay. Hmm….
Maybe you remember the advent of (mainstream anyway) period panties from a few years back? For a long time, there were no options to speak of for fat bodies, but no more! Here are nine options to choose from, carrying a range of sizes up to a U.S. 48W. In case you’re wondering, period panties…
Sometimes a stray comment or post on social media will spark something in my mind, and suddenly I have an opinion on it. This time it was a comment on a fat activist’s Instagram post informing the activist that they shouldn’t be using the term “fatphobia” because “people aren’t afraid of fat people, so it’s…
To think and write about this week: What’s one thing you wish you could tell your future self?
✍…
This week on Patreon, I’m launching the Body Liberation Guide+, a patron-only supplement to the free public Body Liberation Guide newsletter (this email!) I send out every week. Here’s what you can expect in the BLG+: More of The Conversation and event updates Handy links to this week’s supporter-only updates Journal prompts and discussion topics from the Body Liberation…
If you’ve been a subscriber for a bit, you know I produced an entire guide to that awful fatphobic movie The Whale. I’m not a pop culture kind of person and I don’t watch movies (due to my neurodivergence making it difficult), so I’d be perfectly happy never to think about that movie again. But with awards season…
Here’s one simple action you can take to help end discrimination against fat bodies this week: Stop appropriating the experiences and oppression of people who are fatter than you. If you live in a body that is of average size (the average American woman wears a size 14-18) or a bit larger (what some folks…
Something I think we need to be very cautious about as we fight fatphobia and weight stigma is that it’s very easy for us to deplore those things primarily when they happen to people in bodies we find worthy.
What does body positivity have to do with a photography business? Everything.
The way your photo…
Here’s one simple action you can take to help end discrimination against fat bodies this week: Stick your neck out. Quite often these days, thin (usually white) folks feel the need to message me and tell me about how they were going to speak up about this harmful action or that piece of fragility, but…
It’s a privilege to focus on the gains of body positivity when fat people are still left out. One of the most common pieces of pushback I see against fat acceptance and the need to represent fat and very fat people is, “Why are you so negative? Can’t we all just celebrate all the progress…
Often when I post about the way I as a very fat person am treated, I’ll get responses along the lines of, well, you just have to be confident and stand up for yourself and people won’t treat you like that. Or, here’s what I would do in that situation (insert behavior that’s very aggressive,…
