Virgie Tovar (she/her) is a well-known body positive and fat liberation activist. In this episode, she candidly shares her journey to activism from her traumatic and abusive childhood (that led her to go ‘no contact’ with her family 5 years ago), to a boyfriend in her 20s who loved her exactly as she was, to her rebellious and loud activism, to now. As with all things Virgie, her storytelling, authenticity, and boldness are pure joy.

Virgie Tovar is an author, lecturer, and leading expert on weight-based discrimination and body positivity. She is a contributor for Forbes where she covers the plus-size market and how to end weight discrimination at work. She started the hashtag campaign #LoseHateNotWeight in 2013 and in 2018 gave a TedX talk on the origins of the campaign.

Tovar edited the anthology Hot & Heavy: Fierce Fat Girls on Life, Love and Fashion and she's the author of You Have the Right to Remain Fat, The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color and her new interactive book, The Body Positive Journal. Her Webby-nominated podcast, Rebel Eaters Club, is now in Season 3. Mentions in this episode: NAAFA, Flare Project, ED Parenting podcast, Moonology book, artist Gina Contreras.

Please connect with Virgie on her website, Instagram, Forbes, and her newest book.

This episode’s poem is called “Let Me Begin Again” by Major Jackson.

Hello lovely, Sophia here! Virgie Tovar is ah-mazing! And, there’s bonus content for you through Apple Subscriptions or Patreon. Producing a weekly podcast takes time and resources from several wonderful people, and paid subscriptions will make continuing our work possible. My dearest wish is to also offer an honorarium to my guests, centering and supporting marginalized voices in this space. So, as you’re able, please consider subscribing to “Some Extra Fat Joy: 10 Qs” where each guest answers 10 unexpected questions. Want to know what Virgie’s biggest dream is?

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Our thanks to AR Media and Emily MacInnis for keeping this podcast looking and sounding joyful.