MAFRAD: Media Advocacy for Fat Representation and Anti-Defamation
Activists wanted! Do you turn as green as The Hulk when the media call people “obese”, show pictures of headless fatties, or otherwise do fat people grave injustice? This is our chance to come together and create a media reference guide intended to educate the media on how to treat us with fairness, integrity, and respect!

Awhile back, Susan Stinson mentioned that fat activists should make something similar to the GLAAD Media Reference Guide, since they have made a lot of progress with the media. I was inspired, decided to take on the project, and at the suggestion of Deb Burgard I decided to facilitate a NAAFA workshop to brainstorm ideas.

The workshop had high attendance and great participation, enthusiasm, and ideas. I explained the GLAAD Media Reference Guide to everyone, passed out some parts of it, and handed out copies of Charlotte Cooper's "Headless Fatties." We brainstormed and discussed for almost an hour and a half, and then decided on a few specific starting points. Then it was on me to create a Yahoo group for communication purposes and get the project on the road.

I named the group MAFRAD or Media Advocacy for Fat Representation and Anti-Defamation. As of now, the purpose of the group is to create a Media Reference Guide that we can then send to targeted media outlets, as well as put in PDF form so individuals can include it in their letters to the media. We will also host the guide on a website, which we will need volunteers to help create. I was waiting until the workshop notes were posted, so that everyone who joined could be on the same page. The time is now!

I am calling on fat activists to join from all corners of the earth. I took on this project because I believe it is an achievable goal for fat priders and its creation can really make a difference in the media and consequently in our cultures.

Although the initial brainstorming started at the NAAFA conference, this group is open to any fat activists or allies willing to donate some time and effort and work together to make a difference for fat people (and people of all sizes!).

So join the MAFRAD Yahoo Group today so we can get this awesome project on its way!

Anyone who wishes to repost this outside of fat pride related LJ groups or your personal journal, please let me know. I'd really rather no one repost the LJ links outside of LJ, even though they are public domain.

This will be x-posted to bigbody_yoga, body_positive, chicago_fats, fat_feminist, fatgrrls, fatshionista, fattyboom_boom, haes, nolose, radicalbodies, riotsnotdiets, transfats, if allowed.....but wait, before I commit an LJ crime, is that way too much or what? I want to get people involved, not piss them off when there's 20 of the same post on one page.

*GOOD VIBES*


From my personal journal:
Here you can read more about how the idea and the workshop came about. And here you can read a more detailed post about the workshop itself.