Jes Baker’s #FatGirlsCan Movement Is A Call To Arms For Women Who Have Been Bullied For Their Bodies

You don’t have to be any particular size, shape, weight, age or color to know that being bullied for your body is wrong and downright offensive. Who gives anyone else the right to tell you you aren’t “normal” or beautiful for the way you are right now? Why should someone else be allowed to judge you based solely on your appearance? It sounds like an outrageous act, unfortunately it has been happening for a very long time.

Women being judge on their physical appearance is nothing new, in fact it is normal for us as part of the female species to feel as if we need to fall in line or conform to some sort of systemic standard created not to help us, but to damage us ever further all while emptying out bank accounts.

Since we’re now a little wise to that consumerist scheme, how do we effectively dismantle all the harmful messages that have wreaked havoc on our self esteem for years and years? Thankfully we live in the digital age which means everyday people have the power to be influencers and impact lots of people. We’re talking about bloggers, writers, vloggers, activists and so forth.

One of our all-time fave body positive activists and bloggers is Jes Baker, from The Militant Baker. Her in-your-face photo series’ and campaigns which aim to flip the script on body image are so brilliant and they have been a source of confidence in a world where it can be hard to find support sometimes on this issue.

Jes regularly speaks at events sharing her powerful messages about body love and self-esteem, so it is no surprise to us that she has just released a book telling women and girls how to embrace their bodies. ‘Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls : A Handbook For Unapologetic Living‘ was released on October 27 and is a call to arms for people of all sizes and ages to embrace a body-positive worldview, changing perceptions about weight, and making mental health a priority.

It is an invitation to reject fat prejudice, fight body-shaming at the hands of the media and change the way we view body image simply by starting with loving yourself. There is a saying that has become a popular meme on social media: “in a society that profits from your self-doubt, liking yourself is a rebellious act”. In a nutshell, Jes Baker’s new book and her entire movement is about helping us become better rebels.

In conjunction with her book’s release, she started a social media movement using the hashtag #FatGirlsCan in order to debunk myths that in order to successful or do anything well in society, you need to be of a certain size.

In a trailer video for the book, we hear Jes’ voice telling us that fat should not be some sort of damning word, but that it should simply be a description word.

“It’s time to remind ourselves that fat is not a bad word. That’s it’s an adjective, it’s a benign descriptor of size. Saying ‘I’m fat’ is and should be the same as saying ‘my shoes are black’, ‘the clouds are fluffy’, and ‘Bob Saget is tall’. But that’s not what we’re told. We’re told it’s the worst size we can be. We’re told that this size negates our value as a person. We’re told that until we become ‘un-fat’ we can’t experience the life we want. We are told that if we are fat, we can’t. But we can,” she says in the video below.

To further her point that #fatgirlscan, we get to see women doing yoga, pole-dancing, wearing horizontal stripes, running a marathon, dancing, and being active in a way that society likes to tell us is impossible if you are of a certain size above the norms.

It is a timely message and an important reminder to love your body the way it is. It’s not about judging someone and assessing their health simply based on their appearance. We have no idea what journey a person is on just from looking on the outside. We don’t get to tell someone that they need to be miserable and hate themselves in order to find happiness in a certain size or weight.

Just because someone happens to be size 22 and is happy and confident does not mean we immediately need to get out our measuring sticks and start preparing a sermon in order to help “fix” them.

We highly encourage all the women out there who have struggled with body confidence to buy a copy of Jes’ book and become part of a growing movement that seeks to find true happiness through acceptance and support.

“This is for every person with a body, who is tired of being shamed and told to shape up or slim down, camouflage, alter against their will, or make apologies for their appearance. And this is for all the fat girls who have no idea they are perfect just the way they are,” says Jes in the video.

Wouldn’t it be great to live in a world where fat-shaming someone is considered taboo, and being supportive and encouraging is the norm, both in society and the media? We don’t have to imagine, it can start right now with each of us making conscious decisions to change the world simply by shifting our attitudes and perspectives on body image.

We encourage you to share your message of positivity and empowerment using the hashtag #FatGirlsCan to break down stigma. Thank you Jes Baker and to all the men and women who are leading the charge toward a more inclusive world.