So I’m currently working on a short story for an explicitly fat-positive anthology, and it’s making me realize just how little language I have readily at hand for describing large bodies in positive terms!
Putting aside for a moment the whole debate over HAES and fat positivity and everything else – and if you clown on this post, I’m simply going to block you, that’s not what we’re here for – sometimes you just want to write a story with a fat person in it and you need some adjectives/descriptive language that isn’t overtly gross and/or fetishistic.
Well, I’ve got you, fam. I have compiled this handy list of descriptive terms and phrases for describing big bodies with positive connotations.
Why am I doing this?
Because this:
And this:
And frankly, we all deserve better. So let’s go.
Positive (and Neutral) Adjectives for Fatness
Abundant
Ample
Big
Broad
Buxom
Considerable
Curvy
Full
Generous
Heavy
Large
Luscious
Plentiful
Plump
Replete
Robust
Round
Rubenesque
Soft
Solid
Stocky
Substantial
Thick
Voluptuous
Zaftig
Movement Verbs Evoking Fatness
Amble
Bounce
Lope
Mosey
Pad
Plod
Pound
Ramble
Scoot
Shuffle
Trundle
Some Points to Keep In Mind
A big part of challenging fatphobia in writing is inverting or subverting stereotypes. Here are a few lazy/played-out tropes and things to think about:
Fat = Greedy I think we can all agree at this point that there are better ways to show greed – such as excessive wealth, entitlement, selfishness, and so forth. There is really no need to use fatness or gluttony as a metaphor for these concepts. Just write your greedy character doing greedy things and resist the urge to make them also be fat. If you need a strong visual metaphor, go for opulence and wealth instead.
Fat = Gross A ton of media, especially horror, loves making fat people slovenly, smelly, covered in food stains, farting and belching, etc. etc. So if you want a more positive representation, just presenting the character as clean, well-dressed, tidy, etc. actually goes a very long way. Consider playing against type by making your fat character dapper or fastidious about other elements of their appearance, like their hair, or wearing very nice custom-fitted clothes (or even just “dressing up” a bit more than everyone else).
Fat = Out of Shape Yes, absolutely, many fat people are also out of shape couch potatoes. But so are a lot of skinny people. And fat people absolutely can be athletic – go google “fat athletes” for several lists of them if you don’t believe me! Sure, you probably won’t find a ton of fat long-distance runners, but you’ll definitely find plenty of hefty weight lifters, fighters, folks with physical jobs, etc. A lot of super muscular people are also carrying extra fat, and that is in fact way more common and natural than the super-defined, well-cut muscles you see on TV. Keep that in mind the next time you’re writing an army of strong hand-to-hand combatants – they’re likely to be physically big,not in a bulging muscle He-Man way but more of an “absolute unit” way. Keep in mind, too, that even regular folks packing extra pounds will often tend to be a lot stronger (on account of spending every day carrying extra weight!) You can be fat and graceful, fat and strong, fat and with endurance. Just something to keep in mind.
Fat = Pig Pigs have a reputation for being huge, dirty, smelly, garbage-eating slobby creatures, and “disgusting fat pig” and “porker” and their ilk have been insults against big people for a long time. Of course, in reality pigs are also super smart, highly social (and fucking terrifying) but that’s not usually waht gets invoked when people think of them! Really, avoiding animal language when talking about people is often a good idea (since animal comparisons can be dehumanizing), but if you are going to evoke an animal, go with something else. Like a seal (super cute, very graceful in its natural environment) or a bear (big and solid and intimidating) or a bull elk (thick and majestic).
Fat = Ugly Fat people can be beautiful. I mean, sure, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and inner beauty is a thing and all that – but that’s not what I’m talking about. I mean that fat bodies are great! They’re warm and soft and huggable. They’re big and solid and comforting. They can be strong and protective. They can be super-feminine and curvy. Cute as a button or powerful and demanding with their presence.
Obviously dismantling fatphobia is a whole big (ha, ha) topic all on its own, and there’s a ton more to think about. But this is at least something to get you started!
Context matters a whole lot in description – words can be positive or negative based on how they’re utilized! But these are at least some terms intended to be a bit less loaded with negative baggage than those often used in less flattering descriptions.
Have you read a book with a fat character who had a great or interesting description? Please reblog, I’d love to see how other authors have handled it!
I am very far from perfect, but I always try to make my writing a body-positive zone. I’m fairly proud of the character introductions in the Cat Murder Mystery that is such a mess it will never see the light of day. It’s got a wide array of human and supernatural characters. Might as well share a couple of my favorites!
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Temple was coming out of the house now. She was short and stocky, graying blonde hair tied back in a simple ponytail. Her powerful werewolf muscles were softened with a comfortable layer of fat so she looked like your basic suburban mom at a glance, but she was tough and had good instincts and probably the keenest nose of anyone Lynn had ever met. She was exactly the kind of person Lynn wanted investigating Avery’s murder.
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That, and there was a flogger hung up on the wall. It was probably the prettiest one Lynn had ever seen, with pale pink leather tails attached with gold fittings to a ceramic handle whose roses perfectly matched the tea set.
The tails were buttery-soft, obviously not intended to deliver real pain, and made a very nice pattering sound falling back into place when Lynn flicked them to make them move.
“You like it?” The quiet voice behind Lynn startled him, and he spun to see the speaker. She was a short construct, with the same porcelain-pale complexion Avery favored and round pink cheeks, thick silver hair done up in a neat bun with a few amethyst pins. Her broad curves were complemented by a well-tailored pink and cream dress suit. There was a confidence in the way she held herself, how her silver-gray eyes flicked up and down Lynn’s body to size him up before shifting politely just off to the side of him. Along with all the ‘Mistress Prudence’ talk, her perfectly manicured hand was definitely the one intended to hold the pretty flogger.
“That one’s my favorite,” Prudence continued. “Though of course I have many others, if you prefer something with more bite.”
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Sage was entertaining a mixed group of people in front of his seafood stall, barking his distinctive laugh at his own joke. People laughed with him, and he sold a few bags of mussels and oysters. Sage never wore glamours; the short minky fur that covered his head, the sharp teeth in his wide mouth, and his tiny nonhuman ears were on full display. He was beautiful in the way of sea lions—sleek in every line of his body, well rounded with insulating fat, his skin a deep gleaming copper. His big soft eyes brightened when he recognized Lynn.
“Lynn!” Sage threw his short powerful arms wide, inviting Lynn into a hug, and then pulling him into one regardless when Lynn didn’t move away. His shoulders were wider even than Lynn’s, but his very short legs meant he still fit easily under Lynn’s chin. He squeezed tight around Lynn’s waist, lifting him briefly off his feet and laughing again. “It’s been too long, land-cat!”
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Eddy was leaning against Temple’s desk when Lynn emerged. She was a tall Black human woman, square shoulders and wide hips, her skin deep brown and her tightly curled hair trimmed close to her head, and both hands wrapped around a cup from her favorite coffee place. Her solid presence anchored the entire room, and Lynn headed toward her.
Eddy smiled when she caught sight of him, letting go of her coffee to reach one arm out. She looked tired, with bags under her eyes. Lynn leaned into her to let her rub his back. “Hey there,” she said. “How you holding up? We went by your place last night, but you weren’t in.”
[a few paragraphs unrelated to introduction]
Eddy made a shushing sound at Lynn’s growl, reaching up to scratch at the back of his neck, and he let himself relax into it. Eddy was too tall for him to easily rest his chin on top of her head, so he leaned against Temple’s desk and hunched down a bit to lay his cheek on her shoulder instead. She smelled like her coffee and blueberry muffins and a faint perfume she’d probably picked up from Leslie and herself. Familiar Eddy smell. Lynn let his chainsaw purr rumble through his chest, tucking his face against her neck.
“You’d better not be scent marking on me,” she warned, but she didn’t stop scratching. “I swear I’m breaking the squirt bottle out one of these days.”
Lynn was tempted to rub the underside of his chin on her just because she said not to, but he didn’t. Maybe next time. “I’m being careful,” he said instead, eyes falling almost all the way closed and his arm finding its way around her solid waist as he purred. His fingers kneaded slightly, but he was careful not to let his claws come out.
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“I see your cat has arrived to claim you,” Leslie said, briefly touching Lynn’s back in greeting as she joined Eddy. She was wearing a floral perfume, but faint enough not to offend sensitive noses. She probably couldn’t even smell it herself, with her weak human senses.
“I fed this flea-ridden old stray one time and now I can’t get rid of him,” Eddy complained, leaning toward Leslie. There was a faint smack as they kissed.
“I don’t know. He might make a cute fur collar…” Leslie mused, a laugh in her voice.
“Or nice cozy pair of slippers,” Eddy agreed.
“No,” Lynn protested. “I’ve got too many scars to have a good pelt.” He cracked one eye open to see Leslie.
Leslie always dressed to kill. She wore fashion like battle armor, weaponized femininity sharp enough to cut. Her bright sun dress complemented her full figure and glowing brown skin perfectly, her eyeliner immaculately winged, her lipstick red as the blood of the men who underestimated her.
Lynn had the utmost respect the art of how Leslie chose to present herself, and she made Eddy happy. Lynn liked Eddy to be happy. She’d even done the thing with her hair again—crochet braids, if Lynn was remembering the name right. Leslie had a big mane of corkscrew curls, fading from black at the base to bright gold at the tips to surround her smiling face with a thousand bouncing curls.
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The morning dawned clear and bright. Lynn woke up spooned between Carlo and a deliciously toasty ifrit named Esh. Everyone else was still asleep, strewn across Carlo’s big bed and the pull-out couch. Lynn tried to slip out of bed without waking anyone, but Esh moved hir covering wings out of the way as soon as he started to move.
Lynn climbed over Carlo, who made a dissatisfied noise into his pillow until Esh shuffled over to hold him. Carlo had his face mostly buried in his pillow, but Lynn tucked a little bit of his dyed-green hair behind his ear to kiss his soft cheek goodbye. Carlo’s eyes didn’t open, but he did smile a little.
Carlo smelled like sleep and contentment, lovely even with his cheek crinkled from the pillowcase and his hair a fluffy mess. He didn’t look anything like Avery, plump and brown where Avery was white and waifish, he didn’t even smell anything like Avery; but something in his sweetness, his simple joy of life, his mockery of rigid gender roles, reminded Lynn of him. Carlo was an artist, sweet and kind, and no kind of a fighter at all.
Of any of Lynn’s partners, Carlo could be hurt the most easily. And he was human. He only had one life to live.
Esh gently lay hir first wing over Carlo like a blanket, and Lynn shook his head, breathing deep through the tightness in his chest. Carlo wasn’t Avery. He always had friends nearby to protect him.
“Take care of him,” Lynn whispered to Esh, briefly meeting hir glowing eyes across Carlo. In answer Esh stretched out hir second wing, touching one warm pinion feather lightly to the center of Lynn’s chest.
Edward was created by a potion made by the chemist Dr. Henry Jekyll. He spends most of his time running around London jumping in puddles and making terrible puns. During the day he lives in Jekyll’s mind and complains about it loudly.
ADAM
Adam is a reanimated corpse monster created by the college dropout Victor Frankenstein. After he and his creator didn’t kill each other in the Arctic, Adam traveled to London and now lives in a cottage in the woods. He gives Edward cookies on occasion and spends his time trying to make worse puns than him.
RENFIELD
Ren is a patient at Praeceps Insane Asylum, and has been taken under the wing of the mysterious Count Dracula. He thinks Edward and Adam’s puns are funny and likes caring for the critters that accidentally climb into his cell through the window.
VICTOR FRANKENSTEIN
Victor is the college dropout who created Adam. He nearly died of hypothermia while chasing Adam through the Arctic, but was saved by a ship captain and is now tracking his creature through England. He is eventually recruited by Van Helsing into the Merry Band of Monster Hunters. He thinks Adam and Edward’s puns are annoying.
HENRY JEKYLL
Jekyll created Edward on accident through a potion gone wrong and has been being mildly inconvenienced by him ever since. Jekyll works as a chemist at Praeceps Insane Asylum alongside Dr. Jack Seward and spends his days playing the piano, filling out medical records and ignoring Edward’s terrible puns.
MINA MURRAY
Mina is Dr. Seward’s apprentice at Praeceps and is very tired. She joins the Merry Band of Monster Hunters after her ex girlfriend, Lucy Westenra, was killed by Dracula.
ABRAHAM VAN HELSING
Van Helsing is the leader of the Merry Band of Monster Hunters. He hunts vampires and works at a university in Amsterdam during his free time. He was called to London to investigate the illness of Lucy Westenra shortly before her untimely death.
