
“I'm a happy fat person on the internet, there is nothing that trolls hate more.”
Those are the words of Katie Parrott, an Instagram influencer who is on a mission to be a vehicle for change in commercial fashion and for the lives of consumers.
Interestingly, Parrott prefers the term ‘fat fashion’ to explain her line of influencing, in lieu of the widely used phrase ‘plus-size’.
The influencer explains to Mamamia that whilst she uses many terms interchangeably, such as “plus size, fat, chubby and curvy,” she also takes slight issue with the former.
“In my opinion, the term plus size makes it sound like I live my life as an addendum to people who are a 'normal' or 'straight' size,” she explains. “I understand the need to use the term to differentiate between brands who offer my size and those that don't, and it's certainly the most generically applicable term for the community, but as far as I'm concerned, fat people shouldn't be an afterthought or addendum, we're just as valid and normal as thin people.”
Parrott says that just as she chooses to use the word ‘fat,’ everyone needs to have the freedom to describe themselves as they wish.
“For me, it's been an important journey to de-stigmatise fatness for myself. I am fat. That's not a bad word - it's a descriptive one, like saying someone is tall or short or thin or blonde.”
The model says that whilst ‘fat’ is not a word that all people will want to be described as, she also wants to acknowledge what ‘fat’ does not mean.
“It's really important to remind people that fat is not a synonym for ugly, disgusting or gross.”
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