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| 'Fatshion' blogs defiantly celebrate plus-size couture | 'Fatshion' blogs defiantly celebrate plus-size couture |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| By Kate Dailey BBC News Magazine | By Kate Dailey BBC News Magazine |
| Tired of being ignored, "fatshionistas" are using the web to reclaim their autonomy and show off their wardrobe. | Tired of being ignored, "fatshionistas" are using the web to reclaim their autonomy and show off their wardrobe. |
| For fat people, the rules of fashion are short but strict: stick to muted tones; avoid stripes and large patterns; stick to flowing shapes; spandex is a privilege, not a right. | For fat people, the rules of fashion are short but strict: stick to muted tones; avoid stripes and large patterns; stick to flowing shapes; spandex is a privilege, not a right. |
| In short, dress to disguise and disappear. | In short, dress to disguise and disappear. |
| But not everyone has taken on board that message. | |
| The internet is awash with images of fat men and women proudly flaunting their stuff in bright tights, colourful patterns, short hem-lines and other fashion-forward creations. | The internet is awash with images of fat men and women proudly flaunting their stuff in bright tights, colourful patterns, short hem-lines and other fashion-forward creations. |
| Outside the mainstream | Outside the mainstream |
| Sites like Hey Fat Chick, Chubby Guy Swag, The Manfattan Project and Plump Up the Volume celebrate images of big bodies in bold clothes. | Sites like Hey Fat Chick, Chubby Guy Swag, The Manfattan Project and Plump Up the Volume celebrate images of big bodies in bold clothes. |
| They are defiant sites, and proudly so - some of the most popular have names too profane to publish here. | They are defiant sites, and proudly so - some of the most popular have names too profane to publish here. |
| "The mainstream fashion world excludes and ignores plus-size women. It tries to keep us out of the conversation," says Frances Lockie, an Australian who runs Hey Fat Chick, in an email to the BBC. | "The mainstream fashion world excludes and ignores plus-size women. It tries to keep us out of the conversation," says Frances Lockie, an Australian who runs Hey Fat Chick, in an email to the BBC. |
| "In response, through fatshion Tumblrs and blogs, it's like we've invented our own language." | "In response, through fatshion Tumblrs and blogs, it's like we've invented our own language." |
| A new language is often needed for those who feel outside the mainstream of Western fashion and culture. | A new language is often needed for those who feel outside the mainstream of Western fashion and culture. |
| 'Marginalised' | 'Marginalised' |
| Marianne Kirby, author of Lessons from The Fat-o-Sphere: Quit Dieting and Declare a Truce with Your Body, says: "I'm a size 28. | Marianne Kirby, author of Lessons from The Fat-o-Sphere: Quit Dieting and Declare a Truce with Your Body, says: "I'm a size 28. |
| "I have a completely different way of interacting in my body with the rest of the world than someone who's six feet tall and a size 12. Part of it is ratios, and some of it is how fat behaves. | "I have a completely different way of interacting in my body with the rest of the world than someone who's six feet tall and a size 12. Part of it is ratios, and some of it is how fat behaves. |
| "Everyone has to extrapolate to a certain degree, but I think fat bodies are often so different that it's useless to look at a garment on someone who weighs 150lb less than I do." | "Everyone has to extrapolate to a certain degree, but I think fat bodies are often so different that it's useless to look at a garment on someone who weighs 150lb less than I do." |
| While few people can claim to wear clothes in the same way runway models do, fat women often feel completely adrift due to a lack of media representation. | While few people can claim to wear clothes in the same way runway models do, fat women often feel completely adrift due to a lack of media representation. |
| "Growing up I could watch TV and movies and see someone that sort of looked like me," says Lesley Kinzel, author of the upcoming book Two Whole Cakes, a guide to body acceptance. | "Growing up I could watch TV and movies and see someone that sort of looked like me," says Lesley Kinzel, author of the upcoming book Two Whole Cakes, a guide to body acceptance. |
| "It gives the feeling that I'm represented and I belong in the world. These days I feel like it's harder to find, especially for young people." | "It gives the feeling that I'm represented and I belong in the world. These days I feel like it's harder to find, especially for young people." |
| The internet, she says, allows fat people who feel marginalised to create their own validation without waiting for the media to get on board. | The internet, she says, allows fat people who feel marginalised to create their own validation without waiting for the media to get on board. |
| Self-loathing | Self-loathing |
| "I established Hey Fat Chick because I was sick of never seeing positive representations of the fat female body in media," says Ms Lockie. | "I established Hey Fat Chick because I was sick of never seeing positive representations of the fat female body in media," says Ms Lockie. |
| "It was through my searching for fat positive pictures and quotes that I found the online fat acceptance movement. | "It was through my searching for fat positive pictures and quotes that I found the online fat acceptance movement. |
| "By reading these blogs, I discovered that there was cultural theory behind why I never saw fat women celebrated, or even presented as normal." | "By reading these blogs, I discovered that there was cultural theory behind why I never saw fat women celebrated, or even presented as normal." |
| Fat activism and fat fashion have often gone hand in hand, and the internet has long been a safe space for fat men and women to declare their refusal to "hide" until they reach a smaller size. | Fat activism and fat fashion have often gone hand in hand, and the internet has long been a safe space for fat men and women to declare their refusal to "hide" until they reach a smaller size. |
| Many fat activists instead believe in adopting healthy habits, abandoning yo-yo dieting and self-loathing, and loving one's body the way it is, rather than waiting for a weight loss that may never come. | Many fat activists instead believe in adopting healthy habits, abandoning yo-yo dieting and self-loathing, and loving one's body the way it is, rather than waiting for a weight loss that may never come. |
| It's a radical stance, and one that's often discovered on the search for a perfect pair of pants. | It's a radical stance, and one that's often discovered on the search for a perfect pair of pants. |
| "In my experience, fashion is really a gateway drug to activism," says Ms Kinzel. | "In my experience, fashion is really a gateway drug to activism," says Ms Kinzel. |
| "In the beginning, it's coming from a really selfish place - I want to wear this, but I'm tired of dieting. | "In the beginning, it's coming from a really selfish place - I want to wear this, but I'm tired of dieting. |
| "Very often that will lead to people starting to question all the conventional wisdom around weight, including whether dieting is a waste of time." | "Very often that will lead to people starting to question all the conventional wisdom around weight, including whether dieting is a waste of time." |
| Outfit of the day | Outfit of the day |
| Ms Kinzel was one of the original moderators for the Live Journal's "Fatshionista" forum, an earlier predecessor of the Tumblr blogs. | Ms Kinzel was one of the original moderators for the Live Journal's "Fatshionista" forum, an earlier predecessor of the Tumblr blogs. |
| Started in 2003, the forum allows women to post photos of their "outfit of the day" (OOTD), while comparing notes about sales, new stores, and plus-sized fashion resources. | Started in 2003, the forum allows women to post photos of their "outfit of the day" (OOTD), while comparing notes about sales, new stores, and plus-sized fashion resources. |
| Though the Fatshionista community still exists, it is Tumblr that has hosted most of the newer sites. | Though the Fatshionista community still exists, it is Tumblr that has hosted most of the newer sites. |
| Aside from a feature that allows readers to submit their photos to individual blogs, blog administrators can "reblog" content from other Tumblrs, sharing that information with their readers. A series of common tags across all blogs allows Tumblr readers to search for photos by topic. | Aside from a feature that allows readers to submit their photos to individual blogs, blog administrators can "reblog" content from other Tumblrs, sharing that information with their readers. A series of common tags across all blogs allows Tumblr readers to search for photos by topic. |
| One tag, "Fatshion February" was intended to be used only as a one-off for participants posting their outfits every day for a month. Almost a year later, it has taken on new life. | One tag, "Fatshion February" was intended to be used only as a one-off for participants posting their outfits every day for a month. Almost a year later, it has taken on new life. |
| "It's one of the first things I search for [on Tumblr], because it's become this code word," says Ms Kirby. | "It's one of the first things I search for [on Tumblr], because it's become this code word," says Ms Kirby. |
| An uphill battle | An uphill battle |
| For many, the sites serve as both inspiration and validation. | For many, the sites serve as both inspiration and validation. |
| "I've gotten messages that say you've inspired me to wear what I want to wear no matter what people think," says Mandy Fierens, the author of the Curvy Model blog. | "I've gotten messages that say you've inspired me to wear what I want to wear no matter what people think," says Mandy Fierens, the author of the Curvy Model blog. |
| Her OOTD photos have been reblogged on other fat fashion sites. | Her OOTD photos have been reblogged on other fat fashion sites. |
| "I didn't start the blog to make a difference," she says, but loves that her photos are helping others to accept their bodies. | "I didn't start the blog to make a difference," she says, but loves that her photos are helping others to accept their bodies. |
| Of course, it will take more than a vocal web community to change years of anti-fat dogma. | Of course, it will take more than a vocal web community to change years of anti-fat dogma. |
| "I still feel the pressure to dress my body in a certain way to mitigate my fatness; that is, to make my body as small and invisible as possible," says Ms Lockie. | "I still feel the pressure to dress my body in a certain way to mitigate my fatness; that is, to make my body as small and invisible as possible," says Ms Lockie. |
| "Bold fashion is my accessible and effective form of daily activism. It fights back against the ridiculous fashion rules for fat girls. | "Bold fashion is my accessible and effective form of daily activism. It fights back against the ridiculous fashion rules for fat girls. |
| "When I wear something bright or tight or both, I am forcing people to recognise me and recognise my body the way I dictate it. My clothes are my protest placard." | "When I wear something bright or tight or both, I am forcing people to recognise me and recognise my body the way I dictate it. My clothes are my protest placard." |