Fat Liberation is an incredibly important movement. Birthed in the late 60s and early 70s by groups like NAAFA and the Fat Underground who were tired of the challenges imposed by a society that has an inherently anti-fat bias, the movement aims to pursue equality for fat people in all areas of society. Whilst fat people have become increasingly visible in the 21st century, the inequalities they face remain embedded in the world around us, and the need to dismantle them have become more apparent.
Fat Liberation should be a cause close to the hearts of all feedists. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, this is not the case, with many simply unaware of the urgent need to tackle the systemic anti-fat bias in societies across the world. Furthermore, the often sexual and male-dominated nature of many online feedist communities has led to distrust from those engaged in the Fat Liberation movement. Thankfully, a new group has emerged to bridge the gap between these two communities and mobilize feedists towards creating meaningful change for fat people – say hello to the Feedists for Fat Liberation.
Feedists for Fat Liberation (or FFL for short) is a collective of like-minded feedists who are united by the feeling that, for too long, feedism has ignored the call to fat liberation, and that negative perceptions of feedism within fat liberation space has led to a lack of feedist engagement in the work of the movement. The collective seeks to break down barriers in both communities in order to unite feedism and fat liberation. Starting in late 2020 with community gatherings and workshops, FFL has quickly grown into a grassroots movement that is pursuing ways to better integrate feedism and fat liberation, as both are intertwined.
Organized by a committee of volunteers from across the world with experience in both the fat liberation movement and feedism community, the group has already begun working on a series of actions to achieve their goals, focused around the areas of Accessibility, Awareness, Community Building and Transformative Justice. For those who aren’t sure where to start when it comes to Fat Liberation, FFL’s website includes a host of resources, including blog articles, advice, and action points, as well as opportunities to get involved with actions to help progress FFL’s aims.
Feedists for Fat Liberation is essential for all feedists – check out their website today and get involved!