A brief statement on my involvement with the documentary
This kind of stinks that this is one of my first blog posts on my new site. It’s not even complete yet. But, here goes.
While I was originally excited to contribute to the Fat-Topia documentary, nearly a year ago, I was completely and utterly unprepared at that time, to answer the questions asked of me for this film. “Fat Acceptance” stems from “Body Positivity” which has deep roots that date back to the late 1960s and was very heavily initiated and supported by women of color. This is the reason that white males will truly never understand the movement. As people began saying this to me, I did my best to research and ask questions, ultimately writing less about it and supporting more, as I could. But, a year ago, I didn’t have that knowledge. Had I, I likely wouldn’t have participated.
Unfortunately, what I saw was a young man who was outside of the community, trying to tell a story. I thought I saw some similarities in us both being cisgender white straight sized males, and I was not correct in the amount of similarities. In the approximate year or so of the film’s production, I have tried to make myself an even better student of “Fat Acceptance,” learning why it really is not my story to discuss, either. This is why I write less on the Bold Magazine site and try to partner with other writers, more. And, to be honest, I hadn’t heard from the director in quite some time, so I assumed that the project, like many others all over the world, had fallen and failed. But, it did not and the film is unfortunately pretty offensive. For that reason, I have written a pseudo-review of the film on www.boldzine.com, discussing his missteps (and yes I understand the irony of me writing it, but I felt it was important to discuss). Whether Simpson had bad intentions is just uneducated, I do not agree with the notions expressed in Fat-Topia and were unaware of the conflicts he had had with “Fat Acceptance” activists in the community.
I hope that you do see the film if you can, only because it’s important to know what is out there. I do understand that that means supporting the film with your money. But, I think it’s important to note what people are saying so that we can correct it, together. And, I completely understand if you’d rather hear recaps instead of giving the director more screen views so that he earns revenue.
I do hold myself accountable for being involved with this documentary. I can only hope that this is a moment of learning for all and that some new directors can tell a better version of the story. Unfortunately, non-marginalized males really need to be much more aware of their privilege as they navigate 2019 and beyond. This is something I continuously try to keep in check and I hope the director considers it, as well.
While this was not a good representation of “Fat Acceptance,” there are better historical blogs and videos. If you’re interested in sharing your “Fat Acceptance” history or blog post, I’d be happy to share it on www.boldzine.com. Just please let me know how you’d like it shared, etc.