I want fat women to "dream fat" - just like I can at Curvect

Plus size blogger Bobby talks about her passion project – her blog Curvect – and what it has to do with the topics plus size, body positivity and her name change. Written by Anna Flaschberger

 

How do you feel about the term plus size-a term that is seen as problematic for so many people?

The term illustrates that there are sizes outside of the standard range-however, it should not be like that. Which is why I understand the problems people have with the expression. After all the goal is for us to abstain from this term one day. We should not be talking about how there is a dress size hanging in a shop that is not normal size. The fashion industry standardises us, which is also why women who wear size 42 or 44 EU (14/16 UK and US 10/12) are deemed plus size. From my perspective-the perspective of a large woman - this is linked to a lot of scorn.

However, until we are more accepting of large bodies I think the term is necessary, because by using it we can create a stigma and say “We exist and we are part of society, we too are a target group and you work for us, therefore you should make advertisements for us and address us and our needs. I do, of course, hope that the term will become superfluous one day-but I think that will still take a while.

 

 

Can you think of any issues with regard to using the term body positivity?

Society-the fashion industry to be precise and the economy find women of a certain size too heavy. The thing is that there women wearing size 38 (UK 10) who feel fat, something that is not acceptable. Sadly this is precisely the image that has been put into our heads. I think it is important for everyone to get to know their body and feel confident in their skin and that is what body positivity expresses.

The term has been used so frequently that the focus has strayed from those who would so desperately need it. Furthermore, the expression is used wrongly so often. Body positivity does not mean you should always love your body. On the contrary: you accept your body and respect the body diversity of human beings. Body positivity knows no boundaries, the media, politics and the economy are responsible for those. They imply that people who are fat are automatically ill. They don’t want people to accept us, because that would mean supporting illness. However, that is an absolutely false conclusion.

You can find out more about this topic at this link:

https://curvect.com/bodypositivity-aber/

 

How does you changing your name have something to do with your blog?

Martina is my official name, but I can imagine officially changing it to Bobby one day. I decided to call myself Bobby when I was still working in Public Relations, where my fashionable and very expressive character traits didn’t really fit in. It was a very strict working environment and I didn’t want it to mix with my blog. Therefore I decided to use my old nickname for blogging.

I am very anglophilic and “bobby” is an expression used when referring to British policemen. Furthermore, a chocolate bar also shares this name. It kind of just developed. Meanwhile almost everyone calls me Bobby. I do not suffer from schizophrenia, Martina and I are obviously the same person, there is no question about that. However, what I will say is that “Bobby” has been able to live life and experience things Martina would never have had the opportunity to do. Thanks to Bobby I have been able to fulfil my life’s dream of becoming self-employed and bring amazing projects to life with my blog and the fashion sector.

You can find more about this topic at: https://curvect.com/martina-oder-bobby-oder-beides-ein-entwicklungsbericht/

 

 

If you had to describe Curvect in three words, what would they be?

Plus size, self-confidence and self-determination. And diversity, but that would make it more than three words. On my blog I write about different topics: fashion, traveling, food and furniture. In a nutshell I write about anything, however, the general focus remains the same: plus size and the right to do anything and everything the way everyone else does.

 

What do you have planned for the future of Curvect?

A book project is in the works, but sadly I am not say anymore on that topic at the moment. I can, however, say this: It is about a topic I have invested a lot of time into already (laughs). As of late a photographer and I have also been offering workshops, which focus on showing plus size women how to feel confident in front of the camera and present themselves on social media. Sadly this is big problem, one I have faced myself. In addition to these projects, I am also planning courses to boost the self.confidence and appearance of larger business women.

In future we plan on hosting the workshops with different groups. However, the focus will remain on plus size people, as this is something I stand for and I want to create a safe space for people to talk about their experiences. Further down the line I also plan on offering additional workshops focusing on fashion. 

 

 

What do you like most about your job as a blogger?

In the last few years I was lucky enough to meet lots of interesting people from across the globe-something that was a great personal gain and I really enjoyed doing. Furthermore, I was fortunate enough to model for various designers and take part in photo shoots. Basically I am allowed to do what I want other plus size women to do too: I turn common dreams into plus size dreams. In former times when I dreamt of beautiful clothing, I didn’t think of fat women, I thought of the skinny models we know from magazines. I am not the only who thought this way. What I want is for large women to “dream fat”-I want them to see themselves in wonderful clothing and not picture skinny models-exactly how I have been able to with Curvect.

You can find out more about Bobby at: https://curvect.com/

Check out her Instagram for lots of inspiring content: https://www.instagram.com/_curvect_/

 

 

Written by Anna Flaschberger

Translated by Maria Julia Bauer