5 Plus Size Queer Influencers You Need to Follow Now

by Chaya Milchtein

Queer comes in all shapes and sizes, but like all communities we have our prejudices. It’s important to highlight plus size queer folks that are helping change our community for the better and inspiring others while they are at it. These 5 influencers inspire my fashion sense and remind me how powerful queer people can be.

J Aprileo

When I asked queer plus size groups who their favorite plus size queer influencer was, there was no pause. J was first on everyone’s list. This is not hard to understand at all. J is a genuine queer non binary person who is incredibly open about gender, accessibility and fat love, of course.

In their own words via Instagram, “Listen y’all. I’m not doing great lately and I barely want to be on social media. I don’t know how to fake it and I also don’t know how to open up. My mom’s in the hospital and things are just hard. And difficult to explain. I haven’t take very good care of myself and I’m really feeling the consequences of that now. But I appreciate you for being here and for the kindness that you show me each and every day. This community keeps me growing and learning. I’m thankful for you.”

Gia Natalia Narvaez

Gia is a plus size transgender model and influencer that unapologetic in every way. Her Instagram is a mix of memes that just seem perfect and plus size fashion you absolutely need in your life.

From an Instagram caption, in her own words, “Being a fat, transgender Latina might not be the norm, but I’m OK with that. I decided that my happiness was more important than fitting in, and I’m never looking back,”

Dexter Mayfield

Dexter walked his first runway as a plus size male model in 2015 and since then the world has not been able to have enough of him. Not just a fashion model, Dexter is also a dancer whose worked with brands like Fenty Beauty.

When you scroll down his Instagram feed, you’ll see right away that this is not a person worried about what anyone thinks of his bod. He confidently poses in skimpy swimwear, crop tops, and when we get lucky, artistically nude.

In an interview for MIC, Dexter said, “No matter how far I’ve come in the industry, I’ve been told, ‘You still need to lose weight.’ When it comes to presenting an image of male beauty, we need to expand that.”

Troy Soloman

Known as “ABearNamedTroy” this queer god will brighten any room he walks into with bold, fierce color style where gender knows no place. Follow this queer if you need someone to push you out of your comfort zone, destroy your box and show you how masculinity really needs to be done. Troy doesn’t follow any fashion rules, unless of course you count that as a rule.

As for the ads you may see on his feed, here’s what he said in a post recently, “Inclusivity is a really important factor for me when it comes to what brands I decide to put on my body. While there’s always room for growth, I try to make sure the brand I’m wearing makes an effort to show up for diverse communities of people with varying races, ages, body types, gender identities, etc.”

Jazzmyne Robbins

Jazzmyne is a plus size model and was featured on Buzzfeed’s As/Is series. Her video for Buzzfeed wearing a string bikini in public at the beach for the first time went viral. With short hair and fearless style, this hard working queer person inspire others on her social platform and out in the world.

Jazzmyne told Sara from Dia & Co: “I started leaning into what I truly wanted to do. I started in my little Midwest town where nobody was wearing lipstick. I started shaving one side of my head. I started wearing zebra-print glasses.”

About the Author:

Chaya Milchtein is the driving force behind Mechanic Shop Femme. As an automotive educator, speaker and writer, she’s made it her life’s mission to educate women and LGBT people about their cars. Her website also highlights her work on her other passion: empowering women to live their best lives in the bodies they have, through fashion and modeling. Chaya’s work has been featured in the Chicago Tribune, Go Magazine, and others. She lives with her fiancée and tortoise in Wisconsin. Follow her on twitter @mechanicfemme.