Fat Bubble: Your Fat Friend documentary

Welcome to the Fat Bubble, where each week we uplift and affirm fat culture, with all its joy, potential and power.

This week, on a grey but crisp day, I snuggled down in a dark room filled with gorgeous folks (who, I noticed, were all dressed in their finery!), and finally had an opportunity to watch the Your Fat Friend documentary. Filmed over six years by documentary film maker Jeanie Finlay, the film follows Aubrey Gordon from when they had one anonymous essay on the internet, to being an author of two books, host of a wildly successful podcast, and all round beloved Fat Hero. Afterwards, we were treated to a Q+A with Jeanie and Aubrey, in person, and a book signing! Even days later, I'm still feeling topped up and inspired (and oh my days, did it make me want to visit the beautiful PNW!).

Let me tell you my favourite part of the experience... it's that, even though there were incidences of anti-fat hate and tediously peristent diet culture, it was this that was presented as the author, rather than the fat person being the other. And, if you're fat yourself, you'll register just how rare this can feel. As a fat person walking into the room, I can feel like the oddity - the one that jars the status quo. In the film, fat acceptance was the status quo! Diet culture was the oddity. Anti-fat comments were the jarring issue. It articulates what I always share as being so central in my work:

'We must acknowledge the anti-fat hate in the world, and then live as if it doesn't exist'.

How do we stay focused on liberation when we still navigate anti-fat hate in the world? Well, because it's the only way - we don't have another, sanitised, perfect option. And this film was a beautiful, touching example of how we live our humanity and our dignity as fat people, and we wait for the world to catch up a bit...

There were times I cried. Times I related to experiences, or empathically responded to such beautiful storytelling. At one point, when Aubrey speaks into the camera and explains that she just wants fat eating disorder 'that just won't cause more harm', I wept in the dark. I hear so many experiences from fat people who have been hurt by the care they received. It fuels my fire, and commitment to working in a very different way, affirming care is life saving.

If you're fat, I truly hope you're able to see the film at a screening or viewing party, or on general release. Because one of my favourite feelings in the entire world is the feeling of solidarity - being surrounded by likeminded people, consuming media that's actually for me. I feel safe. I feel connected. I feel seen.

This film is fat. It's made for fat people. It's by us, with us, for us. It's fat culture. God, I love that. I love us having a culture. I'm hungry for more of it, I love watching us thrive.

Until next time, friends, wishing you safety and joy.

Vicky