My offering for you this week: I'm considering re-opening my calendar for boudoir, portrait and small business photography session bookings soon, so I'm judging level of interest.
I'm vaccinated and I ask that you be as well, for my and your safety. Sessions will be distanced as much as possible and preferably outdoors. My home/studio is outside Seattle, WA.
Are you interested in booking a session if I re-open my calendar? If so, reply and let me know – the more interest, the more likely I am to re-open these types of sessions.
Hi friend,
One of the best, tried-and-true methods of developing a healthy and positive body image is to get used to seeing all kinds of bodies — and the best way to do that is on social media.
Curating your media sources and social media feeds to eliminate bad body image influences and include more diverse bodies is one of the fastest ways to build your self-esteem.
For fat and very fat people, though, it can be challenging to find bodies like ours on social media. Not only are people in very large bodies less likely to want to show those bodies regularly online — given that fat people are constantly harassed, trolled and doxxed for speaking up — even the very algorithms that run social media sites display anti-fat bias.
That means that those of us who are significantly fat can have trouble finding bodies like ours, but no longer.
Here are more than 40 Instagram accounts of fat, very fat and superfat people to follow. This list runs the gamut, from famous activists and influencers to people just living their lives. Some of these folks may identify as fat, very fat, largefat, superfat, infinifat or none of the above.
It’s important to remember that every single person on this list is a full human being with their own priorities, rights, preferences and choices. They don’t exist purely to inspire or be role models, and they’re definitely not here to serve as trauma porn or to make people who are thinner than they are feel better about their relatively-smaller bodies.
(That means that if you catch yourself thinking, “At least I’m not THAT FAT,” you probably need to take a step waaaaay back until you can view and interact with very fat people as people, not objects.)
It’s also important to understand that none of these folks owe you anything. While they may offer education or wisdom on their social media accounts, their lives aren’t necessarily an open book. Don’t pry, ask them weird questions or demand that they educate you.
And if you find the work of someone who’s listed here important to you, find a way to support them! Like, share and comment on their posts, subscribe to their Patreons, buy their products or services, or contribute to their Paypal, Venmo or Cashapp.
Also this week: There are a LOT of new subscribers around here, and I'm so glad every one of you is with me! This is a good time to do a little re-introduction + bring you up to speed.
I'm Lindley (she/her, pronounced LIN-lee) and I'm a photographer, writer and fat activist. I live outside Seattle, WA in the U.S. with my cat Blue and my husband R. I run Body Liberation Photos, Body Liberation Stock and the Body Love Shop.
My privileges: I'm a white, straight, cisgender person in a hetero marriage. I have some financial support as my business grows.
My intersections: I'm a woman who lives in a largefat/edge of superfat body. (That means that my access to the world is very limited by non-inclusive clothing, healthcare and public infrastructure like bus seats, waiting rooms and chairs. It also means that I am subject to moderate to severe weight stigma.) I live with autism, an anxiety disorder, and a repetitive strain injury in my arms. I'm currently managing a new sleep apnea diagnosis.
I love: cats, plants, books, beaches, sour candy, Final Fantasy XIV and unicorns
I dislike: fatphobia, tomatoes, cities, being cold, tags in clothing and the smell of vinegar
Check out bodyliberationphotos.com for details on all my offerings, or email me at lindley@bodyliberationphotos.com (or reply to this email) to hire me.
Image description: A plus-size Black woman with black and blue hair reads a book on a bed with white covers, wearing a tank top and pants and partly covered by a blanket.
Need a good 101 or refresher on bodies, fatness and science? I always recommend Body Respectby Lindo Bacon and Lucy Aphramor.
In the Body Love Shop
Image description: A roll of white washi tape with a cute unicorn design sitting on a similarly-patterned box, with a stack of more boxes in the background.
Mun Cho, Krystal Throckmorton, Nicole Phillips, Elizabeth, Raechel A Brophy – your support is so appreciated!
Image description: Lindley, a fat white woman, is shown shoulders up in a heart-patterned dress. She has blonde hair and glasses, and is smiling.
Hi! I'm Lindley.
I'm a photographer and activist (she/her, pronounced LIN-lee) who celebrates the unique beauty of bodies that fall outside conventional "beauty" standards. I live outside Seattle, WA. People come to me for:
Body-safe portrait, boudoir and small business photography sessions
Diverse, body-positive stock photos & fine art prints
Health at Every Size (HAES)-aligned editorial services and consulting
The Body Love Shop, a curated resource for body-positive and fat-positive art and products