Damon, Jordan & Tony are curious about how we have contributed to the system of fatphobia.

This episode discusses the pressures Black Queer men face in idolizing certain body types. How can we as a culture do more to stop the othering of fatness?

We discuss key news headlines, the definition of fatphobia, the internal and external pressures to look “desirable”, the role appearance plays in how Queer men create friend groups, and how to speak openly about your own physical insecurities without using fatphobic tropes.

We welcome our friend Aaron Randle to Surface Level. He is an experienced journalist and podcast producer. He’s also a fellow son of Howard University who entered our Harlem circle about a year ago. Earlier this year Aaron took to his very active Twitter to speak on the topic of fatphobia not only as a theory but on how it is furthered from those around him. This led to many meaningful discussions, debates, and questions regarding the topic. Exploring his experience regarding a topic that our privilege allowed us to ignore felt like the perfect topic for Surface Level. We’ve said before that we are curious because we know a lot but we don’t know it all. In this instance we wade into sensitive waters but hope we gave this topic the respect and open minds to listen that it deserves.