Fat Activist Vernacular: eBook Launch

LADA is delighted to mark the launch of Fat Activist Vernacular, a new eBook by Dr Charlotte Cooper exploring fat activist language, with this event at the Garrett Centre. The evening will feature an interview with Charlotte, fat readings and a fat discussion.

About the book

Health and medicine are not the only ways of understanding fat, it is also a richly subjective and cultural experience as the massively expanded and revised edition of Fat Activist Vernacular demonstrates.

Originally published in 2016, the best-selling zine, now an eBook, is a collection of words, phrases and concepts exploring fat activist sensibility. It is written by Dr Charlotte Cooper, whose background in sociology, psychology, live art and activism underpins the work.

With over 600 entries, from Adiposer to Zaftig, the Vernacular represents grassroots knowledge and the voices and ideas of fat people themselves who are often overlooked in the current public debate about obesity.

Intended as a fun read with a serious message, the Vernacular stems from queer, feminist, DIY fat activism. This social and cultural movement has been active since the 1960s, according to the author’s research.

Fat Activist Vernacular offers subversive ways for people of all sizes to describe their thoughts and experiences. It also encourages people to think about activism and culture-making through language.