Filthy clothes...
So who’s seen Emma’s recent rant and what are people’s thoughts?!
I just can’t believe how thick she is about BOPO.
so Emma says to describe BO PO “it was birthed from the fat positive movement of the 60s and it’s for marginalised bodies so for example, black women (& men) fat women (&men) queer people, non binary, I just don’t have the energy”
I’m sorry if you girls disagree but you cannot put “fat” in the same category as “black” “queer” and gender.
Body positivity is about loving your body for what it is and accepting it.
• You cannot love yourself into an obese body
• body positivity has nothing to do with race, class, gender and sexuality issues, these have their own community
Hmm.. I'm the last person to ever say that Emma is right, but in this instance she is. Body positivity has evolved into " everyone loving their bodies and accepting them" and there are a lot of people who move in fat activist circles that detest that this is BOPO today.
I for one, don't detest the new BOPO, I think theres a huge amount of people that are excluded from the thin and fit standards but also aren't accepted into the fat positivity circles either, and if they have found their home in BOPO to feel accepted for the body that have, then thats lovely and no one should be looking to take that away from anyone.
It is however true, that body positivity did originate from the fat positive movement, which was started to include marginalised bodies that were and are still not accepted in society today. Fat is included alongside queer, black, trans, LGBTQ, non binary folks - bodies that are seen and treated as 'outside the norm', basically bodies that are the absolute opposite of european white beauty standards. I agree with you in that it is hard to see fat on the same level as race, and personally I think fat oppression is entirely different and in another spectrum to racism, it doesn't feel right for me that it exists in the same plain as race. However I also know that BIPOC folk that live in fat bodies, have it a thousand times worse off. Fat oppression is real, tho I believe it effects marginalised groups the hardest.
I do disagree with you tho on your statement of 'you cannot love yourself in an ob*se body', I for one live in and love my fat body. There are so many variables that affect body size; the environment in which you grow up in, genealogy, economic situation, if you grow up in a crime ridden area - it really goes beyond to what you put in your body. Size is really not determined by what you eat(sorry gillian mckeith). I have had thin friends that could eat 4 helpings and then still have room for dessert, and they are still thin and who eat like that on a daily basis. It is frustrating for me to be judged for my body being bigger and to be assumed i eat in that way when I don't. Society's shaming of fat people is high level, it is so hard to love your body when you are shamed for the way it looks especially more so when it is outside the realms of the hourglass figure (notice how a lot of plus size models are hourglass shaped and hardly any who are mainstream popular have larger tummies).
I've probably gone off on a tangent but to be quite honest, the BOPO conversation is a pretty huge one. i will say, bc i've been there when i was submerged in diet culture, I've held a lot of anger and hate towards fat people for being fat, strain on the NHS bs. It can feel like to a lot of non fat people a slap in the face, when fat people are announcing that yay we love ourselves. I believe this stems from the path that is set out for every person that includes dieting and making ourselves smaller i.e those weight loss ads that say 'just lose 30 ibs and you too can live your dream life' - that message is tied up for so many of us. So when we see fat people breaking away from that and finding self love it a) can feel impossible to believe & b) we're like "UM EXCUSE ME! you did not lose 30Ibs so no you can't move forward onto your dream life, not before me when im slimmer than you". Its a weird hierarchy thing that pits people against each other rather than supporting one another. Someone reminded me on another thread, if another fellow human is happy and connected, in a relationship, why does it matter if they are fat? Honestly i was v insecure for a long time and felt sensitive and annoyed if i'd see girls who were bigger than me in relationships and now (after a lot of insecurity unpacking) it genuinely warms my heart.
From reading these threads about Emma, it seems we all do share the same dislike of her dishonesty when it comes to her size. its internalised fat phobia that causes people to lie about their size, I definitely don't like her arrogance and I think as a plus size influencer its shady to not be honest about your sizing and fit when thats what most of your following are following you for
Side note: If anyone is interested in learning more about the origins of bopo & fat acceptance, I can't recommend Christy Harrison's Food Psych podcast enough. She covers so many topics and she is a professional! Which Idk about you folks, i find it more informative to listen to field researchers over " i can't be bothered" influencers