Want More?

If you liked the Big Bum Jumble and are interested in getting involved with more fat activist stuff then you may be interested in a two-day Fat Studies seminar that is taking place in London on 18 and 19 November 2010. The venue and details are yet to be announced, but you can find out more about the series on the ESRC-funded Fat Studies and Health At Every Size website.

Guerrilla Marketing: Sublime Juxtaposition

I have no doubt that Cultural Studies professors of the future will write windy academic articles about the sublime juxtaposition of fat/obesity discourse represented by these two posters. Just tell them you saw it here first.

Big Bum Fashion Fan: Deb Malkin

Who are you?

I am Deb Malkin, owner of Re/Dress NYC, a vintage and modern and resale clothing store for sizes 14 and up in Brooklyn, New York. I am also one of the founders of the Fat Girl Flea Market (Big Bum Note: this is the event that inspired the Big Bum Jumble).

What sort of things do you like to wear?

I call my style Utility-femme meets boobilicious. Which means I like clothing that's comfortable and yet form fitting, and shows off the 'girls'. Lately, I've been enjoying a bit of a femmed-up version of my 90s dyke style with my engineer boots and military jacket, but with skirts and dresses underneath instead of the old A-shirt and acid washed jeans, ew!

Whose style do you admire?

My staff, my customers, my friends, and Beth Ditto. I got inspired to wear my very first corset top at Nolose and I had a hoodie zipped so tight up you'd never know it was there. Then I saw a trio of super fat fairies with wings and wands and they were so free and comfortable with themselves that I unzipped that hoodie and never looked back.

Give us some fat fashion advice!

Stop wearing things too big. That's my biggest pet peeve. You're fat. Wearing clothing to hide your fat, isn't the same thing as an invisibility cloak. Experiment with shape, colour, style and find your fashion voice. And if need be, take things to a tailor and get them fitted to your shape, it will make you look like a person who's comfortable in their own skin, and that confidence is more flattering than anything.

What would be your dream find at the Big Bum Jumble?

It would just be my dream to go. Then it would be my dream to get to shop at an event like this, since I'm usually working it. Since my Chubster name is Rainbow Rotten, I would be thrilled to find something glittery and rainbowy.

What else would you like to say?

I'm so excited to see more cities and countries create their own versions of the Fat Girl Flea Market. It's an incredible way to shop. It's empowering, it creates community, it's green shopping, and it's really fun. And also a ton of work. So please folks don't forget to volunteer, give Kay a helping hand, and thank you to everyone who's been working so hard. I hope to see you at the 2012 Fattylympics.

Deb! We love you! Thank you for your visionary work! xxxxxx

Would you like to be featured here as a Big Bum Jumble fan? Drop us a line: bigbumjumble@gmail.com

Big Bum Fashion Fan: Vikki C.

Who are you?

I'm a queer femme scholar and performer, and also an aspiring rad fatty and burgeoning fat activist.

What sort of things do you like to wear?

I find great joy in wearing everything my mother always told me 'girls like me' can't get away with. That mostly consists of bright colours, prints, and revealing/tight stuff, currently expressed in an obsession with patterned leggings and those little tshirt-dress things. I also love Vans and other footwear oft sported by 14 year old boys, it's the Peter Pan tomboy in me that refuses to grow up.

Whose style do you admire?

Standard answer I know but I do adore Beth Ditto's ability to put an extraordinary outfit together. Amy Lamé is always impeccably turned out in a way I could never even aspire to. Also there's a certain quite famous queer theorist (who I cannot name for fear of embarrassment) whose sparkly jeans, bold glitter printed t-shirts and generally awesome daily disco wear has me in complete thrall.

Give us some fat fashion advice!

There is simply no such thing as too much. No, seriously.

What would be your dream find at the Big Bum Jumble?

I'm really hoping for some of the fabulous 50s dresses I always see other hot fat girls wearing but cannot seem to find in my size at a reasonable price. I'm also open to suggestion and intend to try on all sorts of crazy things I would normally never go for!

What else would you like to say?

Just that I am very excited about the Jumble, and I hope it sparks exchanges of ideas, actions and plans as well as clothes!

The photo of Vikki is by AbsolutQueer Photography.

PS Wanna be featured here? Of course you do! Drop us a line: bigbumjumble@gmail.com

What on earth is a Big Bum Jumble?

Here's a little interview with Kay Hyatt, who is organising the Big Bum Jumble.

Charlotte: Who are you?
Kay: My name is Kay Hyatt, I'm a fatty living and working in East London. I'm also Butch Husky from the Chubsters. I'm a fat activist and I'm a mannish lady.

What's the Big Bum Jumble?
It's a jumble sale, fashion show, party and fundraiser. It's going to take place in East London on 14 August. It's a place to buy new-to-you plus-sized clothes that fit at very low prices. 95% of the stuff on sale will be sized XL+, which means over a UK women's size 18, and men's XL. People of all sizes are welcome to come, it's being held in an accessible venue, and you can bring your kids.

Why did you decide to organise it?
I've been inspired by attending the amazing Fat Girl Flea, which I went to in New York in 2007. Since then I felt a yearning for something similar here in the UK. Because I am part of a DIY culture, I decided to organise something myself rather than be sorry that there wasn't one. I'm someone who struggles to find clothes that fit me that I want to wear and can afford, and I thought that there would probably be lots of other fat people in the same situation. Also, it's good to hang out and do stuff with other fat folks.

What was so great about The Fat Girl Flea?
The atmosphere there was just so celebratory. The sheer volume of clothes to look through was amazing. I'm used to crying over the ever-diminishing fat section at the back of the shops here, but there there was such abundance. I loved the way people encouraged each other to try things out, and I loved having people come up to me and say things like: "I just found this, it's not for me but it would look great on you." I got a great Hawaiian shirt that way. There was just a real party atmosphere around celebrating dressing up and looking good with a load of fab fatties.

Who are you hoping will come?
Well, I've been thrilled by the response so far. I hope everyone will come, really. I know it will appeal to fat people who want to shop because I'm sure that I'm not alone in finding there is a lack of good clothes in large sizes. I know that other people would like to be somewhere where there is a glut instead. Friends and supporters of all sizes who want to have a good time should come too. The venue we have got is really lovely with a great café and the fantastic Tamsin and Ruth of Unskinny Bop will be providing the music for the day. There will also be a catwalk show with models and volunteer models from amongst the shoppers walking in clothes found from the jumble. I hope to also get some passers by too, people who are just after a bargain.

What do you mean when you say that you're a fat activist?
I'm a fat activist because I reject the idea that being fat is a problem or something that any right-thinking person would want to change. The Big Bum Jumble is an activist event because it is about celebrating body diversity, changing your wardrobe to fit your body, not your body to fit your wardrobe. It's also a place where fat community can be found and hopefully a jumping-off point for more fat activist events in future. If I make any money, it's going to be used to fund future events, like the planned 2012 Fattylympics.

What's the 2012 Fattylympics?
The Fattylympics is something I'm co-organising with fat activist Charlotte Cooper in response to the London 2012 Olympics. We live very close to the Olympic Park and we want to create a response to this unstoppable force that's happening more-or-less in our own backyards. It's going to be an event promoting Health At Every Size through the medium of arsing around and playing stupid fat-friendly games in the park. It's going to be big!

What help do you need to get the BBJ going?
Right now, I'm still after donations of clothes. Especially stuff above a women's size 28 or men's XXXL. If you have a lot of stuff, I can arrange to come and get it from you within London, though if it's an amount you can carry, just bring it on the day. If you're outside London, get in touch and we can work something out.

Also, if you want to volunteer to help out on the day, I'd be grateful for that too. I have quite a few helpers lined-up but I can always use more. There'll be glamorous and non-glamorous jobs available so I'm sure I can find a role that'd suit you. Drop me a line.

What would be your dream find at the Big Bum Jumble?
I dream of having a Nudie Suit like Gram Parsons or Porter Wagoner used to wear, but I don't think even the Big Bum Jumble will be able to provide that! I'd be happy with some new trousers that fit round my fat belly and aren't too long for my short little legs.

What else would you like to say?
Come to the Jumble. It is going to be amazing. There will be new clothes, low prices, new friends, hanging out, celebratory images, music by The Bops, and a fashion show. There will also be badges of our beautiful BBJ logo designed by Simon Murphy. You'll have a chance to be in a film of the event if you want to. Good times!