Marilyn Wann
Marilyn Wann (born 1966) is an American author and an activist in the Fat acceptance movement. She lives in San Francisco, California, and identifies herself as a member of the "fat pride" community. “Basically,” she says, “we want to be treated with respect, the same as everyone else.”[1]
At 5'4" and about 285 pounds, she proudly identifies as a fat person. With her magazine Fat!So?, first released in summer of 1994, and the publication of a book of the same name in 1998, she has played a role in trying to convince the public that fat people deserve equal opportunity in society, regardless of size. She has served on the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) board; has swum with the Padded Lilies fat synchronized swim team; has performed with Big Moves modern ensemble and its hiphop troupe the Phat Fly Girls; and has done street actions with the Bod Squad fat pride cheerleaders. She promotes the idea that it is possible to be "fat and fit."[2]
Wann attended Stanford University, earning a bachelor's degree in linguistics and a master's degree in modern thought and literature. As an undergraduate she wrote for the Stanford Daily. About five years after graduation she was roused to activism after being denied health insurance due to her weight.[3] She began to speak up for overweight people and created a "sassy, hard-to-overlook ’zine, which instantly took off."[2]
Wann became a go-to source for opinions on the Fat Liberation movement. She has continued her activism with the creation of items such as the Yay! Scale (gives you compliments instead of a number),[4] speeches at multiple conferences and symposia as well as continued involvement with the online 'fatosphere'. She has appeared on national media like ABC,[5] CBS,[6] and CNN.[7]
Her book Fat!So? Because You Don't Have to Apologize for Your Size was published in 1999.[8] She writes of inequalities suffered by fat people in health care and health insurance, earning potential, and antifat mentality by some companies. The crux of the issue is summed up by the Fat!so? Manifesto:
So there's nothing wrong with being fat. Just like there's nothing wrong with being short or tall, or black or brown. These are facts of identity that cannot and should not be changed. They are birthright. They're beyond aesthetics. They provide the diversity we need to survive.
In 2007, Wann interviewed Leonard Nimoy of Star Trek fame, about his work in photography of nude fat models.[9] She participated in a lecture series given at the University of Oklahoma on "Food, Culture & Society" in November 2007. In addition to her scheduled lecture, Marilyn Wann took time to decorate bathroom scales with students in order to promote the idea that one's weight at any size should be celebrated.
[edit] References
- ^ Heavier Americans Push Back on Health Debate, New York Times, November 7, 2009
- ^ a b Living Large: Marilyn Wann is fat. Got a problem with that?, Stanford Alumni Magazine, July–August 2003
- ^ Fat-pride instigator is battling against weight discrimination, Deseret News, February 20, 2006
- ^ Fat! Fit? Fabulous, East Bay Express, September 13, 2006
- ^ Fat Lash, ABC, October 19, 2004
- ^ Flap over "Fat Fliers", CBS News, May 27, 2009
- ^ Size discrimination laws: Weighing pros, cons, Crossfire, CNN, May 9, 2002
- ^ Book review, Newsday, April 6, 1999
- ^ Full On with Leonard Nimoy, Smith MagazineDecember 1, 2007
