10 Body Positive People You Should Know
Diversify your socials with these great artists, athletes, & activists.
The first time I put on a tutu was my last. At six years old, I was excited to try ballet, but a boy on the way into the studio made a comment about my body that made me self-conscious. Though I loved dance in all forms-- ballet, jazz, lyrical-- my body didn't look like the others in my classes. I still took them on and off for years, and even minored in Dance. But I didn’t fit in. When I was growing up, there were maybe two fat women who were ‘brave’ for putting themselves out there: plus-size model Emme, actress Camryn Manheim and rapper Queen Latifah. I thought I had to lose weight before I seriously pursued any type of athletic endeavor.
Decades later, social media allows us to see people with diverse body types living their dreams-- surfers and dancers and CEOs. Though many of us scroll mindlessly on Instagram, often we don't realize that our feed shows us the same body types. Our subconscious then thinks this must be the ‘right’ body and ours is ‘wrong’. And there is no shortage of companies offering a solution you can buy to ‘fix’ it. Most of us are familiar with Grammy-winning musician Lizzo or fashion model Ashley Graham. But now we have even more of a variety of options for role models who embrace their bodies. Sometimes our internal bias or fatphobia isn’t noticeable so seeing all types of bodies can benefit us to be more compassionate.
By diversifying what we consume, it can positively impact our self esteem and build empathy.
Check out some fat inclusive and/or anti-diet, body positive artists, athletes, and activists. Some of these folks are ‘straight-sized’ but advocate for all bodies while others are in larger bodies; some focus on anti-diet advocacy and others are just living their best lives. This list is not exhaustive. Stay tuned for Part 2.
Note: I use the word “fat” as a neutral descriptor, not as an insult, and abstain from using stigmatizing words derived from BMI-centered language.
Lizzy Howell. Seeing Lizzy dance is quite moving and I think about all the fat kids who want to dance but don’t have the ‘traditional’ body … now they can look at her and see so many possibilities. There is so much joy in her movements and she keeps up with the best of ‘em.
Achieng Agutu. This “tantalizing confidence queen” has in infectious laugh and is always hyping you up, bestie! Though most of her posts are sponsored, she never fails to give a good pep talk.
Julie SH. Art, and especially photography, can regurgitate the same looks over and over, so when I came across this photographer’s work, I was impressed. I found her Diving Belle images of fat folks to be so striking!
Nabela Noor. I love the soothing reels (Pockets of Peace) that this Bangladeshi-American designer posts on Insta. She also wrote this incredible children’s book Beautifully Me about how negative body image statements can impact kids.
Martinus Evans. Martinus is 300 pounds and running— it’s his handle on Insta. It proves that anyone can be a runner. (And actually, even I was; years ago I ran the LA Marathon with my middle school students.) While he does talk candidly about his weight loss, he does not endorse diets.
Erik Cavanaugh. Erik is “changing the dancer body” and all while in killer heels and dazzling boots.
Megan Jayne Crabbe. Formerly known as BodyPosiPanda on Insta, Megan is all about embracing self-love and joy in the body you have right now, and dumping diets.
Curvy Surfer Girl. Most summers when I was a kid, I wanted to try a surf camp but always felt that I was too fat. But eventually I got to try it as an adult— once in Manhattan Beach, and a second time in Bali. It’s hard! But SO satisfying when you catch a wave. Elizabeth paddles out all over the world, demonstrating that truly any body can surf.
Brynta Ponn. This Toronto-based body confidence queen wants you to know that hating your body is exhausting. Wear the dress! The bikini! The tank top!
Crystalyn Hutchen. This contemporary semi-realistic artist lives with a disability but doesn’t let it stop her. Check out her art full of beautiful bodies.
In creating this list, I also found Bustle has one too from 2014 with 7 additional names.
Have more ideas? Let me know in the comments.