What we’re about
Welcome to Fat Liberation London!
We are a friendly, inclusive group of fat people who wanted to find a safe space and loving IRL community who feel the same way we do about body image and fat liberation - so we started this meetup group!
This is all about connecting with people who have shared lived experience existing in a fat body, whether you are a small or mid-size fat person, or a large, super or infinifat. We have monthly coffee meet ups in an accessible, fat-friendly cozy space, and will be looking at getting people together for board games, drinks, book clubs focussing on fat writings, picnics, group tickets to fat-focussed events and more as we grow.
Community is so important and it can be so healing to find people who understand your experience and celebrate the unique complexities it brings to who we are. This is not a space focussed on changing who we are or our bodies, and with this in mind, we’ve got some guidelines for our space to help everyone feel safe!
NOTE: PLEASE READ GUIDELINES IN FULL BEFORE ATTENDING ANY OF OUR EVENTS!
In this group, we are:
- Fat-First. Fat Liberation London was created for fat people, by fat people. Our community therefore centres large fat+ bodies first. We use self-identifying terms that are common in fat spaces (i.e. midsize, small fat, large fat, superfat and infinifat), and ask community members in smaller bodies to be considerate of the fact that our community prioritises the most marginalised bodies.
- Rooted in community. We want to bring together people with a shared experience together to have fun and build relationships in a friendly, accessible and non-judgemental space.
- A safe space for intersectional identities and marginalised bodies. We aim to champion anti-racism, LGBTQIA+ inclusivity, accessibility for disabled and neurodivergent people, and anti-discrimination of all kinds. While it is an unlikely occurrence, please be aware that anyone creating unnecessary conflict or displaying malicious, prejudiced or discriminatory behaviour will be asked to leave our events. This is not a singles group! We're creating a safe space for fat people to come together in joyful friendship.
- Mindful of individual differences. We know that everyone will be in different places in their fat-liberation journey, and recognise that some discussion topics, events and venues may be more accessible to some than others. We ask our community to utilise content warnings for potentially triggering conversations that may come up in events. We also aim to provide as much information as possible about event spaces accessibility.
Upcoming events (3)
See all- Fat Lib Book Club - SHADOW ON A TIGHTROPE: Writings by Women on Fat OppressionThe Last Word - Community Hub at The British Library, London
### A Book Club that celebrates Fat Liberations politics, ideas and activism in a safe space.
Grab a copy of the book here - order early as it can take some time to ship!
We’re back for book club! This will be a monthly occurrence with regular breaks so there’s plenty of time to read the source material before coming along to an accessible, safe discussion with fellow fats and fat allies. If you’re new to fat liberation, curious about what it is or looking to see how it differs from body positivity, this is the place for you.
We’ll be exploring a mix of non-fiction, fiction, poetry, comic books and everything in between, with supplementary material from fat academics, essayists, tik tokkers, podcasters and more.
For this month's book club we’re looking at SHADOW ON A TIGHTROPE: Writings by Women on Fat Oppression edited by Lisa Schoenfielder and Barb Wieser.
There's so much fat hate happening right now, so we think it's time we connect with the longevity of our movement from some of the founders of it and the Fat Underground. We have a history we can draw strength and community from in times like these - and this tome will help!
From the online copy:
‘Shadow on a Tightrope is the first anthology to come out of the fat liberation movement. This classic collection includes articles, personal stories, and poems by fat women about their lives, experiences, and the fat-hating society in which we live.
Shadow does it all… It may be the most important feminist theory published this year. ― Lammas Review
Will open the eyes of even the most fat-phobic. If you read nothing else, read this. ― Feminist Bookstore News
Fear of fat is so entrenched in the American mind that even the most radical women, who have spent years exploring and rebuilding women’s consciousness through the Women’s Liberation Movement, have failed to spot the fraud. ― Vivian F. Mayer, The Fat Illusion’We're delighted to announce that we've been given a space at The British Library to hold our book club and that this will now also be a hybrid event! So if you can’t make it to central London for then, we’ll see you on the zoom! The link will be shared on the day to attendees.
Please do review our guidelines before coming along! Fat folx, bring your allies, friends, colleagues and everyone in between. Let’s chat!
Jade, Nikita and Simran x
