WHAT WE'RE ABOUT
We are constantly redefining our own perspectives, and therefore tend to write a lot about our personal experiences. Many followers and contributors are living with anorexia, bulimia, body dysmorphic disorder, depression, and a variety of other body image disorders or mental illnesses, so please be respectful and remember that health applies differently to everyone. Any and all potentially triggering content will be prefaced with a trigger warning.
RBI supports all races, genders, classes, and sizes. We try our best to make this a safe space for everyone. If we are not doing our job or checking our privilege, we invite you to please inform us.
Some of the artwork you see here has been created by our founder or moderators, some sourced when applicable. Please be kind enough to source this blog whenever you share it's content.
We are not health professionals. Any and all advice provided on this blog is supported only by our own research, studies, and personal experiences; nothing more.
This blog is part of the Safe Space Network.
Here we go, kiddos! All the blogs on this list are body positive. They may not solely be about body/fat acceptance, but they do represent body positivity.
I encourage you to go through this list and fill up your dash with body positive blogs! Huzzah!
(If you find any broken links, spelling…
Oh hey we’re on there! <3
This is Redefining Body Image’s go-to list of resources, articles, research, videos, etc. providing facts and information regarding health and body image, especially dedicated to debunking the everyone’s favorite myth that fat = unhealthy.
If I referred you to this page and this way of thinking about fat and fat health is new to you, I encourage you to have an open mind.
If you have something to add, please submit! The more this list grows, the more ammo we have to back us up in our fight against the body positive nay-sayers.
Let the facts come marching in.
- Big Fat Facts: The truth about fat, obesity, gastric bypass, and weight loss. Focuses on many aspects of fat health that are widely accepted but never challenged, targets the claims, points out the faults, and highlights the truth.
- Articles and Evidence by the Fat Nutritionist that go into some of the controversies around dieting, weight, and eating.
- A massive list of resources discussing the truth behind fat health can be found over at Big Liberty Blog, titled Truth Behind Fat: References.
- One of my staple resources, Kate Harding answers the ever popular question directed at fat activists: “But Don’t You Realize Fat Is Unhealthy?”
- Some more from the lovely Kate Harding: “Reality vs. Relativism“ and ”Diets Don’t Work”.
- A scientific study helping to prove how diets really work by, Junkfood Science - How We’ve Come to Believe that Overeating Causes Obesity
- More of Me to Love discusses fat health, fitness, and health at every size.
- Everyone Knows Obesity Is Hurting Us, But Is the Fight Against Obesity the Problem? - Linda Bacon, Ph.D.
- The Health At Every Size® Manifesto.
- Heart Surgeon Speaks Out Against What Really Causes Heart Disease - A very interesting and informative piece that details new studies on heart disease.
- Weight Science: Evaluating the Evidence for a Paradigm Shift
- Medicare’s search for effective obesity treatments: diets are not the answer.
- The TRUE Cost of Fatties - Looking closely at how obesity impacts gas costs and health care, which is to say not at all.
- More on Obesity and Healthcare Costs here.
- Stereotype Management Skills by Deb Burgard, PhD. discusses how to refute fat shaming propaganda, among other helpful things.
- Uncommon Knowledge About Changes in Body Weight by Lily O’Hara
- Things Obesity is Not by Ragen Chastain
- ‘Everyone knows’ obesity kills, but is weight loss the answer? by Lydia Turner
- Above-Normal Weight Alone Does Not Necessarily Increase Short-Term Risk of Death, U.S. Data Suggest - Science Daily, July 2012
- Among diabetes patients, the obese outlive the trim - a study that cracks fat health stereotypes about type 2 diabetes
- ‘Fitness and Fatness’: Not All Obese People Have the Same Prognosis; Second Study Sheds Light On ‘Obesity Paradox’ - People can be obese but metabolically healthy and fit, with no greater risk of developing or dying from cardiovascular disease or cancer than normal weight people, according to the largest study ever to have investigated this seeming paradox.
- This TED talk by Julie Rochefort called “Shift the Focus” discusses and displays a lot of really important data based around the fact that health is possible at EVERY size. A short 8 minute video that covers a lot of ground in a short amount of time.
- This extensive article by Glenn Gaesser, Ph.D. called Obesity, Health, and Metabolic Fitness debunks a number of myths regarding fat health. Many important topics are covered, from “thinner is not necessarily healthier” to “emphasis on weight loss” being “misdirected and hazardous”, to challenging the link between obesity and heart disease. A very comprehensive and informative resource.
- Fear Mongering for the Nation by Fat Body Politics - A critical look at the HBO documentary Weight of the Nation.
- Why Diets are Harmful and Counterproductive by Linda Bacon challenges conventional wisdom regarding obesity and weight loss to support the conclusion that “Weight is a baseless measure for health, and weight loss a counterproductive goal.”
Fat Acceptance/Size Discrimination Related Resources (WIP)
- Ever wanted to learn more about Fat Acceptance? Check out the Fat Acceptance FAQ over at Spilt Milk, complete with a list of links to some great health-related info.
- 5 Fat Acceptance Myths Debunked - Debunking myths such as “Fat acceptance demands complete confidence and self-love at all times.”
- NAAFA Official Website
- The Association for Size Diversity and Health // Research Articles
Body Positivity Resources (WIP)
- Body Positivity 101 by The Ellipses Project
Thank you.
Reblogging this because we had some recent asks along these lines. Also, anyone looking for articles/references just check our resources or references tag and that should help you out!
Asked judgmentalowl
Hiya! I am currently working on a list of Fatshion resources that will be included in our brand new super-extensive FAQ that is in the works. For now, here’s just a taste of SOME of the sites I’ve been frequenting lately:
http://lookbookchubspo.tumblr.com/
http://www.borninsequins.com/
http://www.gabifresh.com/
http://style.swakdesigns.com/
http://tutusandtinyhats.wordpress.com/
I really, really wish I didn’t have to do this. But the sheer number of asks pleading for me to disseminate the same links and information I’ve passed along dozens of times already on this blog and which are linked through the sidebar, makes this short list of lists necessary.
Let me make it completely clear from the outset that I do not believe ‘health,’ however defined, is a reasonable measure to determine whether or not someone deserves respect, civil rights, and fair treatment. If you have a problem with how health markets apportion your premiums or where your taxes go, then by all means, rage against the system. But do not think for a minute your assholish behavior towards people you imagine use more than their ‘fair share’ is justified.
Further: shame on you damn healthist fatphobes. I’m going to throw a fucking party the day people wake up to how arbitrary and oppressive the ever-changing, ill-defined, and disputed notion of ‘health’ is.
A fucking party. That’s right. It’s going to be EPIC.
In the meantime, before you get all your info from Livestrong and WebMD and the CDC’s obesity scare site (which informs most pop science articles), please check out:
1. Michelle’s “Articles and Evidence” on the Fat Nutritionist
2. Sandy Szwarc’s excellent blog (archived)
3. ASDAH’s article repository specifically the research section which is up to date
4. The Truth Behind Fat (note some links are broken)
5. “Rethinking Thin” by Gina Kolata, “The Diet Myth” by Paul Campos, “Health at Every Size” by Linda Bacon (I trust you can ask Professor Google about these)
There are at least a hundred articles (likely more, I didn’t count), so go on and keep yourself occupied with actual literature instead of trolling fat blogs. And no, that’s not an invitation for you to come back here and hairsplit those studies. Fuck you and the healthist train you rode in on. Go back to scratching your ass and feeling superior as you read WebMD and the latest obesity scare press release and leave fat blogs the fuck alone.
If your followers have questions about sex ed/relationship stuff that you might not be comfortable with answering, could you refer them to http://fysexeducationquestions.tumblr.com/ ?
The blog is informative, super body positive, makes a serious attempt at gender neutrality, and is fantastic about trigger warnings for people who need them, and asks are answered quickly. Just a suggestion!
——
Wonderful!!!! Thank you so much.
I am not averse to sex-talk and am rarely made uncomfortable by questions, but I can’t promise my advice is quite sound. I hope I did alright with that ask!
<3 Haley
“Save me from what ‘everybody knows’” by Ragen Chastain
Below are my favorite and best links that counter the obesity panic.
From Brittanica.com, the Top 10 Obesity Myths.
Children are getting fatter! OMG they’re so unhealthy and going to die before their parents! Oh wait, no they’re not.
From Body Impolitic, why the BMI should not be used to determine health. This post also contains links to Kate Harding’s BMI project and the Rotund’s graphs on height and weight. Both should also be explored.
The Big Fat Facts blow the lid off the obesity ‘crisis’ quite nicely.
There are over 300 medications with the side effect of weight gain.
The question was asked “Is everyone who’s obese unhealthy?” The answer is NO.
Is being fat genetic? You bet your ass it is! The New York Times wrote about this in May of 2007.
So who’s fat? Who’s obese? Who’s ‘death fat?’ It’s not the people you think it is…
Most importantly, in my heartfelt opinion, there are more people suffering from anorexia and bulemia, conditions that will ACTUALLY KILL YOU much more quickly and much more often than being fat will, than people with breast cancer.
Asked peacenikj92
As I’ve adapted Health at Every Size as a way of helping me practice my own unique health and wellness methods, I find any sort of weight-loss related media to be damaging to my mental health and progress.
So I don’t watch The Biggest Loser or other shows like it, as part of a stringent Media Diet to deflect sources of fat shaming in my life that can be triggering.
Also - This article touches on a few things I agree with on the subject.
P.S. i DID NOT DO THE LIST I TOOK IT FROM FATTOO!! Thanks Cat for making it!
WEBSITES
Ananya www.etsy.com/shop/Ananya Custom Sizing
Asos Curve www.asos.com Sizes 18-26 UK
Casual Plus http://www.casual-plus.com/ Sizes 16-24
…
This is Redefining Body Image’s go-to list of resources, articles, research, videos, etc. providing facts and information regarding health and body image, especially dedicated to debunking the everyone’s favorite myth that fat = unhealthy.
If I referred you to this page and this way of thinking about fat and fat health is new to you, I encourage you to have an open mind.
If you have something to add, please submit! The more this list grows, the more ammo we have to back us up in our fight against the body positive nay-sayers.
Let the facts come marching in.
- Big Fat Facts: The truth about fat, obesity, gastric bypass, and weight loss. Focuses on many aspects of fat health that are widely accepted but never challenged, targets the claims, points out the faults, and highlights the truth.
- This TED talk by Julie Rochefort called “Shift the Focus” discusses and displays a lot of really important data based around the fact that health is possible at EVERY size. A short 8 minute video that covers a lot of ground in a short amount of time.
- This extensive article by Glenn Gaesser, Ph.D. called Obesity, Health, and Metabolic Fitness debunks a number of myths regarding fat health. Many important topics are covered, from “thinner is not necessarily healthier” to “emphasis on weight loss” being “misdirected and hazardous”, to challenging the link between obesity and heart disease. A very comprehensive and informative resource.
- A massive list of resources discussing the truth behind fat health can be found over at Big Liberty Blog, titled Truth Behind Fat: References.
- One of my staple resources, Kate Harding answers the ever popular question directed at fat activists: “But Don’t You Realize Fat Is Unhealthy?”
- Some more from the lovely Kate Harding: “Reality vs. Relativism“ and ”Diets Don’t Work”.
- Ever wanted to learn more about Fat Acceptance? Check out the Fat Acceptance FAQ over at Spilt Milk, complete with a list of links to some great health-related info.
- A scientific study helping to prove how diets really work by, Junkfood Science - How We’ve Come to Believe that Overeating Causes Obesity
- More of Me to Love discusses fat health, fitness, and health at every size.
- Everyone Knows Obesity Is Hurting Us, But Is the Fight Against Obesity the Problem? - Linda Bacon, Ph.D.
- The Health At Every Size® Manifesto.
- Heart Surgeon Speaks Out Against What Really Causes Heart Disease - A very interesting and informative piece that details new studies on heart disease.
- Weight Science: Evaluating the Evidence for a Paradigm Shift
- Medicare’s search for effective obesity treatments: diets are not the answer.
- The TRUE Cost of Fatties - Looking closely at how obesity impacts gas costs and health care, which is to say not at all.
- More on Obesity and Healthcare Costs here.
- Stereotype Management Skills by Deb Burgard, PhD. discusses how to refute fat shaming propaganda, among other helpful things.
- Uncommon Knowledge About Changes in Body Weight by Lily O’Hara
- Things Obesity is Not by Ragen Chastain
- ‘Everyone knows’ obesity kills, but is weight loss the answer? by Lydia Turner
- Above-Normal Weight Alone Does Not Necessarily Increase Short-Term Risk of Death, U.S. Data Suggest - Science Daily, July 2012
And that’s where I’m leaving it for now, but not forever!
Thank you.
Hello all! Reblogging this as I’ve added a few links and wanted to know if any of you knew of some sources I should definitely be adding to this list. Drop me a line :)
Potential TW for mental health/depression on links.
This was originally posted on another blog (safespacenetwork.tumblr.com) but it wasn’t rebloggable, so I’m posting it here.
http://transgenderexplored.com/mental.htm
http://www.fenwayhealth.org/site/PageServer?pagename=FCHC_srv_services_trans
Fate has intervened for everyone who sent a message asking for a Rebloggable version!
Here we go, kiddos! All the blogs on this list are body positive. They may not solely be about body/fat acceptance, but they do represent body positivity.
I encourage you to go through this list and fill up your dash with body positive blogs! Huzzah!
(If…
I have tried a lot of diets in my life. Atkins, vegan, Weight Watchers, counting calories, Weigh Down Workshops, Paleo, Zone, South Beach, food logs. I’ve worked with nutritionists and therapists. I’ve done the shakes, the herbal supplements, the cleanses. I’ve spent hours in the gym, I’ve trained for races, I’ve done CrossFit, I’ve lifted weights. I’ve tried a lot of things. I’ve spent thousands of dollars. None of these efforts (and concentrated, years-spanning efforts many of them were) have succeeded to get me thin in the long term.
I finally got fed up, and about two years ago, and decided that instead of going on another diet, I would start doing some research about why nothing was working for me. I learned that dieting almost never works. That losing and gaining weight repeatedly was unhealthy. That I didn’t have to be thin to be healthy. I started to do more research. I read more books, I visited blogs, I investigated health journals and read papers and published research. I became more and more curious. Read the full post…
I love this because it aligns with my own journey to a diet-free existence, which all started with questioning.
“WHY?”
As soon as we start to question all of these things that stand in our way, we can begin to break them down to a powder and blow them away.
Also, definitely click-through to the full article, there are a number of really amazing resources!
♥ http://havingafatday.tumblr.com/
♥ http://fat-grrrl-activism.tumblr.com/
♥ http://dailyfatspiration.tumblr.com/
♥ http://bigbeautifulblackgirls.tumblr.com/
♥ http://fuckyeahfatpositive.tumblr.com/
♥ http://fatisattractive.tumblr.com/
♥ http://fuckyeahprettyfatchicks.tumblr.com/
!!