[Music]
that’s not my actual name that would be
weird and very cruel of my parents no
fat is the neutral word I used to
describe Amaya fabulous at body Society
teaches us that being fat is bad but
what if we spent less time money and
energy on the pursuit of thinness and
instead focused on the things that
actually matter
like if pineapple and Pisa should be
outlawed or if the mullet
was the greatest haircut of the 20th
century what if we lived in a society
where every body type was not only
accepted but cherished like me you may
be so frustrated that the dye industry
thrives on your failure half of everyone
watching this talk will go on a diet
this year telling yourself this time
it’ll be different this time I’ll get a
bikini body this time I’ll transform my
whole life last year Americans spent
over 66 a billion dollars on trying to
become thinner 95% of diets fail and one
in three dieters goes on to pathological
dieting you go on a diet your diet fails
you think that you’re a greedy loser and
then you go back again for another round
nine out of ten women are unhappy with
their bodies
whereas nine out of ten men are happy
with any woman’s body am i right 81% of
ten-year-old girls and boys are afraid
of being fat so if your self-image
limits your relationships stops you from
achieving your goals or living the life
that you truly deserve then the madness
has to stop be a rebel love your
glorious body but I haven’t always been
a rebel picture this
I’m 23 that girl in my hometown of
Peterborough in the UK it’s not the most
exotic location I’m in my local bar you
know the type of place reeks of vomit
and your shoes stick to the floor maybe
you’ve seen a girl like me afraid to say
no what if I never get propositioned
again it anyway I’m lucky that he’d even
consider me that’s how I met my
boyfriend Dan about this high lying
green eyes a smooth talker who screamed
of trouble with a capital T but I was
smitten motivated to be worshipped I
immediately go on a diet and I lose a
ton of weight I can successfully wear a
skin-tight leotard I think that Dan’s
gonna be like oh my god you are so hot
now instead those lying eyes are
wandering in hindsight I should have
been on the cheaters diets and looking
in the mirror
in hindsight I still see cellulite an
imperfect
reality isn’t a brushed an idea I’m
gonna win him over with a dream vacation
bed-and-breakfast beach Marbella Spain
at sunset some mitten he’s gonna fall to
one knee and so a week later I’m in his
bedroom waiting for Dan to return
sprawled across his bed in my sexiest
underwear with two plane tickets
when I hear a key in the lock the door
opening and Dan’s footsteps as he
approaches the bedroom only it’s not Dan
it’s a woman
who are you I scream Sarah
Dan’s girlfriend who are you Victoria
Dan’s girlfriend this must be the psycho
ex he was telling me about
but then she shows me her hairdryer the
Dan said he bought for me and her
toothbrush she uses when she stays over
you may know the feeling like her bomb
exploding my ears are ringing there’s
chaos everywhere total disbelief
I grab my sexy underwear and my de bunny
slippers that Dan probably told Sarah he
bought for her and I Drive away in a
daze thinking I’m still too fat to keep
a man interested no wonder he cheated
this body has always been such a
disappointment and what does it give me
in return more heat in the winter and
it’s not enough and so I go to a place
where I feel unconditional love the
potato chip eyelets safeway I am in
heaven
salty Pringles you’re making me feel
something a man never has I feverishly
turned my attention to my other Bo milk
chocolate oh my god you smooth sweet
prince come to mama I danced through the
bread aisle embracing steamy baguettes
the skittles rain from the sky covering
me in sugary kisses but by the time I
reached the checkout aisle I feel empty
alone foolish and wants it when his
magazine catches my eye
the cover is celebrating Paralympians
who overcame the odds and next to it a
story of an eight-year-old woman who
invented a dating app for seniors but
this was the strangest to me bold
horizontal stripes on a fat cover girl
and it wasn’t a diet magazine with a
story about how she lost 5,000 pounds in
she wasn’t even embarrassed about being
fat
in fact she liked it no friggin way fast
forward two hours picture this my couch
laptop on TV a rerun Bridget Jones has
finally realized her Worth and kicked
that scoundrel Hugh Grant character to
when my phone vibrates its damn Oh baby
you’re the one for me I am worth so much
more without you
magazine open on my lap plus-size model
says tired of self-hate become a sassy
fat badass and she’s got some advice get
rid of negative people start with your
social media and so I opened my facebook
continually ranting about Millennials
unfollow my schoolmates Michelle I’m on
the Brazilian bikini belly boot camp
tires she’s already a hundred pounds
smaller than me
unfollow my vegan friend who keeps
declaring her undying love for celery
and get this she calls herself a foodie
in fact all vegans unfollow this was the
beginning of me finding my new rebel
self and it started with seeing a fat
woman who knew she was a queen and as
simple and follow on Facebook I continue
to surround myself with positive people
I find my tribe I discover that this is
whole massive online community of people
striving to love themselves
unconditionally hundreds thousands of
them in fact and one day I’m scrolling
through Instagram and I see a post that
reads what would you do if you had no
fear and for me it was what would you do
if you weren’t wasting your life dieting
well my first guess was pretty short one
I wouldn’t wait to become a certified
supermodel before seeking rewarding work
I would do it now too I would take that
vacation to Spain wear a swimsuit on the
beach and maybe you find me an odd Brad
Pitt look-alike to be honest I did that
and three if I wasn’t wasting my life
dieting I would finally love myself
unconditionally I do the first two
things I even post a picture of myself
in my bikini online but loving myself so
hard
I love being surrounded by fierce
fatties and I go to the extreme building
our website eager to share my life
changing experiences with the world and
I get a ton of positive feedback but not
everyone is as pleased about my newfound
confidence my email pings with a new
message you are disgusting
fat people are unhealthy and pathetic
Wow
did you know that there are healthy fat
people isn’t it wild we’re not at home
guzzling lard milkshakes 24 hours a day
contrary to what some people believe and
anyway you don’t need to be healthy to
another message I’m sorry but fat people
are just can’t dance and should cover
themselves head to toe for the benefit
you could be right but you never know
one day you might just see a bikini-clad
dancing whale thanks to these trolls and
many more I finally realized that I
don’t need to be thin to be worthy
bottom line no matter if you’re fat thin
tall short mullet sporting leopard-print
song wearing or pineapple on pizza
have a secret to tell you it’s pretty
outrageous so get ready to recoil in
horror I don’t want to lose weight I
I was so wrong when I believe that thin
equaled happy and healthy and fat equal
unhappy and unhealthy no matter what
negative beliefs you’re holding on to
you can flip the script and find joy in
something that used to bring you shame
you can be a rebel love your fabulous
body unconditionally ditch toxic
influences choose positive friends take
your body on adventures and do the
things that really make you happy
whether your bum jiggles while you do it
so what if you truly believed that you
are worthy you always were and you
always will be
who knows maybe you’d win gold at the
Olympics be the next eight-year-old to
invent tinder for seniors or maybe you’d
be that one whale that dared to dance so
will you dance with me [Applause]