Community Spotlight: Introducing Sofia Siraj-Wu 🫶
Hi Sofia! Can you please introduce yourself?
Hi!! I’m Sofia Siraj-Wu- a Licensed Professional Counselor working at a group private practice called Modern Path, in Atlanta GA. We pride ourselves in primarily working with LGBTQ+ folx and relationship structure minorities. Within this niche, I focus my work on queer, plus size clients of color and helping them feel better and kinder toward their bodies. I am literally so passionate about helping as many people as possible feel great about themselves in the bodies they have right now. I am also passionate about fat, queer, BIPOC representation in all facets of life because representation is such a key factor in overcoming internalized fatphobia for so many!
What messages did you receive growing up about bodies, beauty, and worth? How did those messages shape you?
To be so frank and real- the message I received as a kid was that if I was not a skinny, white, blonde, cisgender, hetero, and a super feminine girl then my body and I were wrong. This was extraordinarily difficult to navigate as a chubby, multiracial, unknowingly queer, little Muslim kid growing up in a very white and very conservative town. I internalized my perceived “wrongness” and tried to compensate with people-pleasing and shrinking myself in every way. I mourn for that sweet, adorable, chubby little queen who did not know her full power, but through lots of my own therapy, unlearning of fatphobic/diet culture BS and relearning self-empathy and kindness I have become true friends with my body now.
If you saw bodies like yours celebrated when you were younger, how would that have changed things for you?
Ohhh I think about this so often! To see a brown skinned, fat bodied, baddie growing up in any media of any kind would have literally reshaped the trajectory of my life and drastically improved my self-esteem and confidence. It is why I am a body image therapist, why I create fat art and why I choose to be public facing today- just in case a little chubby multiracial kid sees me and thinks “well if she is happy and okay, then maybe I can be too!”.
What do you think many people misunderstand about body image?
I think lots of people think it's all or nothing- like they have to “love” their body all the time or they are failing. That is so not true. I like to conceptualize my relationship with my body image as a friendship! Somedays we are loving life and feeling on top of the world, and some days we have to confront some difficult thoughts and feelings. But we always respect each other and always try to lead with kindness.
What does taking up space mean to you?
To me it means, pursuing your wildest dreams and passions and following your bliss unapologetically! That may look like pursuing the career you’ve always dreamed of, advocating for your rights in a system designed to suppress you, or simply wearing whatever the hell you want to because you feel flippin’ fabulous. Fat bodied people deserve to live large and loud and proud just like our straight sized friends.
You work with plus-size, queer, POC clients. What feels most important about creating spaces that are *for* those identities, rather than just inclusive of them?
Gosh I love this question so much- thank you for asking it! Anyone who holds even one marginalized identity understands what it feels like to be in a space that was clearly not created with them in mind. We also know what it feels like to be in a space where we are the “token minority” who may be acknowledged briefly, but not truly empowered to be our full, whole selves. That is why it is vital that plus-size, queer POCs have spaces that were created just for them- with intentional consideration for their unique identities and experiences at the forefront. In a culture that was designed by and for cis/het white, able-bodied, men these spaces are so rare, but that also makes them all the more powerful and empowering!
You joined us at our ATL pop-up last summer! Can you tell us about your experience with Viva Voce?
Oh, can I!! I did not know what to expect when I saw your Instagram marketing for a fat positive and exclusively plus size space in my favorite city on earth- ATL. I was so excited, I told my partner it didn’t even feel real- I had not seen anything like it! I immediately signed up and when I arrived at the event I was overcome with giddy joy! It was like my little kid self and I were healing together! Seeing so many glorious plus size babes all in one super inclusive space was almost overwhelming! I met new friends there almost immediately who are some of the coolest, most inspiring people I’ve met in real life! I saw the fashion show that my younger self needed to see and that my adult self always dreamed of! I left feeling so held and so happy and literally cried tears of joy all the way home!
What do you hope people feel the first time they discover Viva Voce?
I hope they feel as held and as seen as I did when I experienced Viva Voce. I hope it helps heal their inner child that never got to feel seen wholly. I hope they understand that Viva Voce is not just an incredible and magical pop-up experience, but is also a community and pillar of hope for plus size people everywhere!
What feels powerful to you about showing up as yourself in fashion spaces that weren’t designed for bodies like ours?
I freaking LOVE being the only fat body in the room now! It used to be my biggest nightmare, but now I see it as an opportunity to represent all plus size fashionistas who love expressing their innermost selves through fashion and fun! I genuinely enjoy it when I am wearing a new dope outfit and get stares from randos because I know it is at least planting the seed in their mind that fat people can rock a great outfit with joy and confidence.
Can you share a bit about the body image workbook you’re creating? What do you hope people take away after moving through it?
Gosh you are asking some really generous and lovely questions! Thank you so much!
The body image workbook I am creating is called Befriend Your Body Workbook: A Journey of Unlearning, Body Discovery, and Self-Compassion. It is a fully illustrated (by me!) workbook designed specifically with plus size, queer, POCs at the forefront of my mind and the center of my heart. It is the body image workbook I wish I had growing up and the one that is so desperately needed right now in the age of SkinnyTok and with “thin is in” trends everywhere you look. It is truly a guided journey through unlearning racist fatphobic rhetoric and diet culture crap we have been taught our whole lives, discovering your own unique relationship with your body, defining what you want this to look and feel like, and learning ways to be kinder and more empathetic towards yourself and your body. It also has gorgeous illustrations of hot, fat bodied goddesses throughout to guide you on your healing journey! I am so excited about it and cannot wait to share it with the world!
If someone in our community is struggling to feel worthy in their body right now, what would you want them to hear?
I see you, I hear you, I understand. It is so hard to exist in a body that can feel “wrong” especially when we are constantly being told to shrink at all costs by the media, healthcare providers, our friends and our own families. It can feel so defeating and hopeless. But worthiness, joy, and confidence have nothing to do with our body size or a number on scale. We get to choose how we feel about our own bodies and we make that choice every day- every moment is a choice to feel worthy and follow our joy. Who cares what a bunch of made up “beauty standards” created by the dusty, crusty patriarchy want us to look and feel like! We get to define what we feel about ourselves, our bodies, and our worthiness and you are worthy right now, today, in the body you have in this moment!
As a therapist doing this work, is there a belief about bodies that you are currently unlearning?
I am currently wrestling with the concept of “health”, and the healthcare industry’s neglect of larger bodies. I am unlearning the idea that “health” can be universally defined and applied in the same way to all bodies from all different races, genders, sexual orientations, cultures, ethnicities, and ability statuses. I am working on a workshop and a new counseling framework to help fellow counselors understand this concept as well. Health at Every Size is real and more specifically a truly intersectional approach to healthcare is vital in order to give the best quality of care we can to our clients and patients.
If you had a megaphone and the whole world was listening, what’s a message you’d share?
Don’t let dusty, racist “beauty standards” dictate how you feel about your magnificent body! You are perfect and glorious and magical in the body you have right now in this exact moment!!