Written by: Ieva Miltina

Fat liberation can feel abstract when you only encounter it in books and online. For me, it became very real the moment I walked into FatCon. It showed me how liberation is celebrated and how it looks like when it is lived, not just imagined. This is the first article in a series “A Latvian in Fatcon: an intensive crash course in fat liberation”.

My journey

I am a Latvian fat activist and my journey with fat liberation started just a couple of years ago. This says a lot about the structure of this article. Firstly, Latvia is a country where a vacuum of knowledge and initiatives for bigger bodies exists. Namely, me, who has been fat for all of my life, had no possibility for finding spaces that would bring awareness about my body NOT being something to be ashamed of, or connecting with other fellow fatties that are authentically free in their bodies and live fulfilled lives. On top of other intrinsic motivations, these were some of the reasons why my passion ignited the moment I realized that I will devote my whole self to advancing fat acceptance and liberation.

On my journey towards a strategic development of fat lib basics in Latvian, I quickly realized that before starting anything, I should myself learn and understand the movement better. I saw repeated empowering narratives while reading books and following influencers online. I did learn a lot about the theory and principles of this movement this way, but there was something I could not fully grasp. Having never experienced the effects of fat community in my body and soul, I knew I would never be able to completely understand the full spectrum of beauty that fat liberation could give to somebody.

About FatCon

On a mission to immerse myself in the fat community, I arrived in Phoenix to intern with NAAFA, and was fortunate to be invited to join the team for a weekend at FatCon. A weekend of concentrated celebration of fatness, complexity thereof and wealth of knowledge I could not have imagined gaining beforehand. For those who do not know, FatCon is one of the world’s leading conventions around fat activism. While there are others that are more academically geared, or discuss weight stigma from other angles, I perceived that this one is spearheading the community aspect of fat lib. If you wish to find out more about the contents of this year’s edition (or bring yourself to the next one, wink wink), have a look at their social media. Or read on – you will learn about some of it in this article series.

Now, when I have returned to my daily routines, the impact of this intensive weekend still unravels itself, and it seemed appropriate to note my impressions, conclusions and ruminations about all that fabulousness from the perspective of a person “with a fresh eye”. I met many people for whom this was the third year attending, and I have no doubt it was fun and meaningful for them. But what did it mean for me, a person who had never experienced a fat pool party, or fat fashion show? What did it mean to be in a place with as many fat people as I had never seen in one room before?

I tried to wrap all of that under an umbrella of “what I learned about fat lib” from this event. To have it documented for years to come when I will have learned more, to gently remind fat lib elders about the impact of their work and to raise awareness among other fat lib babies like me. So what did I learn?

Liberation is… the freedom to be yourself.

It might sound too obvious, but it doesn’t really get to you until you spend three days with other 350 or so fatties. We are so used to seeing two common portrayals of fat people – either detached and traumatized, or the proud fatty in a bikini explicitly claiming their rights. I know this is an exaggeration, and social media portrays a much more diverse picture, but you get the point of what I am saying. At least that is how I mostly felt before FatCon.

Fast forward a few days later, what I left with was a profound acknowledgement of the diversity of human existence in fat bodies. Mothers and daughters, athletes, sex workers, scientists, priests, artists, teachers…and more. Fat professionals, advocates, activists, allies and those who are curious about fat liberation. Gentle souls and introverts alongside those who sometimes need to put a shoe in their mouth. All gathered in one place enjoying the time and space to exist authentically, or at least having a careful go at it while exploring what that means for them.

It was an exemplary “you can hear a hundred times and not truly understand something until you experience it yourself” situation! This is how FatCon showed me why fat lib and the never ceasing fight for representation is so very crucial. Only by seeing all of that in real life, as stupidly obvious as it sounds, I learned that fat people are as diverse as humanity itself! And what a blessing it was to experience this and be immersed in a reality where we all can be ourselves, and come together in strength for a bigger cause without minimizing our natural light.

[Keep posted – Part 2 of series will soon be available in our blog!]

Concluding this, I wish to express my gratitude for this opportunity – to the professional internship program at BAFF for bringing me to the US, to NAAFA for inviting and supporting me throughout this event, and to FatCon for the joy and source of revelations for the time to come.

Photos from collection of Ieva Miltina