TW// negative mentions of weight
This is a manifesto for all of the fat bodies that want and need liberation.
Your fat body is not a neutral space. Your fat body makes straight-sized people afraid of bodies that don’t look like them. But fuck that. Fuck the demonization of your fat body, of my fat body. Your fat body is yours and no one else’s; this is why I use “your fat body” instead of boxing you in a straight-sized society. Being fat is not a curse, but a blessing. I’m proud to be fat, and you should be too. People may call you unhealthy for being fat, but that is bullshit. Yes, there are fat people who live with certain illnesses, but this also pertains to the health of straight-sized people. If I’m taking care of my body and staying as healthy as possible, why the hell should I care about such wretched fatphobia. Our oppression doesn’t end there. In my Mexican culture, I’m both praised and shamed for being fat. I’m praised for not being too skinny — there is a cultural desire to feed oneself to a plump size — and then I’m told I need to workout because I’m bigger than what is desired. I’m shamed for not fitting into the desired M-L sizes for people assigned male at birth in my culture, and I’m forced to view myself as ugly for growing out of old clothes. Regardless of how many sizes you may or may not change as a result of weight gain, your fat body is fucking gorgeous. I want to see you wear a crop top and show off your stretch marks! I want to see you embrace your fat body and focus on yourself and love what you wear. Find other fat people and share your experiences with them and form bonds of camaraderie. Your panza makes me smile and should make you smile as well. But don’t forget just how oppressed we are as fat people. We’re more likely to be discriminated in the workplace and more likely to be paid less than our straight-sized counterparts. Fight back. Exist. Love. Become what your fat body wants you to be: alive and beautiful.