Being visible as a fat body

Hey folks,

I know I keep it light (ha, punny) around here, but Natalie over at definatalie.com made a seriously awesome post today about why blogging and documenting her outfits as a fat lady is important. She puts it better than me, so I'll let you read her words:

"...I blog about my outfits (real and ridiculous) because I’m passionate about the visibility of fat bodies. I don’t care if people don’t like what I wear and I don’t care about trends – I blog because fat people are dehumanised and made invisible and if I’ve got a platform and an audience, I’m going to take advantage of it to normalise my body and bodies like mine.

Bodies like mine usually don’t get to dress up in designer clothes. Instead of “supporting local designers” or collecting pieces from super designers, most of us buy our clothes off the internet from the “high street” stores. The funny thing is, bodies like mine would absolutely consume designer fare if it were made in our size. But it’s not, so fat people remain in a position where they’re portrayed as unfashionable and unattractive, when being fashionable and attractive is rewarded! It’s so frustrating and circular, I’m baffled when people fail to see this cycle.

One of the most fabulous and powerful things to happen in the last decade, beside plus size shopping online, has been the fatshion blogging movement. It’s about time fatties were given back their heads and their humanity, along with a glimmer of inspiration and solidarity through community. And that’s why I take photos of my outfits and post bitter diatribes against the fashion industry!"

One of the main reasons I started blogging my outfits, at first over at the Fatshionista LJ, and now here, is because I want for fat bodies to be seen, not just as a headless fatty shot on the news about the OMGbesity epideminc, but as real and human and valid and beautiful and fantastic and yes, fashionable.

I think there's something radical about loving your body the way it is, rather than as the starting point to all kinds of self "improvements" (such as dieting, etc.). There's something radical about owning the way you look and the body you have as a good body, not a body that needs to change. Like Gertie wrote recently, we live in a good body. No matter what shape that body is.

That's all for now I guess :)