Use your (relative) power.

This can take many forms, depending on what positions of power and privilege you have.

-At work, advocate for body size inclusion in graphics, marketing, user testing, and hiring practices. For example, if you’re a marketing director at work, ensure that various body types (including fat bodies) be included in images.

-If you’re helping plan an event that will have merchandise or swag, work with vendors that offer extended sizes.

-If you are witness to an incident where a person in a larger body is being treated poorly, step in if you are comfortable. 

 Take on the emotional weight of sensitive asks.

If you’ve never lived in a larger body, you might not be aware of just how often body size plays a role in our lives - choosing seating at a restaurant, finding clothing that fits, joining in on activities like kayaking, horseback riding, or rock climbing. Even if you’ve never thought about the weight limit on a roller coaster, I guarantee your fat friends have. You can help lessen the emotional weight on your friends by stepping into our shoes and thinking about the barriers we might face and if any accommodations are available.  

Some ideas: 

-Calling ahead to find out if there are weight or body size limits for the activity you plan to do

-Asking a server for stronger chairs/chairs with no arms for your table

-Requesting a table instead of a booth at a restaurant

 Shop brands and companies that provide inclusive sizing. 

One easy way to think of this is to ask yourself “If I needed a size or two bigger, could I find it at this shop/from this brand?”

If the answer is no, don’t shop there. Choose instead to spend your money with another brand that does carry more inclusive sizing. You can your allyship further by communicating and providing feedback to brands that you want larger sizes. In doing this work, we often hear from companies that they don’t make larger sizes because they don’t hear the demand for it- help us make the demand known. 

For ideas of brands that are already providing Size Inclusive options, check out our list here.