Chins Up: Talking Fat and Performance

I'm convening and chairing this event in London at the end of the month. It's free but you must register to attend. The venue is accessible as far as I know.

Here's the blurb:

Although obesity is front page news, fat people are curiously invisible amidst the headlines, seen but rarely heard and generally expected never to draw attention to themselves. Fat bellies, wobbly arms and thighs, big bums and double chins are there to be covered up and wished away.

Headless fatty imagery reinforces the cultural belief that fat people can be pitiful objects of attention but have nothing useful to say about anything. Despite this, there is a rich tradition of fat performers who flaunt their physicality and refuse to behave or stay quiet. Chins Up is a unique and unprecedented panel discussion bringing together the cream of a new generation of performers developing dynamic possibilities for fat identity and culture.

Join us to talk about fat and performance in the UK. We'll wrestle with questions such as: how do performers bring in fat to their work? What's it like to be a performer who is fat amidst a war on obesity? Is performing fat always about being funny? What is the future for fat performance? We'll tussle with ideas like fat activism, fat community and much more. There will be opportunities to ask questions and to show off. It will not be at all boring.

This is the stuff that Weight Watchers and Slimming World don't want you to see.

We're finalising speakers and will post more details soon.

Chins Up: Talking Fat and Performance
Monday 31 March 2014
7.30pm - 9pm
The Hospital Club, Endell Street, London WC2
Free!
RSVP is essential: rachel@scottee.co.uk

This talk is being produced by ScotteeInc supported by Arts Council England.