A draft agenda for fat justice.
I did not come to body positivity for self esteem.
I did not seek it out for more or better clothing, or to insist upon my attractiveness to men. I did not come to body positivity out of a need for better body image or more self confidence or every body is a beach body or embracing my curves, though I know those may be necessary steps to get to a more just and welcoming world.
I came to body positivity because, as a fat person, the world treats me differently than it does my thinner counterparts. I came to body positivity because fat people are routinely paid less than thin people for the same job, and because 85% of managers say they wouldn’t even consider hiring a fat woman. I came to body positivity because fat survivors of sexual assault are less likely to be believed when we speak up and more likely to be convicted when we face trial. I came to body positivity because even judges think fat teens should be ‘flattered’ by sexual assault.
27% of very fat women and 13% of very fat men attempt suicide. Those that don’t are often pressured into weight loss methods that are unsafe, and sometimes even fatal. I came to body positivity because we live in a world that would rather see us dead than fat.
I came to body positivity because my beloved feminist community would insist that…
