Hi friend,

 

If you recall, back in April I did an art tour for the Seattle Erotic Art Festival called Aspirational Erotic: Body Size, Shame and Aesthetics. I thought you might be interested in how it went.

 

This was my first time at both the festival and giving a talk of this sort, so afterward I was both proud of the difference I'd made for those who attended and also saw a lot of room for improvement.

 

One thing I hadn't expected was that it was loud. So, so incredibly loud, with the event in one large exhibition hall and discussions and performances and music all going on in that space at the same time.

 

Next time I'll know to warm up my voice beforehand. I'll also pitch my talk as a workshop next year, rather than an art tour, to try to get it into a quieter space.

 

Concentrating so hard on projecting my voice and reaching the (very flattering!) 20 or so people who showed up for the tour made my time management a lot less than ideal, so I ended up spending way more time than I intended on the first part of the talk and hardly any on the actual "walking around and looking at the gallery of art" part.

 

So, lessons learned! We all start somewhere. I'm so encouraged by how many people were interested in such a relatively heavy topic at the festival, and looking forward to doing it again next year.

 

Speaking of doing things again, I recently did something I never thought I'd do again…

 

 

» The Connection Between Genocide, Fatphobia & Starvation/Malnutrition (read)

 

» It's hot, wear the shorts and tank top (read)

 

» Homemade Bialys recipe (diet-free) (read)

 

» The Superficial Nature of Body Positivity (read)

 

» A Fancy Prison Run By Skinny, Wealthy, White Women (listen)

 

» Black voices, Black bodies: Life in the age of Ozempic (read)

 

» Top Thing Healthcare Providers Should Do When Working With Higher-Weight Patients (read)

 

» A Bold New Documentary Does Everything The Whale Tried And Failed To Do (read)

 

🦄 Unicorn chaser: Is it just us or is this geoduck happy to see the world? (watch)

@ Body Liberation Stock

 

 

The last time I did aerobics was in about 1994, as a tween, with my same-aged female cousin. I can't remember if one of our parents received a couple of free passes, or needed to get us out of the way while they ran an errand, or what.

 

All I remember is walking in the glass door of the aerobics studio, heart already pounding, highly conscious of my newly jiggly thighs. 

 

We were dropped off a couple of minutes into the class, so the music was already going.

 

I scrambled to grab a step (remember those plastic, two-part aerobics steps in black and teal and purple?) and follow along, watching everyone else for social cues. The casual level of movement in my life, riding my bike and walking, hadn't prepared me for hour-long cardio sessions, though, and I fell behind, panting.

 

It didn't even occur to me that I could simply stop and rest -- certainly no one else was doing so -- and I finished the class miserable, panting, red-faced and embarrassed (and blaming my body for all of it).

 

When Bevin, who runs Fat Kid Dance Party, asked if she could stream a Saturday aerobics class from my house, I was happy to open my home -- I find so much joy in doing so for my fat community, and the pandemic doesn't let me do it often -- but had zero plans to participate myself.

 

As the date for the class got closer, my state of mind went something like this:

And the day came, and I pulled up a sturdy chair, and I gave it a try, and it…was fine. It was fine! Bevin is a fun, gentle teacher, and I felt genuinely free to sit down any time I wanted.

 

It was nothing like that 90s aerobics class, in the best possible way.

So there to that particular old shame demon. Get lost.

 

On July 14, I'll be hosting an in-person, COVID-cautious, outdoor FKDP class for Bevin here at my home. There are only six slots, so it's super limited and I'm sure it'll sell out fast. If you'd like to come, I'd love to see you!

 

Also coming up:

Unapologetically fat,