Fat Femme Mafia

The Fat Femme Mafia is a duo of fat activists from Toronto. They're pretty rad.

Body politics:A Big fat revolution

"Fat activism is about creating awareness around fat issues by fat bodies as visible as possible -- on dancefloors, stages, streets, wherever,"says Chelsey Lichtman, self-proclaimed "fat ass extraordinaire," and one half of
the mouthy and marvelous Fat Femme Mafia (FFM).

"Our action is rooted
around claiming the space we know our fat bodies deserve," says the 23-year-old."Creating awareness around fat bodies combats stereotypes -- for example, that
fat isn't sexy or healthy. Mass media has brainwashed us into thinking fatpeople should hide behind lots of clothing or in their bedrooms, thir kitchens... so my activism also includes the little things, like walking with my gut or my ass crack hanging out। Because even now when my mom sees that,she tells me to pull up my pants or pull down my shirt."

"It's about going to the gym with all the skinny kids and not feeling
ashamed," explains Liz Brockest, 22, who shares the FFM crown with Lichtman.
"Proving that yes, despite our fat, we, too, can do 10 pushups in a row. While
skinny people are allowed to exercise just to feel healthy, there's an
assumption that if you're fat and working out, your intention is to lose weight.
Lots of myths surround fat bodies and part of our intention is to live our lives
in a way that challenges those stereotypes."

"The Fat Femme Mafia is a revolution -- a big fat one," says Brockest.
"It's a performance troupe and a daily action -- one that makes our bodies a
point of political discussion."

http://www.xtra.ca/public/Toronto/Body_politics_A_Big_fat_revolution-1361.aspx

http://profiles.friendster.com/fatfm

http://www.myspace.com/fatfemmemafia