What started as a rather offhanded “Oh, I should draw nothing but fat ladies for a week,” turned into “Can I join Fat Lady Art Week? When is it? What are the rules?” So I gather that people are pretty excited about this. Good!
Because it has generated so much interest, I have decided to make a Tumblr dedicated solely to fat people art, aptly named Fat People Art. Submissions are open, so when FPAW starts, you can submit them all to that Tumblr and it’ll share your beautiful art with everybody else participating. And it’ll continue to be a showcase for fat people art long after FPAW is done. (It’s also reblogging any fat art we come across. So if you’re a fan, I suggest following it for more than just FPAW.)
But as for the event itself, it’s fairly open-ended. For one week, create and share as many fat people arts as you can. The goal is one per day, but not everyone works that fast, so just do as many as you can. You don’t have to be a great artist, either! Just draw, paint, sculpt, snap (or whatever method you use to make art) some fat people, and post it. Even if you don’t want to post it to the FPA blog, post it in your own.
Why have FPAW? Why make a point to make art depicting fat people? Because there isn’t enough of it! It’s an important self-esteem boost to see people like yourself depicted in the media you consume, and much of today’s art world is either depictions of skinny folks, or fat folks as a sideshow or a gimmick. FPAW is to help normalize fat, to show that fat art is good art, and fat people are beautiful people. If anything, it’s to show something different than what we usually see when we view art.
But… Fat Lady Art Week had the best acronym ever.
I don’t see how naming something ‘fat people art week’ is going to give overweights any self esteem..
Because “fat” isn’t a dirty word. Calling someone “overweight” is actually worse, implying that there is a “normal” weight and they are above it, they are abnormal. By accepting that people are fat, and not shying away from the word fat, it helps to normalize the experience for them. The same way LGBT people (or any sort of minorities) can feel more comfortable with themselves when they see themselves reflected in media, so do fat people, and there’s not enough of them being portrayed. FPAW was created to show that artistic beauty comes in all shapes and sizes.
It’s going pretty well. It’s been growing rapidly and has the support of several fat positive blogs.
I heartily support Fat People Art Week and am just sorry that I missed it. I would have loved to submit something.
Also, Udyr, I’m fat. I don’t mind saying it. I’m fat and I’m actually fine with that. It doesn’t give me any issues with my self esteem. Sure I’d like to be in better shape but I actually like the way I look. Just remember that a word only has the power we give to it. I don’t think of fat a a negative word so it’s not.
Oh how I wish I knew about this sooner. Thank you so much for saying what I’ve been trying to say, and believe for myself. I wish there were more people like you, hell I wish there was someone like you when I was growing up!
Thankfully though, I do have someone who feels as you do, and well ^^ we are a sappy wonderful if not an odd looking couple ^__^
I LOVE Fat People Art. Thank you for making that and for FPAW, it’s great to see! Also, have you checked out Bridgette’s Belly? I think it’ll be right up your alley.