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Title (as given to the record by the creator): Survey: What do you do to promote positive feelings about your body?
Date(s) of creation: Issue 5: April 1996
Creator / author / publisher:  FaT GiRL
Physical description:  two zine pages with three columns of text and two small ads
Reference #: FG5-056-057-Survey
Links:  [ PDF ]

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What do you do to promote positive feelings about your body?

I try to fuck as much as I can. I find the more body-to-body contact I have, the more “aware” of my body I become, and the more confidence I have in “living in” my body. Those are two problems I always want to overcome. 

Surround myself with positive images, do yoga, wear fun clothes, pamper myself with candlelight baths, exercise, dance! 

Buy nice, flattering clothes when I find them. Exercise. Masturbate. Touch my body all over. Swim, especially in natural bodies of water. Cook and eat healthy meals. Not diet. 

I think nice things, deny myself little, open my heart to myself and have multiple orgasms. 

Eat healthfully most of the time, but not afraid to splurge at others. Exercise. Not try and disguise my size in the clothing I wear. 

When Bible ladies offer weight-loss advice, I say, “I’m ready for the famine of Armageddon!” 

When snobby skinny girls say, “I’m so fat!” and look at me, I say, “Yes you are!” and pinch at an imaginary piece of flab on their arms. “You really should work out more, girl!” Obviously, I have fun with my size, with my life, with my breasts and thighs and big swinging butt. 

I just happen to like myself, so I am positive without actively promoting it. 

Write love poems to myself/my body, buy pretty things to adorn it with, treat it well, take it dancing and swimming, feed it when it’s hungry. 

I smile at myself a lot, I feed myself well, I work out, I wear interesting jewelry and am liberal with that budget! I refuse to wear clothes that don’t fit right or are constricting. 

Run around naked. 

Just being me in all my big goofy bulldagging ways. Also, when I’m given a compliment I say “thank you” and not duck and deny myself the stroke. 

I fight back. I refuse to apologize and I eat what I want and enjoy it without guilt. 

I wear what I want; things that feel comfortable and look like me. I listen to compliments when I get them  (ie-I try to ignore all the old tapes in my head that tell me bullshit). 

I don’t stand on scales. I don’t “watch my weight.” I hang with people who like me the way I am, who would never suggest I change anything about me. 

I love myself and give myself great pleasure, whether or not I currently have a lover. I let myself wear whatever feels great on me. Because I have mild diabetes I stopped eating sugar a couple of years ago-my energy level changed quite a bit and now I have pretty good, even energy all day long (this is a major good feeling thing). And I walk two miles to work every day, which keeps me energized too. Neither thing has caused weight loss, that’s not why I do them, but they do keep me aware of my body and how great I’m feeling, which helps me have positive feelings about my body in general. 

Wear tight clothes, show off what I have and who I am. 

I put myself out there as a flirtatious, hot, sexually-active, FAT woman. I make myself resist the urge to pretend I’m thin while I’m doing this. I avoid people who tell me (or whom I suspect believe) that my having a fat body has absolutely nothing to do with my being attractive. I do erotic things with food, and sometimes I’m aware that it’s because I want to demand that people-including myself- see fat women EATING as being very sexy. I try my best to surround myself with people who validate me-who like me for me, but who also find my body attractive (whether or not they lust after me). I nurture and love and wholeheartedly support other fat femmes. I treat them the way I believe we should be treated. 

I fuck fat women. 

Take care of my physical self: eat, sleep and fuck well. Hang with others who are positive about my body and their own, whatever their size. 

Eat, sleep and fuck well Do yoga Take no prisoners! 

Talk to my honey, go for hikes and walks, work in the garden.

Hang around with people who like me for me and not for what I look like. Nothing boosts self-esteem like being truly liked for being you. 

Read FaT GiRL! Read fat-positive things. Learn about fat oppression/ liberation. 

Bathe. Buy really cute clothes. Hang out with people who tell me how cute I am – and believe them. 

Be myself, not exhibit stereotypic behavior. 

I just enjoy myself. When I walk the Bay to Breakers or climb the hills of SF, I put out nothing but positive! 

Dress in a way that I feel makes me look attractive. Do physical things that feel good, such as being outdoors getting exercise. Keep a regular connection with the size­ acceptance community via reading (Rump Parliament, NAAFA, Radiance, various books), and talking to people on the net and in person, who are size-positive or size activists. Being involved in the community, attending gatherings, having friends there, etc. Hanging out in a hot tub with a bunch of naked fat women! All these things allow me to experience myself as sexy and attractive. 

Make or buy and wear bright, beautiful clothing or daring, sexy clothing. Use fragranced, quality body-care products. Eat food I like when I want, masturbate, hang out with other fat women, get tattoo. 

Wear short skirts, low shirts, act sexy! (It works!) Seek out fat friendly compulsive complimenters. 

Just being me in all my big goofy buIldagging ways. 

Read defensively (newspapers, billboards, beauty magazines, novels & comics). Live a physi­cally, hedonistically sensual life. 

The more I can get in touch with my body the more I can love it. 

I do this by going to the gym, using sauna, whirlpool, getting massages, going for walks/hikes and camping, masturbating, dancing, fucking, and eating/shitting well. 

Take no prisoners. I’m out and proud. I don’t make excuses for my size. 

Remind myself I am strong, healthy, competent. 

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