It’s one way to make a splash. “Fat Beach Day” events are appearing across the United States, aiming to create spaces for the plus-size community to gather — including one Saturday in Far Rockaway. “We’re going through something culturally that is impacting us every day on an individual level and a systemic level,” Jordan Underwood, the event organizer told the Guardian .
“We’re really trying to open up a space for people to be themselves.” Underwood, a plus-size model and artist, had a history of being bullied for her weight since middle school. This led her to start a blog at age 12 to document her experiences and begin her journey into “fat activism.
” Underwood organizes events throughout New York City and collaborated with Berriez, a Brooklyn-based vintage store “curated for curves,” to organize Fat Beach Day at Jacob Riis Park. “I’m so self-conscious at the beach, and I’m never around people that look like me,” Emma Zack, who started Berriez in 2018, told the outlet. “I’m excited we’ve created this space for folks with bigger bodies to have a good time.
” In an age where weight-loss drugs like Ozempic are popular and thinness is celebrated as the ideal beauty standard, events like Fat Beach Day are seen by some as pushback. Vogue Business reported that for the autumn/winter 2024 season, only 0.8% of models were plus-size, and 3.
7% were mid-size, a decline from previous years. A KFF survey in May found about one in eight adults i.
