Aubrey Gordon (she/her/hers)

(Fat people deserve space to heal, too, but that's hard to do when anti-fatness is all around us all the time. And it's extra hard when so many people who uphold anti-fatness dodge accountability. So let's start with action, so that we can make space for more healing to follow.)

Not-fat people deserve space to heal. And fat people deserve attention, accountability and advocacy. But nobody gets their needs met when people who aren't fat take over conversations by & for fat people, or conversations about fat liberation.

It also blunts accountability. When people who aren't fat assert themselves as the primary targets of anti-fatness, many struggle to see the ways in which they *uphold* anti-fatness, even as they try to escape it. And they struggle to hear &honor the experiences of fatter people.

Regardless of the intentions of not-fat people, jumping in on conversations about fat liberation & justice with concerns about thin people's body image often reads as missing the point, being out of touch, and, sometimes, a deep discomfort w/conversations that aren't about you.

Of course, people of any size can talk about their body image! Go forth! But that should happen: (a) with consent, and (b) not in response to fat people talking about their lived experiences, because insecurities and oppression are different things. Related! But different.

It sure would be nice to be able to talk about fat people's needs and experiences without that conversation being immediately derailed and drowned out by thin people's insecurities.

To be clear, I’m not recommending that you/anybody not watch it! It is just a RICH TEXT and there is plenty to talk through.

At some point we're gonna talk about fat representation in Clickbait because HOO BOY

Remember when Tony Robbins hypnotized/exorcised a anti-fat misogynist so he'd see fat ladies as thin, and therefore hot, so they, too, could experience his baffling sexual harassment? WHAT A GREAT TRUE STORY.

OH MY GOD I WANT IThttps://twitter.com/bestemiray/status/1431622987069988864 …

I have never sputtered with rage more than I do in this episode!https://twitter.com/maintenancepod/status/1431210716191723525 …

It's good to know that people reject Khl*e's comments. It'd be GREAT to see more people taking action to address anti-fat bias, even when it's not coming from a Kard*shian. (Asterisks are here to make this less searchable, not because I think their names are ~unmentionable~.)

3. Start actually addressing the biases you see around you. Do something so the next fat person your friend/family member/coworker comes across doesn't have to fight these cruel, dismissive attitudes on our own.

2. Think about what you can do to influence/change their attitudes and behaviors. (We all like to think that we don't act on our biases, but as most fat person can tell you, OOPS YOU TOTALLY DO, We all do!)