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

It's not our bodies that are the problem. Image: Thinkstock.

WTF Is Going On In Plus-Size Fashion?

You know what’s more “ostracizing” than being called plus-size? Actually BEING plus-size and unable to find clothes that fit you and that you like.
Plus-size people do not have the same choices as those who wear straight sizes — not in style, quality, price point, or availability. THAT'S ostracizing.

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Khloe Kardashian  © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com

5 Hacks To Help You Ignore Khloe Kardashian's Thin Obsession

Khloe Kardashian who has been touted as a “body positive” advocate, recently wrote a post called 5 Hacks to Look Thin AF in Your Pics.

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When Sexism Drives You To Create A Pretend Dude

Reinforcing an oppressive sexism system so that you can get what you want is an option, but perhaps not one to be quite so proud of.

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"A thin-obsessed world perpetuates eating disorders and fat phobia."

The Eating Disorder Community Has A Fat Phobia Problem

Suggesting that we should figure out how to apply a deadly illness to fat people is ludicrous on its face for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that THERE ARE FAT PEOPLE WITH ANOREXIA.

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Pick your comment policy wisely. (Image Credit: Thinkstock)

Draining The Comment Swamp

As a frightening and dangerous new regime takes office and the resistance begins in earnest, many of us will face the sometimes daunting task of mo

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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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Instead of heading down a resolutions shame spiral that lasts until next year, let’s regroup and do this in a way that makes sense.

February And Your Resolutions Are Already History? What To Do Now.

Welcome to the resolutions flame out. It’s not so much that your resolutions crashed and burned, it’s more like they just never got off the ground in the first place. But there is hope. We can right this ride.

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Lush issues a half-baked apology that should never have been necessary in the first place. (Image Credit: Instagram/@lush)

Lush: More Bathbombs, Less Fat Shaming

The pictures Lush posted are media that was created by the film company — and the film is inherently problematic in terms of “diversity and inclusion justice.” Lush re-posting them is a problem. That they were created in the first place is a problem.

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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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The question I was being asked most in the e-mails flooding my inbox was, “Why in the world would a fast metabolism have anything to do with an editing gig?”

Slate’s Hiring Policy: No Fat Chicks?

Slate's new job posting for Political Editor requires candidates with a fast metabolism. This is why that phrasing is fat-shaming and discriminatory.

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