This topic was requested by my sister. If you want to know my thoughts on a topic, reply to this or any email OR email me @ kiddotrue at gmail dot com.

I’ll start by summarizing the plot for the three people who aren’t chronically online. Content creator and body positive advocate Samyra posited the idea that Cheesecake Factory’s “Skinnylicious” menu is fatphobic.

Honestly? This one’s gonna be short. Of course I fucking agree with her. I generally stand ten toes down with anything Samyra says. And maybe that’s what this particular email is really about. As the desire to engage in behaviors that food jail was supposed to stamp out continues to grow, I need to reaffirm to myself and the world what I believe.

I believe that fat people are people; people who are owed love, respect and not-having-strangers-meddling-in-their-business-liciousness. I believe that fat people are routinely discriminated against in nearly every facet of life and that this discrimination is sanctioned by mainstream society, popular culture and complex systems of other types of oppression. Fat people are denied access to clothing, representation in media, economic advancement, medical treatment and general equality.

If this seems corny or uncool? FINE. If this seems like a line in the sand? IT IS.

My time spent in the cybertrenches of fat advocacy work though social media, writing and a podcast proved to me how the public perceives fat people as unworthy of being treated with basic respect. From being called out my name (my top 3? 1. Mayo-barge 2. Landwhale 3. Being the owner of a chicken nugget gun that I used to shoot (what else???) chicken nuggets) to being told to end my life for daring to have the backbone to say something? Shit’s real. This combined with the experience of temporarily being in a smaller body and having the opportunity to compare how I was treated as a size M/L vs a 1X/2X? Shit went down.

A note on Samyra: If I’m being honest, I was initially annoyed by her presence. She received a fair amount of acceptance in places where I was met with rejection for the same ideas, even from my own community at times. I can admit, my jealousy was misguided. While many see her singular message and tactics as an issue, I applaud her devotion to the cause. She’s talented, beautiful, Harvard-educated and from New Orleans. What’s not to like? But even if those things weren’t true, she’d still be a winner in my book.

P.S. I have a song for that! Not just one! Let’s do a double feature! 1. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others by The Smiths. 2. The Largest by BigXthaPlug.