body shaming

Not so fat

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I wrote this tweet earlier today:


I’m sure most people get what I mean.

However, a Twitter user asked why I would say that when it appeared I was proud of being fat based on my blog name. Wasn’t I inviting questions or comments on my body by using that name?

Here’s a brief explanation of what is going on here.

Fat Gay Vegan is a name designed to grab attention and provoke thought. It is me taking words that have been used to negatively frame me (and other people) and turning them on their head. In the process, I use that attention to draw people to stories about improving outcomes for animals.

I believe I have successfully created spaces online and in real life to bring support and happiness to a number of people exploring veganism. It is wonderful to hear people use the words ‘fat’, ‘gay’ and ‘vegan’ so openly and willingly when they say my blog name. It feels like a small victory in a cruel world to have been able to reappropriate some of these terms in a positive way to help animals.

But maybe this is where it gets a bit murky for a few people.

My blog name is an attention-grabbing headline with the power to make people reconsider the words and concepts involved but it is not an open invitation to comment on or ask me about my own personal weight and body shape.

To give you an example…

I have lost track of how many times over the past six years someone has met me for the first time and said, “You aren’t as fat as I thought you would be”.

LOL! Why would I want someone to say that to me?

Of course I understand these people think they are paying me a compliment because most of us are conditioned into thinking that being thinner or lighter is the ideal and everyone on the planet must be trying to get skinny.

But I am left feeling bemused and sometimes saddened by these interactions. My weight is an extremely personal topic for me and as it does for most humans it impacts on my physical health, mental health, social outlook, self esteem and pretty much every aspect of my life. My body is because of my life and my life is because of my body. It is me defined.

There is no part of me that wants a stranger (or a friendly blog reader) to make a comment on my weight within ten seconds of meeting me. It is my personal business how I feel about my body and I don’t want people I don’t know (or even those I do for that matter) telling me how they view my weight on a sliding scale of fatness.

This is not an attack on people who have said such things to me. It is me putting the information out there and asking others to consider the topic. Consider how deeply personal your own body issues are and then imagine how you would feel if strangers were to make comments to you about your size, shape or perceived fitness upon meeting you.

This is also not a ‘poor FGV’ post. I like that this is a platform where these sorts of topics can be shared. I think it helps more than just me to talk about them.

I am not alone in trying to be a happy person who also has conflicted feelings, experiences and emotions surrounding body image and self worth. This blog post is for all of us. None of us really want to feel judged, so maybe we can all afford to be that little bit more thoughtful and compassionate before we speak.

If you think I called my blog Fat Gay Vegan because I am proud of being fat and want strangers to comment publicly on how they view me, please remember that is your understanding or perception of the situation. It is not mine and I don’t really want to hear it.

If I want to talk to you about my weight or shape, I will let you know. As will anybody you meet at work, at a party, in the street or any other conceivable setting.

Let’s look after each other as we try to work together to look after non-humans.

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Oppression takes many forms

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In the aftermath of the horrendous murders at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris, the UK arm of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) published a statement that in part said:

Violence is a social issue, and violence to animals and human beings are interlinked. Yesterday’s losses are being felt by all compassionate people, including those who stand for animal rights. We at PETA stand with Charlie Hebdo in rejecting oppression and violence in all its forms.

I applaud PETA for making this statement but also challenge them to stand by these words in relation to their own campaigns. Reject oppression and violence in all its forms.

PETA, do you understand how your representations of unrealistic body shapes can contribute to unhappiness, depression and feelings of alienation for individuals and whole sections of society?

The projection of a slim body type as the ideal is insulting, unrealistic, hurtful and alienating for tens of millions of vegan activists who do not look like this.

Your campaign images designed to ridicule and shame millions of humans are a form of oppression and violence.

Bus Back
Proposed bus advert from PETA UK
peta whale
Design used for PETA billboard

PETA, do you see a correlation between hyper sexualisation of women in your campaigns and wider media and the normalisation of the commodification of women in the real world, as well as the staggering amount of physical and sexual violence perpetuated against women?

Your campaigns utilising images of women in sexually compromising situations are perpetuating oppression and violence.

peta billboard
Recent PETA billboard in UK

PETA, are you aware that countless vegan activists want you to stop using sexist, exploitative, body shaming and divisive tactics in your campaigns?

Here are some words from just two of those activists:

“Overall I agree with PETA’s mission wholeheartedly, but I think their often sexist and fat-shaming campaigns cross the line of decency and detract from the AR message that they’re trying to promote.” – Quarrygirl.com

“PETA’s sexist, racist, and body-shaming campaigns do the opposite of spread compassion. Knock it off, nerds.” – Laura Beck, Vegansaurus.com

PETA, did you know that potentially millions of people want to join you in your fight for animals but not at the expense of other social justice issues?

Here are some thoughts on our fight for social justice.

Yes, we know you are desperately racing to stop cruelty to non-human animals.

We are too.

But we are also in a desperate race to stop violence against women. We are in a desperate race to stop debilitating and crippling self-esteem issues. We are in a desperate race to stop body shaming. We are in a desperate race to stop the normalisation of alienating humans based on their appearance. We are millions of people strong and we want to stand beside PETA but are currently unable. We want to stop all kinds of violence, subjugation and perpetuation of negativity.

We know there are individuals within PETA that agree with this sentiment. Please stand shoulder to shoulder with us in our request. You are not losing anything by rejecting outdated campaigns that perpetuate harm to people. You will be gaining millions of supporters who are more than willing to fight alongside you in your quest to end animal exploitation and suffering.

We are committed to improving outcomes for animals and humans alike.

Veganism is an extension of the fight for social justice, not a reason to suspend it.

To repeat the quote from the PETA statement: reject oppression and violence in all its forms.

If you are reading this and would like to see PETA put a stop to sexist and body-shaming campaigns, please voice your feelings in the comments below and share this story with PETA USA and PETA UK via Twitter.

Extra note: this is not an attack to diminish the crucial work PETA has carried out for decades in the name of compassion. You can support the important work they do without supporting some of their tactics. In fact, it is the voices of PETA supporters and campaigners that are most needed when it comes to this issue.