Ragen Chastain

Ragen Chastain

Bio

Ragen Chastain is a professional speaker, writer, and real live fat person.  She has spoken everywhere from friend's living rooms to Google Headquarters to Cal Tech and Dartmouth.  She will not stop until we live in a world where the full diversity of body sizes is respected, and fat people are able to live in fat bodies without shame, stigma, bullying, and harrasment, regardless of why they are fat, what being fat means, and if they could (or even want to) become thin. She lives in Los Angeles with her partner Julianne and their adorable rescue dogs, and is training for her first (and hopefully only!) IRONMAN triathlon. If you can't get enough of her on Ravishly, you can check out her blog www.danceswithfat.org

Ragen Chastain Articles

Honor the work and time of participants and registrants.

The Truth About Those Telesummits — Insights From An Insider

You’ve probably received an invitation to an online telesummit - fabulous speakers and it’s free, all you have give is your email address.

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The problem isn’t the reactions of the people being bullied, it’s a culture where bullying and harassment are considered acceptable.

Should We Ignore Our Bullies?

Should we ignore our bullies? The problem isn’t the reactions of the people being bullied, it’s a culture where bullying is considered acceptable.

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They aren’t thin, they are dead, and that’s nothing to shrug off. (Image Credit: Instagram/california_smartlipo)

Swallowing Balloons Is Killing Fat People

As long as the medical community is allowed to make a profit from the promise of thinness, fat people cannot trust them to have our best interests (or even just our continuing to be alive) as a priority. I know exactly where to stick these balloons, and it’s not in the stomachs of fat people.

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Let’s stop all this one-size-fits-all, unrealistic expectations approach to pregnancy, and let’s put our energy into making sure that pregnant people have the support and resources they need for themselves, their fetuses, and their kids. (Image Credit: Instagram/stylish_bump)

Please Don't Expect All Pregnant People To Be Serena Williams

The last thing pregnant folks need is the message that they can (and should) be able to work at the level of professional athletes and actors while they are dealing with the life-altering symptoms that happen when you are growing a fetus.

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Perhaps the biggest problem with plus-size nominees not finding clothes is getting the fashion industry to overcome its fatphobia.

Naked On The Red Carpet: Plus-Size Nominees Can't Find Clothes

You would think that designers would want their clothes to be seen on a woman who represents billions in buying dollars, but it turns out they would rather cling to their fat bias.

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Giles Coren's most recent column is full of fat-shaming

Every Justification For Giles Coren’s Fat-Shaming Debunked

Giles Coren writes a column about fatherhood for Esquire UK. His most recent column is full of fat-shaming including shaming is own son.

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"I’ve heard too many of my fat friends talk about being kept out of the club by “policies” that didn’t seem to apply to thin people."

The Thin Velvet Rope

"My beautiful, kind, big-hearted daughter was denied entry to a popular club in NYC called One Oak last night because, as they put it ,'they don't like girls with love handles.' They only allow a particular type of girl into this place."

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There Is No Right Way To Ask Someone To Lose Weight For You

People’s health and looks change over time — if you only want to be in a relationship with someone “healthy” you should probably just stay single.

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You should know better than to market sizes to XXL as “all shapes and sizes” or “clothes for every person.”

Is It Really Clothing For Every Body If The Sizes Stop At 2XL​?

The fashion world has long screwed up when it comes to fat bodies. You should know better than to market sizes to 2XL as all shapes and sizes.

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The only person who gets to decide the right way to deal with fat shaming is the person being fat shamed.

When Fat People Clap Back At Fatphobes 

Food shaming as a form of fat shaming has happened to every fat person I know. Here are some examples of when fat people clap back at fatphobes.

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