Please note that our Winter 2024 in-person events will require masks due to the rise in COVID-19 and flu activity within the region. The MCC will provide masks to attendees on site, as needed.
We are constantly inundated with harmful, fatphobic media and messaging that says that fat people should be the butt of the joke, the comedic relief, and a constant reminder of who you DON’T want to look like. Inevitably, this shame and alienation from society can result in negative perceptions of ourselves and have damaging effects on our mental health. What if we were liberated from society’s fatphobic rhetoric? What if we moved towards destigmatizing our experiences as fat, plus-size, chubby, and mid-size individuals? How can we do so in a way that recognizes the ways that race, gender, and sexuality impact fat people?
Join us for a panel, facilitated by Sarahi Perez Aguilar, that will feature assistant Professor Caleb Luna of the Feminist Studies department as we discuss, unpack, and learn about navigating through fatphobia, exercise culture, and activism within the body. This judgment free environment will be a space where the voices of fat people are heard, where stories and experiences about navigating day-to-day fatphobia are shared, where we can listen, learn, and grow with each other.
Speaker Bios:
- Caleb Luna is a writer, performer and award-winning educator and scholar. They are the bestselling author of REVENGE BODY (Nomadic Press, 2022), and co-host of the podcast Unsolicited: Fatties Talk Back. Publishing, performing and curating across genre and medium, Caleb's cultural work reads, responds to and challenges tropes and discourses regarding race, size, sexuality and disability in media and culture. They hold a Ph.D. in Performance Studies from the University of California, Berkeley and are currently an Assistant Professor of Feminist Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
- Sarahi Perez-Aguilar (she/her/ella) is a 5th-year Chicanx Studies and History of Public Policy & Law double major. As a plus-size person, Sarahi never felt like weight or anything body-related was an acceptable topic to discuss. Facilitating this panel, creating a safe environment for others to unpack their own experiences with fatphobia, and being in community means the world to her.
- Luca Yacón
