I will be sharing a lesson weekly that you can use to work towards loving your fat body, living a fierce life and feeling confident. This ECourse is about fat acceptance, activism and fatshion. You can watch the vlog and read along and then you will be given an assignment and an opportunity to discuss it with me and other readers. You will also be prompted with some discussion questions. There will be room for all levels of body positive advocates to participate. This will be a chance to focus in on a specific aspect of fat acceptance and fatshion so that you can integrate it into your life and be a fat bitch too! Assignments don't have a due date and feel free to navigate at your own pace. This ECourse is free and can be done at any time! Click here to register.
A fat bitch is confident, out-spoken and proud of who she is. The word bitch has been used by feminists as a way to reclaim an insult used to demean our cause. Let's get started!
Nothing was more eye-opening in my quest to accept my fat body than seeing body shapes like my own in cute outfits and even nude. Suddenly, I wasn't a weird blob in a world of perfect bodies, convinced that I had parts that nobody else had. I could see that other women has a roll under their breasts, a round tummy that hung down, generous thighs and upper arms that pudge out too. I could see dimples where I had them and pear shapes that weren't very hour glass. I didn't feel disconnected from my body anymore.
I started reading Fat Acceptance blogs that were text only and the wealth of information and encouragement was valuable, but I didn't quite get what it felt like to be comfortable in my own skin. I am a visual person and just wasn't seeing it. How do I feel good in clothes? Why do I look like that in photos? Is there anybody out there like me? I needed a body role model.
When I was a teenager, I had stacks of Seventeen magazines that I would flip through when I was bored and wanted to feel inspired. As you can guess, it had the opposite effect. I viewed the bodies in those magazines as an unattainable goal. I loathed Alicia Silverstone for her flat stomach and charming lisp and I just got angry. I need to see shapes and sizes that I can relate to my own. Tumblr was a perfect way to find that. I started following people that posted fat positive things and outfit photos. Tumblr is my safe place to go. I don't even bat an eye when I see a fatkini. I gush and reblog! I get introduced to fat activist artists, TV series and movies with fat actresses, fat musicians and endless fatshion inspiration to draw from. Things I would never hear about otherwise.
The self-deprecating thoughts stopped. I found fatshion bloggers, art and photography to fill my mind with instead. These images were beautiful and powerful and I saw myself in them. Then I became beautiful and powerful. So, admire the squishy curves of a fellow fatty. Notice their bounce and gracefulness. The way their clothes pull and tighten. Survey their proportions and the space they occupy.
It's not about comparing yourself, because that can be counter-productive. But you have to rewire your brain and how you see ideal beauty. Widen your horizons, literally. Push out those remaining fatphobic thoughts and see fat as attractive and normal. When you start to appreciate diverse bodies, you'll be able to easily accept your own. Beauty will become subjective and malleable. Fluid and not limited to a number on a scale.
Most cultures and sub-cultures have different ideas or concepts of beauty. Let's start our own! A gang of fatties and fat allies putting lumps and double-chins on pedestals. Painted lovingly and photographed extensively. Because fat bodies are beautiful and deserve to be admired. Your body deserves to be admired.
Create a tribute to a fat body. Your fat body or somebody else's. Make a papier mache figure, draw a silhouette photograph your rolls, curate a collection of images of bodies similar to yours, etc. Blog it, Instagram it, Tweet it (#fatbitchecourse, #nearsightedowl), etc. and share it in the comments below.
How has seeing fat bodies in the media affected you? Like Adele, Gabourey Sidibe, Aidy Bryant from SNL, Beth Ditto, Melissa McCarthy, etc. Do you gravitate towards fat positive music, TV and movies?
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Show your support and sponsor, or make a donation. The ECourse will continue to be free but donations are appreciated to help keep this work going. Thank you!
- Rachele
24 ♥ COMMENTS ♥:
Found this and thought you would like to see it. But only if you want to get pissed off: http://mommabec.tumblr.com/post/44650093936/femmeney-panpressedin (The post, not the person's blog... Lol.)
Love the Ecourse ~ it really made my day today, thanks!
I love this! i had great fun with this assignment.
http://www.beckybedbug.com/2013/03/how-to-be-fat-b-4.html
Becky
xx
Hi Rachele--
I've been browsing your blog for awhile but never commented (~long time listener & first time caller~) and I just wanted to say that I like that you're adding these thoughtful courses into your posts. I've been blogging for about a year and am still learning about all these body acceptance/fat acceptance blogs and I find them so positive and inspiring, especially when the element of fashion and personal style are included. It just makes me wish I had had this sort of thing in high school, you know? At least it's here for a younger generation :)
Best--
C
http://www.thehorizontalstripes.blogspot.com
Hey Rachele - I'm glad you're back - hope you enjoyed your time off! :) I'll admit, when you first signed off, I was kinda afraid you were just done with blogging altogether. I just want to say that I enjoy your blog and your outfit posts and all of it - but please, please - don't let it be a stress point for you. Do it for yourself, lovely woman. :)
It's not! The break is just what I needed. All the things i was stressed about went away. In my case, distance made the heart grow fonder :)
Welcome back! Yes, I totally gravitate towards the more positive media.
Oh man, I definitely wish I had this in high school. I did take a Women's Literature class and exposed to feminism. Thanks for reading and taking time to comment!
Adele is a babe and so are you!
You're welcome! Check back every week for a new one :)
I saw that a while back! Such an amazing project.
Yes, it's THAT Leonard Nimoy. I found this years ago and loooved it!
http://www.rmichelson.com/artist_pages/nimoy/pages/MaxBeaut.htm
Oh jeez, I almost forgot about that. I found out about the Full Body Project around the same time I was really starting to feel confident about being fat and it was the first time really seeing other naked fat bodies. Definitely a crucial turn for me seeing those photos.
Thank you! Me too. I will turn things off if there is fat jokes, etc. and I would much rather watch something fat positive or at least neutral or empowering in some way.
I love this weeks theme. I think what helped my self confidence the most was to scroll trough fat acceptance tumblrs and see "your fat body is so beautiful" stuff every day. So I thought this week I`d do the assignment in 4 parts (first one already published) first one was generally hot fat woman, next will be hot fat woman in arts, and then hot fat woman celebrities/internet personalities and the last one will be my first ever bikini photo shoot hopefully to inspire others to feel confident in bikinis too. http://dinoinpaleblue.blogspot.de/ :)
Thank you for you, your blog, and everything in it. I'm a lurker, but wanted to comment on this. When I was in my late teens I used to go swimming in the local swimming pool leisure centre. In the changing rooms and sauna (I'm from Sweden) there were women and girls of all ages, shapes, sizes etc. I had never seen real naked women like that, and it certainly helped me with my body image. I always wish all teens could go to the local pool and get that same experience as I did! ~ Siouxsie
Love this!
I agree! It's like shocking at first because you imagine the majority of people have model-ready bodies, except for yourself of course. I think I felt this way when I say Leonard Nimoy's The Body Project. It was so eye-opening! And empowering!
So sorry - I am terribly late again! Wish you all a fabulous week! Love, Qaroline:
http://qarolinesqonundrums.blogspot.de/2013/03/fat-bitch-assignments-3-4.html
Ah! so late! But this ecourse is amazing!!
http://www.seekingthesimplicity.blogspot.ca/2013/03/htbafb-e-course-4.html
This took me a while to work on, I was having some trouble figuring out what to do for some reason. Here is what I finally decided to complete.
http://hopefullysmashing.blogspot.ca/2013/03/how-to-be-fat-bitch-e-course-week-4.html
Yay! Finally getting caught up on my homeworks. ;-) http://lateshoes.com/2013/03/fat-bitch-week-4-seeing-beauty-in-other-fat-bodies/
Ergh I'm behind again! http://www.bigfatbetty.com/2013/03/how-to-be-fat-bitch-4.html
Oh man - so late, and I forgot to share when I posted it, but here's my attempt! This one was a lot of fun for me!
http://laceandmuskeg.blogspot.ca/2013/04/how-to-be-fat-bitch-part-3-seeing.html
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