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Is It A Fat Thing?
Is It a Fat Thing... to be stereotyped as lazy, stupid and gross?
Season 1, Ep. 5
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In episode five of Is It a Fat Thing? we get into the details of the stereotype the Fat community have suffered under for as long as we can remember and the wide-reaching ramifications of being defined by these characteristics in real life. We teeter on the dangers of plastic garden chairs of doom and using design to cause violence against fat bodies, battle fat suits and ex-fats, celebrate Ursula’s c**ty cut crease, reminisce about that time Zayn Malik turned up on Wooplus and rail against Jillian Michaels criminal lack of charisma.
This episode was recorded in January 2025.
Citations/notable links
- Fat’s on Film Podcast - The Nutty Professor with Fat Liberation London https://open.spotify.com/episode/7IF8Qg7GybGJt1k2OqtZOY?si=b3d0a837be604ac4
- Metformin - a life extender? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/why-do-some-researchers-believe-metformin-may-hold-the-key-to-longevity
- Zayn on Wooplus gossip rag https://graziamagazine.com/articles/zayn-malik-dating-app/
- The airplane seat size squeeze https://www.cntraveler.com/story/airline-seat-sizes-safety-risks-op-ed
- Fat icon Lindy West on The Whale https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/mar/10/lindy-west-on-the-whale
- Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings
- Keir Starmer’s bizarre Ozempic-forward approach to getting people ‘back to work’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjd54zd0ezjo
- The Biggest Loser contestants speaking out about their treatment and the long-term effects of such a traumatic attack on their bodies:
- https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html
- https://www.huffpost.com/entry/i-was-on-the-biggest-loser-and-it-was-the-biggest-mistake-ive-ever-made_b_6581714
- https://www.chicagomag.com/chicago-magazine/december-2010/biggest-loser-michael-ventrella-struggles-in-life-after-the-show/
- https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/former-biggest-loser-contestant-show-ruined-my-life
- Michael Moseley horrifying anti-fat TV shows https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0608839/
Media Mentioned
- Shallow Hal, 2001 (directed by Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly)
- The Nutty Professor, 1996 (directed by Tom Shadyac)
- Matilda, 1996 (directed by Danny Devito; written by Roald Dahl, Nicholas Kazan & Robin Swicord)
- Cinderella, 1950 (Directed by Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, and Hamilton Luske)
- Ratatouille, 2007 (directed by Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava)
- The Little Mermaid, 1989 (directed by Ron Clements, John Musker)
- Wicked, 2024 (directed by Jon M. Chu)
- Shrill, 2019-21 (created by Aidy Bryant, Alexandra Rushfield, Lindy West)
- Survival of the Thickest, 2023-cont (created by Michelle Buteau)
- Insatiable, 2018-19 (created by Lauren Gussis)
- Don't Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever, 2024 (directed by Chris Smith)
- The Whale, 2022 (directed by Darren Aronofsky)
- The Simpsons, 1989-cont (created by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Sam Simon)
- South Park, 1997-cont (created by Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Brian Graden)
- Aitch “Learning the Curve” music video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpuIKVn5rsU
- The Biggest Loser, 2004-cont (created by David Broome, Mark Koops, Ben Silverman)
Follow us on Instagram @fatliblondon or Meetup under Fat Liberation London
You can find Nikita on Tik Tok @niktoks or Instagram @nikigramx
Jade is on Instagram and TikTok under @justjadeelouise
Simran can be found on Instagram @simksandhu_ TikTok under @simran_k_s and BlueSky @sksandhu.bsky.social
Our theme tune was composed by Dorian Jackdaw.
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4. Is it a Fat Thing... to be subjected to diet talk?
01:05:33||Season 1, Ep. 4In episode four of Is It a Fat Thing? we get into the tough stuff: diet talk. We do a light dip into the power of Fat bodies to skew a loo seat, surviving University as the 'fun' fat friend and even why Elphaba is Fat (!) and we will die on that hill, before getting into the tough stuff; connecting fatness to intersectional struggles, eating disorders and the damage of diet talk and why the diet industry is one big distraction tactic and it's connection to the rise of fascism.Sadly, our mic wasn’t as on board with the conversation as we were, and there are quite a few sound issues in this episode! But we didn’t want to stop us from sharing such an important conversation with you, and we’re working on improving our sound quality in future episodes! This episode was recorded in January 2025.Citations/notable linksAnti-fat language in Diet Culture: The “new me” and the “real me” in narratives of weight loss. Kathleen M Self, Department of Religious Studies, St. Lawrence University, USA (we heard this at the International Weight Stigma Conference, 2024)Fat is a Feminist Issue by Susie Orbach (1987).@fatfabfeminist on TikTok - a couple of videos https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNd1GW2AU/ https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNd1GEGrk/ (and if you don't follow Victoria on all the platforms yet, then you should! A brilliant fat activist)@morethantracyt on TikTok - this excellent vid https://vm.tiktok.com/ZNd1GsQ8A/ (and another incredible Fat creator you should be following!)The Magical Thinking of Weight Loss by Aubrey Gordon - https://humanparts.medium.com/the-magical-thinking-of-weight-loss-bc8aaa601ae7Weight Stigma is a Threat to Public Health by Aubrey Gordon - https://humanparts.medium.com/the-magical-thinking-of-weight-loss-bc8aaa601ae7When Dieting Doesn't Work - Harvard Health Publishing. https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/when-dieting-doesnt-work-2020052519889(Study cited in Harvard article): Ge L, Sadeghirad B, Ball GDC, da Costa BR, Hitchcock CL, Svendrovski A, Kiflen R, Quadri K, Kwon HY, Karamouzian M, Adams-Webber T, Ahmed W, Damanhoury S, Zeraatkar D, Nikolakopoulou A, Tsuyuki RT, Tian J, Yang K, Guyatt GH, Johnston BC. Comparison of dietary macronutrient patterns of 14 popular named dietary programmes for weight and cardiovascular risk factor reduction in adults: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised trials. BMJ. 2020 Apr 1.Follow us on Instagram @fatliblondon or Meetup under Fat Liberation LondonYou can find Nikita on Tik Tok @niktoks or Instagram @nikigramxJade is on Instagram and TikTok under @justjadeelouise Simran can be found on Instagram @simksandhu_ TikTok under @simran_k_s and BlueSky @sksandhu.bsky.socialOur theme tune was composed by Dorian Jackdaw.1. Is it a Fat Thing... to ditch body positivity?
52:27||Season 1, Ep. 1Welcome to Is It a Fat Thing! In our first episode, we get to grips with what fat liberation even is, why fats are so hated on public transport, why body positivity seems to have died a painful death, dodge a potential Lizzo-slander lawsuit, learn about the legacy of the Fat Underground and try to get comfortable in front of a mic for the first time! This episode was recorded in August 2024Citations NAAFA’s history including the Fat Underground and Judy Freespirit https://naafa.org/history NAAFA’s campaign for size freedom https://naafa.org/sizefreedom FLARE (Fat Legal Advocacy, Rights and Education) https://www.flareproject.org/ Matrix as metaphor for the trans experience https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/matrix-trans-metaphor-lana-lilly-wachowski-red-pill-switch-sequels-a9654956.html Follow us on Instagram @fatliblondon or Meetup under Fat Liberation LondonYou can find Nikita on Tik Tok @niktoks Instagram under @nikigramx and BlueSky @nikitaatikin.bsky.socialJade is on Instagram and TikTok under @justjadeelouise Simran can be found on Instagram @simksandhu_ TikTok under @simran_k_s and BlueSky @sksandhu.bsky.socialOur theme tune was composed by Dorian Jackdaw.