I have fat allies – people who don’t personally identify as fat, but believe in, and support the fat acceptance movement – whether from an academic standpoint or a personal viewpoint. I think having these allies are important. I won’t lie – having allies within the health and academic world is extremely beneficial to the…
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(possible triggers — talk of disordered eating) My mother has always been a positive influence on me, in regards to food, eating and body image. She’s always had the philosophy of enjoying your food, taking pleasure in the act of eating and preparing food. I don’t know whether that is because of her unpleasant upbringing,…
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(Possible triggers – talk of weight loss and gain) I tend not to really notice weight gain or loss in myself unless it’s a larger amount on either end of the spectrum or if my clothing is getting too big or too small. I didn’t know how much I weighed. But now I do. I…
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I have pretty much always been fat. When I was a child, I was both fat and tall – a nightmare for a shy girl who just wanted to blend in. I came to accept my fat self and am much happier for it, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t sometimes have…
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I recently purchased a dress from ASOS. I was hesitant to buy it because it’s a style I don’t normally wear. It’s very body con and form-fitting and my style tends to be either 50’s style full skirts and dresses or floaty maxi dresses. But it was on drastic sale and I’m a sucker for…
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I attended my good friend’s wedding last Saturday. In fact, I was a part of the bridal party. It was an extremely long day which turned into an extremely long night. The bride wanted us to be comfortable the entire day and I mostly was – our bridesmaid dresses were very comfortable (with POCKETS) and…
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I wake up. I get in the shower. I use my body wash. I shave my underarms. I wash my hair with special shampoo. I dry off, moisturize and use deodorant. I put perfume on. I put my face on – mascara, foundation, concealer, blush, lipstick. I primp and prime. I get dressed in my…
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I used to read a lot of fashion blogs and magazines. Nowadays, I just stick to my tried and true favourites, especially in regards to magazines. It gets expensive otherwise! One blog I’ve been reading for a while and have never veered from is Hel-Looks. Based in Helsinki, it’s street photography at its most different….
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The other week, a column appeared in the Brisbane Times (as well as in the Sydney Morning Herald) in the Beauty Beat section, with the author’s viewpoint on fat women in bikinis on the beach. Hint: it wasn’t exactly positive. I talked about it on another website I write for (Axis of Fat), but I’d…
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After seeing them speak at the Fat Studies conference in Sydney in September, Definatalie came up with the idea of starting up a Brisbane-based chapter of Aqua Porko. What is Aqua Porko? At its basic level, it is fat synchronised swimming. At a deeper level, it’s a form of protest. Against the idea that fat…
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I’ve talked (ranted) about clothing sizes in retail stores and online before. What I’ve not talked (ranted) about are the costs of this clothing. I don’t mind paying for quality. What I do mind is paying for mass-produced clothing at prohibitive prices. And the market really is cornered, because most fat chicks either have to…
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Oh god, the amount of trauma I used to get into every time I had to get a school uniform. Ours were incredibly itchy polyblends that were HOT and scratchy. The embarrassment of being measured for my high school uniform is something I will never forget. Being taller and bigger than most of the girls…
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(image from BBC Good Food) Like many other females, I have a sometimes fraught relationship with food. We’re taught that women should be “in the kitchen” and make awe-inspiring, delicious meals, but we’re not really “allowed” to eat these meals, because god forbid, we might get fat. We’re taught that food is only to be…
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(Image from Bea’s Harvour Counselling Service) Trigger warning: talk of depression, brief mention of suicidal thoughts. My name is Sonya. My favourite colour is navy blue. I am into wearing chunky, weigh-your-finger-down rings at the moment. I care for my disabled sister. I have depression. You’ve probably met someone with depression. You probably are someone…
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