


Fat Joy Jubilee
Unapologetic, on-purpose, right-now, fat community.
Each of us relaxed into that first evening together, all navigating the expected dance of self-revelation and self-protection: will I be welcomed as myself here? Before dinner was finished, we had begun a rapport that would take on deeper and more complex layers as the days went on.
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Though this comfort and connection is exactly what we had all signed up in hopes of finding, a few of us were bemused to notice an uncanny sense of familiarity. For most, the retreat was a first time seeking out fat community, so how could this sense of belonging when gathered with other fat folks feel so familiar?
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Uncanny: when an experience bears all the hallmarks of something well-known, but with a twist so foundational that the familiarity is corrupted (definition decidedly mine).
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As such things tend to do, the understanding dawned on us slowly, and then all at once. Yes, this was our first intentional gathering for the purpose of fat joy. But for many of us, it was not actually the first time we found ourselves in the powerful company of other amazing fat people at all. ​We had known this bond, this togetherness before, but on very different terms.
The key difference, the core, uncanny distinction: in those past settings the warmth and connection was not based on our shared recognition of our dignity as fat people, but on a shared hope that one day we'd each earn dignity by no longer being fat people.
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If you, too, were dragged to hushed meetings where your weight was equated with your health, and your health was equated with your value, then we want to say first of all: we're so sorry.
It's ok to drop the fatphobia baton that your parent passed you, even while they hung on to their own, just as their previous generation had. It's ok to feel the depth of frustration that comes with remembering all the times you dragged yourself to the next meeting, diet, strategy or "lifestyle change." It's ok to grieve the time and energy you spent on a project that was always rigged against you. It's ok - essential - to lift up your eyes and take stock of the ways that the world will be better because you are choosing the work of liberation.
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We hope to see you soon. Let's build a new foundation for what it means to honor and support one another. There are a thousand other ways that might be right for you to continue exploring body liberation, but these weekends spent in on-purpose, right-now, unapologetic fat community are a treasured space that it is our privilege to co-create with you.
Celebrate Fat Joy.


Ditch Diet Culture Bullsh*t.
Cultivate Community.

Participants Reflect on the Best of Their FJJ Retreat
"A safe space
to be myself unapologetically."
"...It was fun reflecting on what we all appreciated about each other and hearing what others noticed about me."
"Bonding with
each other."
“Being among community and making friends! There were so many moments of joy [...]"