Big Sexy Chat Podcast

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What if the stigma surrounding fat bodies is itself a health issue?

Chrystal sits down with writer, speaker, patient advocate, and weight-stigma educator Ragen Chastain for a deep conversation about anti-fat bias, healthcare, BMI, medical research, GLP-1 medications, weight-loss culture, racism, and the ways the weight-loss industry shapes the conversation around fat bodies.

We talk about why shame doesn't work, why “everybody knows” isn't evidence, who gets represented in medical research, how BMI became so influential, and what happens when healthcare systems are built around assumptions about fat bodies.

Ragen also talks about her work with Louise Adams on Exposing Obesity Incorporated, a podcast examining the weight-loss industry's influence and messaging.

Most importantly, we talk about what happens when we stop treating fat bodies as problems that need to be fixed.

Your body is not wrong.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Welcome + Ragen Chastain
02:31 Is Anti-Fat Bias Making People Sick?
03:27 Why Shame Doesn't Work
04:52 The Weight-Loss Industry's Playbook
07:22 Exposing Obesity Incorporated
09:04 “Oh Please”
10:14 Industry Influence
11:24 Weight Stigma & Healthcare Inequality
13:20 Repetition & “Common Knowledge”
14:04 Anti-Stigma as Marketing
15:14 Fat Patients & Medical Bias
17:14 Educating Healthcare Providers
19:06 GLP-1s
20:37 Cortisol & Stress
22:15 Racism & Anti-Blackness
23:09 Medical Research & Fat Bodies
24:46 The “150-Pound White Guy” Problem
27:25 “Everybody Knows”
28:36 Is Fatness a Disease?
30:31 Genetics & Weight Regain
31:41 The History of BMI
34:00 The Origins of Weight-Loss Culture
35:08 The Lifelong Disease Narrative
36:07 Moving the Goalposts
38:35 Informed Consent
39:15 Race, BMI & Anti-Fatness
40:30 Fighting Your Body vs. Fighting Stigma
42:20 Weight-Stigma Research & Industry Funding
43:29 Find Ragen
45:16 Catching Up
47:00 Goodbye

Support the show

BigSexyChat.com appreciates you and our community. We do this for you, so if you ever have any ideas about a subject we can discuss for you, email us at [email protected].

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram as BigSexyChat.
Twitter (who knows how long we will stay there) is BigSexyChatPod

Check out our merch at  www.BigSexyTees.com  (credit to Toni Tails for setting this up for us!)

Chrystal also sells sex toys via her website BlissConnection.com and you can use the code BSC20 for 20% off.

Big thanks to our Sponsor Liberator Bedroom Adventures. We ADORE the products from Liberator.  And, to be clear, we all loved their products even before they became a sponsor!

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Airline seats, workplace bias, inaccessible events, and “just lose weight” culture all point to the same truth: anti-fatness is systemic, and it costs people real freedom. We’re joined by Tigress Osborn, executive director of NAAFA (National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance), to talk about what it takes to build a fat liberation movement that actually includes everybody, not just the people with money, mobility, or proximity to big-city community spaces.

We dig into the origins of Fat Liberation Month (created by NAAFA), why it moved to August, and how NAAFA keeps so much of its programming virtual to support accessibility, disability inclusion, and global participation. Tigress shares what’s still on the calendar, including the Making Waves Fat Swim in the Bay Area and the Virtual Fat Splash, because summertime fun should not have a body requirement.

Then we zoom out to the bigger fight: size discrimination and the Campaign for Size Freedom, the fat liberation flag and its evolving design, and why legal protections are still rare in the United States. We also get real about underfunded social justice work, donor programs, volunteering, and why small monthly gifts matter, plus what advocacy can look like when airlines and brands roll back inclusion.

If you care about fat rights, weight stigma, accessibility, and community building, this conversation will give you both history and practical next steps. Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more listeners can find Big Sexy Chat.

Support the show

BigSexyChat.com appreciates you and our community. We do this for you, so if you ever have any ideas about a subject we can discuss for you, email us at [email protected].

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram as BigSexyChat.
Twitter (who knows how long we will stay there) is BigSexyChatPod

Check out our merch at  www.BigSexyTees.com  (credit to Toni Tails for setting this up for us!)

Chrystal also sells sex toys via her website BlissConnection.com and you can use the code BSC20 for 20% off.

Big thanks to our Sponsor Liberator Bedroom Adventures. We ADORE the products from Liberator.  And, to be clear, we all loved their products even before they became a sponsor!

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when you stop waiting for permission to live? This week Crystal sits down with Amber Karnes, longtime body positive yoga teacher turned adventure guide, for a conversation about surfing at 42, hiking Valley of Fire, why liberated fat people are bad for business, and why the ocean, the trail, and the hot spring belong to all of us too.

Amber and Crystal have known each other for over a decade from the fat liberation world, and it shows. This one is warm, funny, and full of business talk, body talk, and travel talk in equal measure.

Guest

Amber Karnes — Founder of Body Positive Yoga, now running adventure retreats centering fat bodies and people left behind by the outdoor industry. Based in Henderson, NV.

• Website: amberkarnes.com
• Instagram: @AmberKarnesOfficial
• YouTube: Amber Karnes
• Email: [email protected]

Support the show

BigSexyChat.com appreciates you and our community. We do this for you, so if you ever have any ideas about a subject we can discuss for you, email us at [email protected].

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram as BigSexyChat.
Twitter (who knows how long we will stay there) is BigSexyChatPod

Check out our merch at  www.BigSexyTees.com  (credit to Toni Tails for setting this up for us!)

Chrystal also sells sex toys via her website BlissConnection.com and you can use the code BSC20 for 20% off.

Big thanks to our Sponsor Liberator Bedroom Adventures. We ADORE the products from Liberator.  And, to be clear, we all loved their products even before they became a sponsor!

Send us Fan Mail

Most pleasure products are designed as if everyone has long arms, effortless flexibility, and a body that never changes. That assumption quietly shuts out fat folks and people with disabilities, then asks us to blame our bodies when the toy is hard to hold, the buttons are impossible to reach, or the “plus-size” gear still snaps under real weight. We wanted a better conversation, so we brought in Marina Hayes, the velvet-robed visionary behind Peridot Robes, to talk about what inclusive design looks like when you actually live in a fat body.

Marina shares how Peridot Robes grew out of needing loungewear that fits, feels sexy, and delivers true luxury in sizes 14 to 40. From there, we connect the dots between ethical manufacturing and product trust, because quality matters even more when you’re buying items you rely on for comfort, confidence, and pleasure. We also get blunt about how big brands “dip a toe” into plus sizes, do it poorly, and walk away, leaving our community with fewer options and lower standards.

Then we move into the bedroom: plus-size sex toys, adaptive sex products, and sex furniture that actually works. We talk reach, ergonomics, and why controls and chargers can make a great toy frustrating fast. Marina previews her upcoming Peridot sex aid, nicknamed “the strap,” built for adjustability, support, and serious strength. We also swap tips on strap-ons, leverage tools like the plus-size doggy sling, accessibility hacks for chronic pain, and why the Liberator wedge sets the bar for durability.

If you’ve ever thought, “This wasn’t made for my body,” you’re not alone, and you’re not asking for too much. Subscribe for more conversations like this, share this with a friend who deserves better options, and leave us a review with the pleasure product you wish existed.

__________________________________________________________

About Marina: 
Marina is living her dream of seeing hot fat babes lounging in luxury.  She’s currently secretly wearing pajamas all over Chicago and going to bed as early as possible.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peridot_robes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peridotrobes

Support the show

BigSexyChat.com appreciates you and our community. We do this for you, so if you ever have any ideas about a subject we can discuss for you, email us at [email protected].

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram as BigSexyChat.
Twitter (who knows how long we will stay there) is BigSexyChatPod

Check out our merch at  www.BigSexyTees.com  (credit to Toni Tails for setting this up for us!)

Chrystal also sells sex toys via her website BlissConnection.com and you can use the code BSC20 for 20% off.

Big thanks to our Sponsor Liberator Bedroom Adventures. We ADORE the products from Liberator.  And, to be clear, we all loved their products even before they became a sponsor!

Send us Fan Mail

The gym can feel like a test you’re doomed to fail, especially when the world treats your body like public property. Chrystal sits down with Roz the Diva, a plus-size Black pole dancer, coach, and lifter, to talk about gym intimidation and why it blocks so many people from even getting started. We get honest about the double bind of being fat in public, and we name the bigger truth: most of us are chasing the same thing in fitness, which is belonging.

Roz shares what she’s learned from working with plus-size clients, queer athletes, disabled athletes, and people navigating anxiety and depression. We dig into pole dancing as a real strength practice, why there’s no magic shortcut for core and upper-body power, and why progress can take longer when you’re moving more bodyweight. She also explains the Static Spinner, a pole add-on with a platform that can make training more accessible and open up new ways to move.

You’ll also hear about Roz’s 305-pound lifting PR, why weight training supports bone density, and why representation in athletics changes lives. We wrap with inclusive fitness gear she actually uses, including Enel sports bras and Tona Active leggings, plus a fun detour into sex positivity and favorite toys that are fat body approved. If you want more Roz, find her at RozTheDiva.com and search Roz the Diva on Instagram, Patreon, Facebook, and Google.

Website: https://RozTheDiva.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rozthediva/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RozTheDiva
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rozthediva

Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs a confidence boost, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

Support the show

BigSexyChat.com appreciates you and our community. We do this for you, so if you ever have any ideas about a subject we can discuss for you, email us at [email protected].

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram as BigSexyChat.
Twitter (who knows how long we will stay there) is BigSexyChatPod

Check out our merch at  www.BigSexyTees.com  (credit to Toni Tails for setting this up for us!)

Chrystal also sells sex toys via her website BlissConnection.com and you can use the code BSC20 for 20% off.

Big thanks to our Sponsor Liberator Bedroom Adventures. We ADORE the products from Liberator.  And, to be clear, we all loved their products even before they became a sponsor!

Send us Fan Mail

In this episode of Big Sexy Chat, Chrystal sits down with Candace Frank, the artist and designer behind Chub Rub Clothing, a brand creating bold fashion, art, and accessories rooted in fat liberation and unapologetic joy.

Candace shares how growing up fat and unable to find clothes that fit pushed her to start making her own. That creative spark eventually led to an MFA in Costume Design and a career designing clothing that refuses to hide fat bodies.

Together, Chrystal and Candace talk about reclaiming the word fat, challenging anti-fat narratives through fashion, and why clothing should feel good physically and emotionally. They also get into crop tops, cow prints, trolls on the internet, and the importance of building strong fat community spaces.

Candace also talks about projects like Fat Con, her art practice, and the new Fat Babes Club keychain project, designed to help fat folks connect and celebrate being part of the community.

This episode is full of humor, honesty, and a reminder that fat people deserve dignity, joy, fashion, pleasure, and space exactly as they are.

In This Episode

• Growing up fat and struggling to find clothing that actually fit
• Learning to sew and designing clothes for fat bodies
• Reclaiming the word fat and embracing fat liberation
• Why bold fashion can be political
• Crop tops, cow prints, and dressing for joy
• Responding to trolls with compassion (and sometimes humor)
• Building fat community through events like Fat Con
• Designing clothing up to 7X
• The Fat Babes Club keychain project and connecting fat community

About the Guest

Candace Frank is the artist and designer behind Chub Rub Clothing, a brand dedicated to fat liberation through bold fashion, art, and gifts.

She earned her MFA in Costume Design and has designed and produced costumes for dozens of plays, musicals, and operas. In 2015 she co-created Bawdy Love Clothing, a plus size lingerie and kink wear brand that operated until 2022.

Candace also co-founded Fat Con, a three-day fat liberation conference in Seattle, and in 2025 helped launch Seattle Fat Mall, an eight-month downtown pop-up featuring fat-centered makers and businesses.

When she’s not creating clothing or art, Candace enjoys painting, crocheting, reading tarot, and photography.

Connect with Candace

Chub Rub Clothing
 Website: https://chubrubclothing.com

Instagram: @chubrubclothing
 Facebook: Chub Rub Clothing

Support the show

BigSexyChat.com appreciates you and our community. We do this for you, so if you ever have any ideas about a subject we can discuss for you, email us at [email protected].

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram as BigSexyChat.
Twitter (who knows how long we will stay there) is BigSexyChatPod

Check out our merch at  www.BigSexyTees.com  (credit to Toni Tails for setting this up for us!)

Chrystal also sells sex toys via her website BlissConnection.com and you can use the code BSC20 for 20% off.

Big thanks to our Sponsor Liberator Bedroom Adventures. We ADORE the products from Liberator.  And, to be clear, we all loved their products even before they became a sponsor!

Send us Fan Mail

This episode is a little different.

It’s not a typical Big Sexy Chat conversation… It’s something softer, heavier, and a lot more personal.

Merf joins Asherlee (co-producer & editor for Big Sexy Chat) for an honest, unfiltered conversation about her decision to step away from Big Sexy Chat and what led her there. They talk about the weight of the world right now, the reality of needing to refocus, and what it means to choose yourself in a moment where everything feels uncertain.

This isn’t a goodbye… It’s a “see you later.”

After their conversation, we take a walk back through some of Merf’s most memorable moments over the years. The laughter, the chaos, the advocacy, the honesty… all the pieces that made her such a powerful voice in this space.

Because Merf isn’t just part of this show… she helped shape it.

And that doesn’t just disappear.

So this episode is a love letter.

To her voice.
 To her impact.
 To the conversations she started and the ones she’ll keep having… just in new ways.

We love you, Merf. Always.

What You’ll Hear in This Episode

• Merf shares why she’s stepping away from Big Sexy Chat
• The realities of burnout, career shifts, and protecting your energy
• Advocacy, fat liberation, and where the work continues
• A curated collection of Merf’s most iconic, funny, and powerful moments
• A reminder that joy, pleasure, and voice matter… especially right now

Stay Connected

Big Sexy Chat isn’t going anywhere… and neither is Merf.

Follow along, keep the conversations going, and most importantly…
 Don’t let anyone steal your joy.

🌐 https://www.bigsexychat.com

Support the show

BigSexyChat.com appreciates you and our community. We do this for you, so if you ever have any ideas about a subject we can discuss for you, email us at [email protected].

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram as BigSexyChat.
Twitter (who knows how long we will stay there) is BigSexyChatPod

Check out our merch at  www.BigSexyTees.com  (credit to Toni Tails for setting this up for us!)

Chrystal also sells sex toys via her website BlissConnection.com and you can use the code BSC20 for 20% off.

Big thanks to our Sponsor Liberator Bedroom Adventures. We ADORE the products from Liberator.  And, to be clear, we all loved their products even before they became a sponsor!

Send us Fan Mail

 Everyone sees the talk. Few hear the story behind it.

JenX: The Story Behind the Talk

Fan-favorite guest Jen McClellan returns to Big Sexy Chat to take us behind the scenes of her recent TEDx talk and the deeply personal journey that led her to the red circle.

Jen is the founder of Plus Size Birth and host of the Plus Mommy Podcast, where she has spent years educating care providers about weight bias and advocating for respectful, dignified treatment in healthcare.

In this conversation, Chrystal and Jen go beyond the talk itself and explore what it really takes to step onto a stage like TEDx. From the emotional vulnerability of sharing her own experiences to the intense preparation required for just a few minutes on stage, Jen opens up about the pressure, growth, and courage behind the moment.

They also discuss the ongoing barriers fat people face, including travel challenges that can require paying for multiple seats simply to get from point A to point B, and why advocacy work like this remains so necessary. 

Whether you’ve dreamed of giving a TED-style talk, are curious about the process, or want an honest look at what happens after the spotlight fades, this episode offers a rare glimpse into the human story behind a powerful public moment.

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• What it’s really like to be invited to give a TEDx talk
• The vulnerability of sharing personal experiences on a global stage
• How Jen prepared for one of the biggest speaking moments of her career
• Weight bias and the importance of treating people with dignity
• Travel barriers and accessibility challenges for people in larger bodies
• Why this advocacy work continues to matter

About Jen McClellan

Jen McClellan is the founder of Plus Size Birth, a certified childbirth educator, and the voice behind the Plus Mommy Podcast. She travels nationwide educating healthcare providers about weight bias and how compassionate care can make a meaningful impact. 

Connect with Jen

🌐 Plus Size Birth: https://plussizebirth.com
🎙️ Plus Mommy Podcast

🎥 Watch Jen’s TEDx Talk

🎤 EveryBODY Deserves to be Treated with Dignity
📺 Watch on YouTube
In this powerful talk, Jen McClellan shares her personal experiences with weight bias in healthcare and advocates for treating every body with dignity.

Support the show

BigSexyChat.com appreciates you and our community. We do this for you, so if you ever have any ideas about a subject we can discuss for you, email us at [email protected].

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram as BigSexyChat.
Twitter (who knows how long we will stay there) is BigSexyChatPod

Check out our merch at  www.BigSexyTees.com  (credit to Toni Tails for setting this up for us!)

Chrystal also sells sex toys via her website BlissConnection.com and you can use the code BSC20 for 20% off.

Big thanks to our Sponsor Liberator Bedroom Adventures. We ADORE the products from Liberator.  And, to be clear, we all loved their products even before they became a sponsor!

Send us Fan Mail

What if dating apps were built for real bodies? Real needs. Real safety.

In this episode, we sit down with Liz Gewirtz, the founder of Hips, Crips & Queers, a new dating and community platform centering queer, fat, disabled, and older folks.

Liz shares what pushed her to build something entirely different from the swipe-and-discard culture most of us know too well, and what it looks like to design a space rooted in fat liberation, disability justice, consent, and actual human connection.

We talk about:

• Why mainstream dating apps fail marginalized bodies
• Reclaiming language, identity, and desire
• Safety, scam prevention, and avoiding fetishization
• Creating community, not just matches
• Dating while fat, disabled, queer, older, neurodivergent, or all of the above
• Why representation and visibility still matter deeply
• And what it means to dare to date in a world that often tells you not to

This conversation is honest, thoughtful, funny, political, tender, and deeply human.

If you’ve ever felt invisible in dating spaces, this one is for you.

About our guest:

Liz Gewirtz is the founder of Hips, Crips & Queers, a dating and community website centering queer, fat, disabled, and older folks.

By day, she works as a Restorative Justice Facilitator. By night, she’s a fat, disabled, old, and queer activist, community builder, big-time nerd, and devoted dog rescuer.

Learn more & get involved:

You can explore and sign up for updates at:
 https://hipscripsqueers.com

Follow Hips, Crips & Queers on social media to stay up to date on the launch, events, and community spaces.

Support the show

BigSexyChat.com appreciates you and our community. We do this for you, so if you ever have any ideas about a subject we can discuss for you, email us at [email protected].

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram as BigSexyChat.
Twitter (who knows how long we will stay there) is BigSexyChatPod

Check out our merch at  www.BigSexyTees.com  (credit to Toni Tails for setting this up for us!)

Chrystal also sells sex toys via her website BlissConnection.com and you can use the code BSC20 for 20% off.

Big thanks to our Sponsor Liberator Bedroom Adventures. We ADORE the products from Liberator.  And, to be clear, we all loved their products even before they became a sponsor!

Send us Fan Mail

As 2025 comes to a close, Big Sexy Chat gathers for an end-of-year roundtable conversation about what this year took, what it revealed, and what the fat community is being asked to carry forward into 2026.

Joined by Saucye West, Bruce Sturgell, and Ronald Young Jr., this conversation moves beyond headlines and buzzwords to talk honestly about autonomy, weight loss culture, respectability politics, community fatigue, and the realities of staying visible in a world that keeps asking fat people to disappear.

We talk about GLP-1 medications and the “magic wand” narrative, but more importantly, we talk about truth-telling, conditional acceptance, and what it means to keep showing up when comfort is offered only if you comply.

This episode isn’t neat. It’s reflective, sometimes heavy, sometimes hopeful, and deeply human.
Still here. Still fat. Still paying attention.

Guests

Saucye West
Plus-size model, fat fashion influencer, and activist. Saucye is the creator of the #FatAndFree movement and a long-time advocate for extended sizing, fat liberation, and unapologetic visibility, particularly for superfat and infinite fat bodies.

Bruce Sturgell
Founder of Chubstr and co-host of the Heavy Conversation podcast. Bruce has spent over a decade creating resources, fashion guidance, and media for fat men and masculine-presenting people.

Ronald Young Jr.
Award-winning audio producer, storyteller, and host of Weight For It. Ronald’s work explores fatness, culture, and storytelling, and has been recognized by Tribeca, The Podcast Academy, Vulture, Vogue, and The New York Times.

Due to a technical issue, Ronald was disconnected near the end of the episode. You can find more of his work through Weight For It and his current projects.

Topics We Cover

• Reflecting on 2025 inside the fat community
• Autonomy, neutrality, and where those conversations fall short
• GLP-1 medications and the “magic wand” narrative
• Respectability politics and conditional acceptance
• What weight loss changes and what it doesn’t
• Community fatigue, grief, and rebuilding connection
• What we’re keeping, tossing, and transforming moving into 2026

Support the show

BigSexyChat.com appreciates you and our community. We do this for you, so if you ever have any ideas about a subject we can discuss for you, email us at [email protected].

You can find us on Facebook and Instagram as BigSexyChat.
Twitter (who knows how long we will stay there) is BigSexyChatPod

Check out our merch at  www.BigSexyTees.com  (credit to Toni Tails for setting this up for us!)

Chrystal also sells sex toys via her website BlissConnection.com and you can use the code BSC20 for 20% off.

Big thanks to our Sponsor Liberator Bedroom Adventures. We ADORE the products from Liberator.  And, to be clear, we all loved their products even before they became a sponsor!