Image description: A blue square with the title of the blog post and two smaller round images, one of a Black trans woman and one of a white woman, both in bathing suits near water.
Summer is a fraught time for so many people, what with the constant:
Demands (“Get a summer body now!”)
Expectations (A summer body is thin, with tanned but white skin)
Scrutiny (“What does she thinks she’s doing in that outfit?”)
Internalized stigma (“I can’t possibly go out in public like this”)
One of the best ways to fight summer-body weight stigma is to normalize fat bodies in public, both in person and online. Here are 16 photos that prove every body is a bikini body.
“My thoughts about a photo being bad because my body is bigger, is nothing more than cultural conditioning. It’s why I’m so grateful to those who unabashedly flaunt their bodies in bikinis and barely-there clothes, because it helps me unlearn all of the bullshit I’ve been taught about what is a “good” body. “
» Kristina Bruce
A plus-size white woman playfully throws her hands in the air in joy and celebration as she stands in shallow river water with the far bank and a bridge visible behind her. She has long brown hair and is wearing a dark blue two-piece bathing suit.
Swimsuit Photos for Body Positive, Anti-Diet & HAES Marketing
Here are 16 more beautiful photos from the Swimsuits & Fatkini collection at Body Liberation Stock, the world’s first and best site for high-resolution stock images of large bodies for commercial use. Use these images on your website, social media, flyers, brochures, and other marketing materials to represent more of your customers, clients, and prospects. You’ll also be helping to change the world by increasing the representation of large-bodied and fat folks.
These stock photos are often used by:
Health at Every Size healthcare providers, authors, therapists, nutritionists, and dietitians
Body image, intuitive eating, and life coaches
HAES eating disorder treatment professionals
Inclusive and fat-friendly fitness pros and personal trainers
Plus-size fashion designers, retailers and eCommerce
Body-positive bloggers and influencers
A plus-size mermaid kneels on a sandy beach on a cloudy day. She’s wearing a mermaid “tail” costume skirt, gold sequin shell pasties, and brightly colored blue and blonde wig. This woman is of Samoan and Caucasian heritage and is over 40. She’s in the “in-betweenie” range of plus size, at a clothing size 16. The beach is sandy and partially covered in seaweed. The water behind her is forming small waves, and land is visible in the distance.
A plus-size white woman wades in a river with an inflatable unicorn inner-tube-style float on a summer afternoon or evening. She has brightly-colored pink and blue hair and is wearing a colorful bathing suit with red, pink, and orange stripes and black shorts.
A black transgender woman waves a large transgender pride flag on a beach on a cloudy day. She has tattoos and is wearing a black one-piece bathing suit. The beach is sandy and partially covered in seaweed. The water behind her is forming small waves, and land is visible in the distance.
A woman relaxes on a cupcake-patterned blanket on a beach on a cloudy day and holds a cream or off-white lace parasol. She’s wearing a pastel rainbow metallic bathing suit combined with a black fetish-style harness, black lace kimono jacket and patterned stockings. She has bright red hair. This woman is in her 30s and is over six feet in height. The beach is sandy and partially covered in seaweed. The water behind her is forming small waves, and land is visible in the distance.
A Caucasian woman in her 30s who wears plus size clothing stands on the waterfront on a bright, sunny summer morning. She has bright pink and purple hair and is wearing a black two-piece bathing suit that combines solid and mesh fabrics. She’s standing on a set of stairs leading down to the water and is an excellent example of confidence and positive body image.
Lighting: natural light, high key, bright, high contrast
Environment: outdoors, beach, shore, sound, ocean, water, waves
Themes: nature, happiness, confidence, vacation, holiday, positive body image, body confidence
Ethnicities, genders and abilities of note: Caucasian
Location: Washington State, Pacific Northwest, United States
Some days, caring for our fat bodies looks exactly like caring for any human body. On other days, we may need a little extra something to carry on. When it comes to chronic health conditions, though, caring for a fat body can be very different. Why? Because fat bodies are subject to weight stigma: discrimination…
I wasn’t consciously thinking about @ragenchastain and her approach to running (slow and steady) when I climbed part of this trail in Mt. Baker National Forest, but I was thinking that I was tired. I’m so very tired of holding my breath when I’m exercising around other people, for fear of being the out-of-breath fat…
This new 21-image collection at Body Liberation Stock features photos of a woman whose heritage is Greek, Dutch, Mexican and German, moving joyfully under late-summer sun. Indoors, she relaxes in a bubble bath.
What do boudoir photography, subscription boxes and stock photos have in common? What even is a stock photo? How does body liberation play into all this? In this video, I chat with the wonderful Dr. Melissa Bird about all this and more (with transcript).
I recently challenged my Body Liberation Guide readers to answer the question, “What is valuable and precious about fat bodies beyond being a comfort object? How many things can you think of?” Reader Bee Gee’s response was wonderful and glorious, and they generously gave me permission to share it here.
