BY SONALEE RASHATWAR
Sonalee Rashatwar breaks down fatphobia, its origins, its structures and how it affects us, and how it plays into desirability politics and why fatphobia is not a sexual preference, but rather an internalized form of bigotry.
HISTORY
The body positivity movement originally carved out a space where acceptance and self-love — which are often reserved for white, thin, fit bodies — had every right to be reserved for marginalized bodies (fat, trans, queer, disabled, of color) as well.
Many body-positivity “influencers” and “activists” — particularly those with privileged bodies — have centered themselves in the movement while failing to recognize the presence of fat folks, and more importantly, the work of fat Black women and femmes, who gave those white influencers the liberation to exist in their privilege.
"If we want to truly be about the work of self-love and body-positivity than we must talk about our internalized white supremacy — those twinges that we repress — and we must work every day to excavate it because otherwise it festers and grows! Healing from internalized white supremacy is an important part of cultivating a self-love that has the audacity to show up for every(body’s) liberation not just the individual." - Source
