Fat Liberation Changed How I See My Body — And Why I Built Viva Voce

For Fat Liberation Month, we’re handing the mic to Viva Voce’s founder to talk about something that sits at the heart of why this brand exists: fat liberation.

From unlearning the beliefs we’re taught about fatness to creating spaces where people in all bodies can experience belonging, this is a personal reflection on what fat liberation looks like in everyday life — and why changing fashion has to be part of the movement.

Speaking about how fat liberation shows up in your life:

I feel like a big way fat liberation shows up in my life, is within myself. I am constantly reshaping my own view of fatness, and undoing internal biases even as a fat person. Educating myself on the stigma fat people face, some forms that I have experienced, and some I have never experienced. Also making myself aware of intersectionality in Fat Liberation, and how fat people who are also disabled, BIPOC, Queer, Immigrants, Trans, and more experience stigma and discrimination in more complex and often greater ways than myself. I don’t know it all, and I need to be constantly learning. In addition, I am always looking for practical ways to engage in action for fat liberation. Whether that is something small like recognizing stigma I am receiving and choosing to show up confidently and embodied anyway, something financial like supporting organizations that are fighting for fat liberation in the political, legal, employment, healthcare, or advocacy space, educating my friends as I have the opportunity when they share beliefs or biases that are untrue about fat people, to standing up for those around me who may be encountering even greater discrimination than myself.

Why you wanted to create a community and movement for fat liberation:

I never felt like I belonged, and as my body grew larger, the barriers to belonging seemed to grow higher. I, like most people in the western world, was taught many myths about fatness, not limited to but including that fat people were unattractive, lazy, gross, unintelligent, unwanted, and unhealthy. All these ubiquitous beliefs became part of the way I saw myself and the world, and as a result, I felt great shame. I tried to change my body many times. Some times were more effective than others, but I always ended up in the same large or even larger body after each short term “successful” or completely unsuccessful attempt. As I found it harder and harder to find clothes, I became afraid that I was always going to have to wear ill fitting, ugly, and uncomfortable clothing that made me feel even worse in my body.

As I grew older and started to find myself and to be surrounded by people who loved me for who I was, no matter my size, I began to experience belonging. Through this I began to realize I deserved better. I then began to hunt for clothes that matched my style and my values- ethical production, sustainability, quality pieces that felt like me and helped me express myself when I put them on. Those were extraordinarily hard to find, and I spent a lot of time, money, energy and frustration trying to build a wardrobe that I liked and could be proud of. For some items, I didn’t have a choice, and had to buy things that didn’t align with my values, which was hard for me.

As I began to learn more about anti-fat bias and the systemic discrimination surrounding it, and about Fat Liberation, and the need for all bodies to be accepted and valued, I began to see that this problem went far beyond me. The fashion industry is one of the biggest contributors to anti-fat bias, and access to clothing for fat people is a big problem all over the world. Especially, access to beautiful, quality clothing, but sometimes access to any clothing at all that fits.

Though I knew I couldn’t solve the whole problem, this was a sector that I had some knowledge of, personal experience with, and that I cared about. I began to dream about creating a space where all people could shop for clothes that helped them express themselves, that they could try on, and that matched the values that I and so many others share about ethics and sustainability. A place where people of all body shapes and sizes could shop together with their friends, feel a sense of belonging, and feel good about their purchases.

As I began to move towards this dream, I realized that creating belonging was also the approach I needing to take in building the brand- bringing together the sustainable, ethical, and quality designers and brands I found on some of my personal searches, as well as more we would discover. Just like this battle for Fat Liberation is something no single on of us can build alone, Viva Voce is a brand being built in the same way- by many people who care about inclusion, fashion, and the world, and we are hoping to be a piece of what reshapes the fashion industry to be an industry that welcomes all bodies and takes care of planet and people. Inherent to that cause is that this movement for change be strongly rooted in Fat Liberation, and I am so grateful for all that have lead the way in this movement and taught me so much, including (but not limited to, this is just a jumping off point to get you started!):

Fat Liberation Voices & Resources

People & Organisations

Books & Further Reading

And many more!