Some Thoughts on the Fatkini:
Fat-activists have lost True North when it comes to advocating for plus size women.
A few years ago, the cover story on my Mount Holyoke alumna news magazine was about Gabi Gregg, alumna, designer, and activist who had taken on fat-hating and shaming culture with a vengeance. Gabi is the brainchild behind the Fatkini, a two-piece bathing suit circa 1940’s style that she has fashioned specifically for full-figured women. Photos on the site make the grade for eye-candy: big beautiful gals in brightly colored bikinis, being served umbrella drinks by handsome, Muscle-Beach pool boys. But on closer inspection, it was clear by the cut of the garment, that one lap or dive into the water would likely loosen the top, turn large breasts into flotation devices, and leave a graphic and lasting memory in the minds of anyone present. The Fatkini is not really for swimming: the Fatkini is for drawing people’s attention to the woman wearing it.
The more I considered what Gabi had designed the more I believed she had missed out on a great opportunity to develop sassy swimwear that is more about encouraging plus-size women to swim than it is about making a big style splash. This thought led to further ponderance about what weight-limit I have when it comes to body-size acceptance and healthy living.
Most of my life I was a plus-size gal. Illness changed all this for me and I know wear a size 10-12. I lived pretty comfortably in my plus-size body and sometimes I actually miss taking up more space in the world. But truth be told, I chose clothes that concealed my size and which allowed me to pursue being active. The Fatkini does neither.
Fatness and fitness are not mutually exclusive states. However, many large women are reticent to exercise because they feel self-conscious and contemporary fat-activists shun the concept as they see it as cloaked suggestion towards weight loss and therefore slanderous towards fat people. The fact is that when we care for the muscular system through strategic and vigorous taxation, we strengthen every other system in the body. Well-developed muscles accentuate women’s natural curves and speak to a commitment to healthy living. In my twenties, I was a competitive power lifter and still regularly do resistance training. I also walk and hike for long periods on an almost daily basis. But beauty and strength aside, as an experienced medical practitioner I know plenty about the deleterious effects of weak muscles and the impacts of carrying significant amounts of excess weight over a lifetime.
When we’re in our 20’s, 30’s, and early 40’s we can usually escape the impact of less than optimal dietary and exercise habits. But once you clear middle-age, this is often no longer the case. The Gabi’s of the world who are doing their ardent best to bust-up fat-hating culture and change our definitions of beauty need to keep this in mind. And, they need to be better informed about the relationship between excess weight and health issues. While fat isn’t always a causal factor it is often an exacerbating one when it comes to illness.
Those that proclaim that one can be healthy at any weight are misinformed and likely not in the older adults age category. While Big can be Beautiful, Fat can be Fit, and being thin doesn’t always translate into being healthy, there really are limits on how heavy people can be before they start pissing off their vital organs, joints, and vasculature. There is a new generation of fat-activists who seem to have lost True North in proclaiming that any size body can be a health one.
Gabi would have been more successful addressing the politics of fat-hating and body acceptance had she created beautiful, plus-size swimwear with athleticism in mind. Keep the handsome pool boys but get honest and real. Being physically active requires the right clothing and a Fatkini isn’t it.
Copyright E. Resh, 2021