This is a picture of me standing on the waterfront in Conwy, North Wales, yesterday. My friend Sam and I went to the North Wales coast, staying one night in Rhyl and one night in Rhos-on-Sea. We had a great time driving round yesterday, visiting Conwy, Betws-y-Coed, Llanfairfechan, and Llandudno. 

I’m wearing a pointelle knitted jumper from New Look in mint green, and a flower print green/blue/yellow top underneath that I got at a clothes swap for free. I have a clip in my hair and red (prescription) sunglasses. I’m a fat white woman. 

In the past I would have shied from posting this photo online, definitely not on Facebook or Tumblr where this one now is, because, ewww, gross, you can see my fat arm and my double chin! Who wants to look at that!??!

Now, however, I’m trying very hard to get used to looking at parts of my body, and parts of other people’s fat bodies, in order to normalise us. We are not freaks, or gross, or disgusting, or anything else negative, we are all beautiful. 

Photo shows me and my mum seated in a restaurant on Friday, while celebrating my grandma’s 86th birthday. I’m wearing a grey, black, and white top with a bold wavy pattern and sheer chiffon sleeves, originally from Ann Harvey, and my mum is wearing a cream sleeveless top with a rose print on it. I’m not sure where that’s from, sorry. We’re both wearing glasses, we both have long dark hair, and we have very similar smiles!

Me and my mum, 20th April 2012

I live in Barnsley, South Yorkshire. I’m from Wakefield, but we moved to Barnsley for cheaper house prices in 2004 and we’ve made a home here; Himself works in the town centre and we both like our semi-rural locality. I work in Leeds so sometimes shop there, but I do most of my shopping online. Until recently, there was an Evans in Barnsley, so I would always go in when I was in town. 

In February, while there with a friend, I realised that the Evans is now a Costa Coffee. The Dorothy Perkins and the Burton’s Menswear, which are also part of the Arcadia group, are still next door, but Evans is no more. This left me with precisely ONE shop where I could find something to fit - in the tiny Inspire section of the smallish New Look. 

Sometimes, Evans does incredibly well. The top I’m wearing in my last post came from there, and I do like it for unusual tops for dressyish occasions. But I don’t buy my basics there, partly because it’s expensive and partly because the quality can be rubbish. I don’t mind having clothes that I know will only last a year or so, but I don’t want to spend ~£30-£40 on them, you know? I’ll buy my one-season-wears from Yours Clothing for £15 instead. 

If Evans has lost its business in Barnsley, it needs to look at WHY. At a time when it feels like fatshion bloggers are still spending their money, and when Simply Be are OPENING shops, and when Yours Clothing and Marisota and Simply Be and others are doing a roaring trade online and on eBay, Evans needs to look at why it has lost so many of its core customers. This is something I’ve seen in the community for years, but it hasn’t happened yet.

(I would wager though that it’s partly due to cost - Evans is expensive, and Barnsley is demographically very poor.)

But it isn’t all doom and gloom for Barnsley town centre. I went there on Friday with my mum (who, at a size 18/20, has a fair amount of thin privilege that means she buys most of her clothes at M&S, BHS, Wallis, even places like River Island sometimes) and was whingeing at the fact that Evans has gone. We had a wander round the market, though, looking for material stalls, which is what Barnsley market used to be known for. We found just two material stalls. But we also found THREE plus-sized clothes stalls. 

The first one was located right down the bottom of the outdoor market, and the stallholder told us he is only there Tuesdays and Fridays. His stock was all ex-Evans, ex-Ann Harvey, ex-Tesco, and so on, and for prices starting from just £5. I got two tops - one Ann Harvey (which surely would have cost at least £40 in store) and one Evans. My mum got a blue denim skirt which she’s been after for ages. All for the princely sum of £17. 

The second and third stalls I didn’t look at much, but one was inside and one was out, nearest the town centre. From what I saw, they were selling some of the brands that I’ve seen on the Yours website, for slightly lower prices. There was a great stripy skater dress for £9.99, but I couldn’t justify it. 

If you do go into Barnsley and fancy a shopping friend, let me know and I will definitely come along :) 

This is a photo of me standing outside my back door, I’m wearing a brightly coloured top from Evans, a black denim skirt from Marisota, and blue denim Dr Marten dolly shoes. 

This is a photo of me standing in front of my mum’s garage yesterday afternoon. I’m wearing that New Look Inspire stripy dress that I’m convinced looks good on everyone, lace tights from Yours clothing, and my shrug is from Simply Be. Make up is by Urban Decay. 

sleepydumpling:

bilt2tumble:

fatseux:

<3

Heeellllloooo Kitty!!

Always gets a reblog from me.

I love this. This looks like my body so much. I look at this person and zie is beautiful - therefore my body is beautiful too. 

kimyadawson:

My friend Amber wrote this. It is important.

David Hockney ~ Life Is A Killer

I saw this picture on the Guardian yesterday and was struck by it. Firstly, it’s true, life is a killer, it’s a terminal disease, eventually everyone will die. No one survives it. 

Secondly, I have often thought of the similarities between the anti-smoking lobby and the anti-fat lobby, and between smokers and fat people. (Not, of course, that fat people can’t be smokers, and vice versa, and fat haters may be smokers, and so on and so forth). Of course there are lots of differences - it’s a choice to smoke, whereas body type isn’t a choice, and it is possible to live without cigarettes, but it isn’t possible to live without food. It isn’t an equal analogy and I’m not suggesting it should be considered a perfect one, but it does deserve thinking about. 

Fat haters and smoking haters seem to have one thing in common though, in that they seem to have nothing better to do than involve themselves in things that really don’t concern them. I don’t care if you smoke or not, especially since the smoking ban in the UK (in workplaces) means that, for instance, bar staff aren’t exposed to 2nd-hand smoke. I also expect you to leave me the hell alone about my body and what I do to it. I don’t smoke, but I don’t wish to judge those who do. Like fatness, there might be a million reasons why someone smokes. If they’re not volunteering those reasons, then they’re really nothing to do with you. 

It isn’t your business. I’m with Hockney on that. Pfft to the bossy boots. 

In the Lush sale after Christmas I bought a few bits, but it’s the Silky Underwear dusting powder that I want to focus on today. I am allergic to regular talcum powder, it’s possibly the talc (magnesium silicate) itself, or it could be something they put in it. Either way, I stopped using it a long time ago. But Lush’s dusting powders don’t contain talc, so I thought I’d give it a go. 

Firstly the smell. It smells of jasmine and cocoa butter and slightly of vanilla. It’s YUMMY. It’s good enough to eat. It melts into the skin and lasts most of the day.

Secondly, that cocoa butter. Apparently it’s grated in. I’m not a big fan of cocoa butter because it leaves me feeling sticky. But in this it’s so fine that I love it, it’s part of the silky feeling. 

Thirdly, this is absolutely fabulous all over my body. I’ve been using it after every shower for weeks and it prevents stickiness and sweat, and chafing. I absolutely love it for this. If you suffer from chafing do try this out. 

I will definitely be buying some more when this tub runs out, although I don’t think that will be for a while because there’s tons :) 

fattyunbound:

Awesome fat people of Yorkshire (and surrounding counties, or those willing to travel!): I’m helping to organise another fat clothes swap in Leeds!

It’s going to be in Wharf Chambers (formerly the Common Place) on Sunday 25th March. Bring clothes you don’t want (in reasonable condition), and swap them for clothes you do want!

It’s a body positive, queer friendly event, and we welcome both masculine and feminine clothing. There’ll be tea and cake for sale at the venue, as well as a zines and reading corner (including my zine, which I’m just awaiting back from the printers!). We’re also bringing our sewing machines along for crafting time, advice, and general fat sewing tomfoolery.

Click through to get to the facebook event. Even if you can’t make it, please do invite anyone who might be interested.

Reblogs and any links are appreciated! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me.