You guys like Tumblr? I'm obsessed with this micro-blogging site, checking my dash whenever I have a free moment. I was originally drawn to the site by the promise of cute baby animals, but I quickly learned that it has much more to offer -- BODY POSITIVITY!
Aside from GIFs of kittens, I go to Tumblr for fashion inspiration. My dashboard is filled with pictures of awesome outfits, the majority of which are worn by Tumblr users -- not the model folks you see in most magazines. I absolutely love it. Seeing these ensembles on average bodies allows me to be more creative with my own clothing. Often I am too afraid to wear anything that draws too much attention to my body, but these Tumblrs inspire me to feel good about fashion at any size.
It was through these body positive fashion blogs that I first encountered the fat acceptance movement of Tumblr. The movement is vast and goes far beyond just body positive fashion. Ya see, the greatest thing about Tumblr is the endless amounts of ways it can be used to promote images and ideas. Fat acceptance can also take many forms and be integrated into different discussions. For some fat activists, Tumblr serves as a way to rally other users around the cause. For others, it's a (mostly) non-fat (nor thin) phobic place to share art centering around non-normative bodies. Whatever the intent is, these users have one goal in common -- to challenge stereotypes about fat bodies.
Shattering a stereotype isn't as simple as posting a picture. Instead, I think it happens when an range of ideas and insights are presented that provide a multifaceted image of that which has been stereotyped. A common myth circulating about fat bodies is that they aren't sexual bodies, unless they're the object of someone's sexual fetish. Yeah right! On Tumblr I have come across tons of discussions about fat sexuality, all of which are unique. Being that we exist in a fat shaming society that has successfully hidden from us any images of fat sex, some users express similar apprehensions about enacting their desires. Thankfully users like RiotsNotDiets provide invaluable insights about fat sexuality -- mostly being that it exists and it's awesome!
I hope I don't have any of you thinking that the Tumblr "fat-o-sphere" is free of the body shaming and hate we often encounter elsewhere -- it definitely exists there. Also, it is not a place where ideas are accepted without challenge. One of the wonderful things about this space is that there is room for discussion, disagreement and the creation of new ideas. Another shortcoming of this movement is that it represents only a sliver of fat individuals, many of whom are traditionally attractive white women.
These Tumblr users are not trailblazers, the fat activist movement was created back in the 1960's. But I think they definitely stay true to their roots and also evolve over time. The goal is the same -- as Amy Erdman Farrell puts it in Fat Shame, fat activists aim to create "a new point of view, an alternative way of thinking about fat, about beauty, and about health."
It seems tumblr acts as a safe haven where people who are comfortable with their bodies can share their experiences however I am not sure it changes the way people view fat. Sadly, I was recently talking to a friend about our class and they expressed that they think people should be comfortable with their own bodies but that they still would not ever want to see a fat person naked because they still find fat to be visually disgusting. I think it is possible for people to become okay and comfortable with their own bodies in safe environments like on tumblr, but I am not sure if fat can be unwed from its negative connotations through spheres like tumblr. I am lost as to where the space for the separation between ugly and fat can occur in mainstream society. People just don't look at fat shame like they do gay rights. Not to say one is more important but it's not as taboo to be disgusted by fat like it is to be disgusted by two men kissing.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea that the tumblr fat-acceptance movement existed! For the most part, the only pictures I see of girls there are stick thin with emphasis on how their legs don't touch when standing. I'm certainly going to check this out. What a great utilization of digital media to promote body acceptance. Maybe, if "fat" (or actually normally sized folks) appear more around Tumblr, the atmosphere of the site can change and people will start seeing more beauty in more mass.
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