Nurturing Loving Fat: Growing Beyond The Weeds Of Fat Phobia

• In Event: It's About Damn Time: Loving and Learning From the Fat Frame

Abstract

This study employs an autoethnographic and ethnopoetic approach, intertwining personal narratives with scholarly research, to shed light on the profound and far-reaching consequences of fat phobia. Through a multifaceted lens, it explores the lived experiences of a fat Black woman subjected to fat shaming, discrimination, and societal prejudice. Ethnopoetic methodologies are used to demonstrate how creating critically compassionate dialogues on fat phobia can generate discursive spaces where fat individuals can share their experiences, discuss how they are socialized into current beliefs, and analyze the intersections of race, gender, fatness, and body positivity. By artfully blending autoethnographic memories with poetic insight, the manuscript provides a poignant examination of the emotional and psychological toll inflicted upon those marginalized by fat bias. The work aims to cultivate understanding and empathy, fostering a deeper awareness of the urgent need to challenge and dismantle fat phobia within educational institutions and society at large for the benefit of all individuals.

Author

• Dywanna Smith, Claflin University