So, the only existing fat pride flag I’m aware of is this one: 

Unfortunately, it is a Fat Fetish Flag. Full explanation can be found here: 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FatFetishFlag.png

I’m not judging people who have Fat Fetishes, but I think it’s unacceptable that in 2018, the only Fat Pride Flag that exists represents people who fetishize us, and not US. 

So, I’ve decided to design my own. 

I thought the idea of the Neopolitan Ice Cream colors was cute, actually. But I don’t think the flag should be food-related. While reclaiming stereotypes can be really powerful, the notion that fat people eat poorly or only eat junk food is just that – a stereotype. Also, it can be really triggering for survivors/current sufferers of eating disorders, which absolutely affect the fat community at saddening rates. In fact, many fat people are in recovery from eating disorders, having disrupted their body’s natural metabolism over years of trauma. *waves hello*

I thought about having the outline of a fat body on a rainbow flag – but there are straight fat people too, and they deserve to feel Fat Pride as well. Being a queer person myself, of course gayness matters to me…I just think this is an important area to be inclusive. The final design of the flag should be able to be easily combined with other flags to express the diversity of our community, should people choose to include other aspects of their identity, like their sexuality, race, or gender identity.

I’ve thought up a couple images and made some quick n’ dirty sketches under the readmore

– A cornucopia. While I wanted to steer away from food, I feel like this is vague enough not to be triggering? Something like this maybe? 

I feel like a cornucopia represents ampleness, generosity, plenty – all positive associations with “bigness.” On the other hand, cornucopias automatically conjure up Thanksgiving, a time inextricably tied to food, and overeating, which could be triggering…and again, there is technically food in that picture. I could do an EMPTY cornucopia, but that sends the image of famine and lack, so….maybe not. (Also cornucopias are really varied in the way they’re drawn, usually intricate, and would be difficult to recreate consistently). 

– A whale. I KNOW, I KNOW, but part of pride can be found in reclaiming words and imagery that have been used against us as slurs and making them a point of pride, rendering them useless as a slur, the way the word “queer” was reclaimed, or other slurs being reclaimed by members of specific communities. I’m thinking maybe a sea blue stripe – to represent the ocean in its vastness, diversity, and life-giving properties. (Again, positive associations with bigness) and the outline of a whale as a radical reclaiming of an insult that was hurled against us. Whales are also deeply family-bonded, nurturing, graceful animals that are unjustly hunted and persecuted, and who are SUPPOSED to be big. It’d also be very easy to overlay on a different pride flag color scheme, to incorporate other identities.  Maybe something like this? 

Stripe color is #5899b8, ocean colored. I made it extra wide, because…wide people. 😀 Whale color is #a1e1ff. I didn’t spend too long perfecting it, it’s just an idea sketch right now. Here’s what it might look like overlayed on another pride flag: 

Other potential fat avatars could include pig, elephants, rhinos, etc. All things that have been hurled at me as insults before….though while reclaiming slurs can be really powerful, fat people have been associated with animals by fatphobes WAAYYYY too much – codifiying that into a pride flag could either be seen as a powerful subversion of that shaming tactic – or seen as capitulating to that shaming tactic. 

Anyway, let’s keep working on other ideas. 

What other things are big? I thought – outer space. Stars. “Celestial Bodies.” All bodies are made of star stuff…Our own sun is a star – and it’s massive and gives life to the whole planet. Fat people are “Stars” too! And we deserve to shine. So I cooked up a few star/sun based ideas. 

I chose purple this time, being the color of royalty, and because we’ve been euphemistically referred to as “Queen Size,” or “King Size.” Why not lean into our royal birthright? It’s just a simple star on a wide purple band, but it emphasizes pride and that we are all “celestial bodies” made of starstuff. Here’s what it might look like over another pride flag: 

I didn’t bother cleaning up the background, I’d need to find a star with a transparent backgroung to overlay, but – you get the idea. Although…you could also do overlays like this: 

That leaves even more of the original flag clear, and gives increased legibility. It could also be added to the top left, or expanded as a triangle on the left side. Here’s both options. 

lol graphic design is my passion XD (again just a sketch)

I was thinking about the sun, but then I also realized – the moon deserves some love, too. Especially as a gravitational body, and its effect on the tides…So I thought – how can I include them both? 

A solar eclipse! But I also know flame burns at different colors depending on its heat, like you see when you light a match or a candle: 

I also like sending the message that fat people are HOT! Which isn’t a message we get to hear about ourselves very often. ^_^; So pulling design elements from both these images, I came up with this: 

….Hrm. Including the flame colors was a fun idea, but I kinda hate how it came out. Also, a center circle is currently used on the intersex flag, I wouldn’t want people to be confused. And this looks like it would be really hard to use as an overlay. Too busy. Lemme try simplifying a little. 

Hm. Not AS ugly but…still pretty ugly. -_-; yeahno.

I searched for a public domain sun/moon images and was inspired by old drawings like these: 

Obviously, this is just a sketch I winged together, any final image would have far superior art. But…take a look: 

I…..don’t hate this?? I like that it includes two obviously round faces…I like how Renaissance-y it looks, alluding to a time period where fat bodies were appreciated and lauded in art. And it still has that “celestial body” connotation. I also HELLA simplified the color scheme to a midnight blue (moon) and golden (sun). I made some of the rays straight, and some of the rays curvy, because not everybody is straight. I also feel like this would be easy to transpose onto another pride flag like so: 

The design is a little busy, but it could either be made more intricate (a la the source inspiration) or LESS intricate, deliberately “dumbed down” into something easy to understand and replicate. 

Anyway, these are some preliminary thoughts. Fat people, please “weigh in” (hurrrr puns) and let me know what you think!

I’m tagging some friends and some fat positive blogs I follow – would be interested in your feedback! I’m just one person, and having other voices for concrit would be super helpful. 

@fatgirlsdoingthings, @fatphobiabusters, @fuckyeahfatpositive, @thebodyisnotanapology @stophatingyourbody, @frostyemma, @charmingfury, @semi-sem, @sillyengineer