‘Fat Babes CT': How one group in Connecticut is spreading body love and liberation
A social group, Fat Babes CT, is taking action to let bigger people know that being fat is okay.
Megan Pitchard, founder of Fat Babes CT, said she wanted a space where “other fat people could just be surrounded by other fat people who are not judging them.”
“I started to look around the world, at my life and think ‘Why the hell am I doing this? Why do I actually hate myself? Why do I actually think it’s bad to be fat?’” Pitchard explained. “This belief isn’t actually mine; it’s baked, wired, drilled so deep into society that we take it on and just know it to be fact.”
Pitchard said her founding of the group came as a response to diet culture and the popularity of weight loss drugs. The inspiration to start this group came after Pitchard learned about body liberation.
Pitchard said it’s different from just body positivity, which promotes that all body types are accepted.
“Fat liberation is really about reducing systemic access barriers such as airplane seats, seating, and movie theaters. Everything that’s seeped into our society,” Prichard explained.
She detailed how she recently went to a department store at a mall and saw they took out their plus-size section.
“Fat is an insult that’s used to put each other down,” Prichard said. “But if we start using it as a neutral, descriptive term like short, tall, eye color, hair color, suddenly it doesn’t carry the same power it did. I would hope, and I think that in our society, fat people are beautiful.”
The group hosts events like painting sessions and pool parties. A pool party is taking place this Sunday, while next month the group plans to head to the beach for their trip.
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