What is The Fat Experience Project?
The Fat Experience Project® is an oral, visual and written history project which seeks to be a humanizing force in body image activism.
By collecting and sharing the many and varied stories of individuals of size, the Fat Experience Project® seeks to engage with, educate, empower and enrich the lives of people of size, our allies and the world at large.
The goal of the Fat Experience Project® is to map the experience of fat in a way that is human, has a face, a heart, a mind, a body and a voice. The goal is to listen and repeat - the good and the bad, the hard and the joyful and everything in between - in a way that may ultimately bring compassion to folks who don’t understand. More importantly, however, we hope The Fat Experience Project® will allow the folks who are hearing/reading their own words echoed back to them across the pages, fall in love with themselves and each other just a little more.
We believe that, at the root of discrimination and judgment, there is often an unfortunate lack of basic understanding.
We believe that conversation — hearing the truth of others, and speaking our own truths — can be a healing force.
We believe that shared experience is key to compassion, and that internalized shame often loses its power when spoken aloud.
We believe that sizeism, racism, classism, ableism, sexism, transphobia and homophobia are related issues whose intersections may best be understood through the exploration of personal impacts.
We believe that the personal is political.
We believe that your lives are precious, your words are precious and your courage is precious.
We hope that you will share all of the above with us.
Entries (RSS)
I don’t understand why fat people are so touchy about fat jokes. I am a tubby guy. 250# at 5′10″ so it get it occasionally. If your weight bothers you that much that you break down because of mere words there might be some thing wrong. You have to accept your self as you are or you will cripple your self with self doubt and such. Another comforting thought is that most people that are making fun of others faults are only doing it to cover insecurities that they have. And also remember that if you ever get stuck in a alive/donnor party situation you are much more famine resistant than those “healthy” twigs blowing in the wind.
Yeah! G;ad to see something’s started up with this… I’ll be glad to see anything that has intelligence and caring connected with issues pertaining to size acceptance. I”m a large woman and a lesbian and I’m tired of having the “looks” because I dress comfortably (and always have, even when I was a tiny teenager) … it’s the size that gets the nasty looks. Just fed up with it - no pun intended whatsoever.
I’ll be looking forward to what folks have to say here -
LunaFreeState, in one comment you acknowledge the existence of fatphobia but you urge self-love. Do you not see how - for most people - the two are mutually exclusive? Can you not understand that when you go through life hearing nothing but that you’re subhuman and don’t have the right to even exist, let alone any of the other human rights we’re all entitled to, that loving oneself becomes nigh upon impossible? As a fat person, is that REALLY so hard for you to understand???
Thank you very much for compassion….love…..and understanding. Being a full size girl all my life, has always been a struggle…for accepting myself as well as others. Always going through emotional pain regarding who you are as an individual, because of your size, color, sexual acceptance….wow. But I agree as a 55 year old woman, I’m learning to like myself…..only through spiritual guidance that all people are loved by God, helpped me to learn to love myself and others. It has been through friends and families encouragement, that I am SOMEBODY…that has given me the joy of accepting and loving myself, just the way that I am. Life now, I experience less harrassment then through the years of growing up…however it is alway a trust issue to me, if I’m not selected for a job, date, outing, or always been looked at as a freak…..now I try to smile and go on! Again, thank for the opportunity to talk about it, and know that I’m not alone!
I hope to be doing a lot of listening and throwing in a comment or two. Being a thin guy who has always seen beauty in fat women, I often feel a little torn and a little suspect in both worlds. Life is always a learning process, and in mine there is always the question of how best to make a counter-establishment view known without being overbearing or falling into other patterns of male privilege. I do think that when fat people take control of their own experience and expression, it makes it less of a quandary for those who want to give them the love they should be getting, and so I wish this site all the best as we go forward.
I am the fat chick. Ok, so if I am really honest, I am the obese chick. I get stared at, made fun of, and even, in the last two years, had some freaky woman take my photograph with her cell phone while I was awaiting a flight with my husband at JFK. If I wasn’t recovering from surgery, I think that I might not have been so docile about that experience.
I am so glad that this site is here. I am more than just the fact that I am fat. I am married, I travel. Yes, I do have compassion for my fellow travelers, which in most cases, is my husband, and I purhcase the extra seat. I have the seat belt extender. I don’t smell, I dress nice. I am not a sideshow freak.
I am not an epidemic, or a statistic. I am woman. I am a wife. I am a mother. I am so much more than the sum of the pounds on a scale.
This is the most amazing website ever! It is so wonderful to have safe space where we can drop down the walls and be vulnerable about our shared experience as fat people (in a society that is not very loving). Reading your stories makes me feel less alone. Reading your stories makes me stronger and more confident. And, I look forward to sharing my own. THank you!
Why is this all from the female point of view?
Because those are the submissions we’ve received thus far. :)
Rebecca, your comment just made me burst into tears…”I am so much more than the sum of the pounds on the scale.” That is a beautiful sentiment and so true for all of us. I, too, am a fat woman who has a husband, a family, friends, and a career. Thank you for putting my feelings into words!!
Amazing. Finding your site this morning I mean. Saw Joy’s latest fat rant and loved it! I am also a beautiful plus size woman. Married to my soul mate. Mom of 6 (1 teen still at home) and Nana of 12 and counting. :) There hasn’t been one day in my life since I was 11 that I have not been reminded of my weight, either by others or by myself. Since turning 50 last November, I’ve had a change of heart about me. I’ve accepted the fact that I will never be a size 10…and that I look pretty damn good for my age. Things could be a whole lot worse. I have compassion and empathy for so many others who are less fortunate than me. Daily, sad events remind me of just how lucky I am to have my health and family and friends who love me for me. I truly am blessed.
“You may say I’m a dreamer…But I’m not the only one”. :)
Hey, could I write an article for the website? Just asking, I didn’t know how to submit it for consideration.
I’m told I’m a lucky fat chick because I’m tall. Most people say to me, “You’re big but you wear it well.” For years I hated that comment. Not just because I’m 6′ tall and a size 18, but because I allowed other people to make me feel ashamed of my body. Well 2 years ago I got to my lowest point and I decided ENOUGH!! I’m tired of letting others dictate the way I feel about ME!! I am beautiful, I have great skin, thanks to genetics and staying out of the sun, I have thick, lustrous hair, (still!) and I’m a good hearted, compassionate, and successful single woman!! What do I have to feel bad about? I’m lucky that my body is proportioned evenly everywhere and I walk tall with confidence because I genuinely feel good about myself. Woman need to realize how much time is wasted wishing for different circumstances. Instead we should all just accept and love ourselves AS WE ARE and then other people will do the same. And if they don’t then YOU DON”T NEED THEM anyway. Ban together with other like-minded woman of shape and stand tall, walk proud, dress well, and above all, LOVE YOURSELF FIRST.
P.S. Also, stop wearing clothes that don’t fit you well. Seriously, look through your closets and throw away EVERYTHING that you don’t absolutely love. I did and it really makes a difference in how you feel about yourself. Go now…go throw away those size 10 jeans you can’t wear. You don’t need to fit in them to love yourself. (or to look good) Trust me, it’s LIBERATING!!
Thank you all for “listening”.
Glad to see so many awesome stories being posted. Keep them coming people!
God, I can’t believe how many GOOD YEARS I wasted worrying what i look like.
Ya know what? I just lost fifty pounds. Know what? I’m STILL fat.
Know what else? I have a husband and a career and a family and friends and dreams and a LIFE.
I’m finally, just so…OVER IT. ^_^
Thank you for this site. I’m still trying to find my place at the size acceptance table. I am still working on being accepting and loving towards myself. I am still trying to accept that I could be lovable (even though I have no empirical evidence to support such a belief). I’m still trying NOT to be annoyed with another fatties who have partners and act as though it’s just a matter of being confident and wearing cute clothes, when that’s just not been my experience. Nevertheless, I think project’s mission is so fantastic and I’m excited to read the submissions and maybe submit something of my own.
i’m 15 and i am around 300lbs…being that weight and in highschool isn’t fun at all…it aint some stupid high school musical either.
even if no one doesn’t care about my weight at my high school. i still am SO uncomfortable to even speak to another peer, and i get really afraid.
sometimes it has gotten to the point to were i wanted to kill myself over my weight…
i mean really what girl hasn’t heard another girl say “omg if i was that big i would kill myself”
well maybe they are right…
they make me feel like i am such a fucking disgrace to the earth
and i can never get enough coffidence in myself cause i know what everyone else is thinking.
it really does suck that some people are against fat people.
i try to be cofident about myself…but how can i when i look in the mirror and i don’t even like what i see?
i don’t like my size, i don’t like my legs, my arms, my tummy…but i do admit i love my ass..lol…[the reason why i love my ass is because every girl says they have a nice big ass...and i am like puh-lease....my ass is soo much cuter and rounder and bigger and definally nicer then your small skinny ass]
but it’s not like i can just be coffident cause i love my ass…that would just be werid.