Kind of fat, kind of queer, kind of poly, kind of saucy

Are you in Sydney? Come to this on Saturday night. I'm MCing and telling dirty stories. It's going to be a hoot.

Perv Presents...Swingers Soiree

"A Man and a Woman and a Woman and a Man and a Man and a Woman etc..." Radley Metzger’s 1974 is a rarity. Score tells the story of a liberated swinging hetero couple’s pursuit of another hetero couple for the purposes of seducing the partner of the same sex. Mixing boy/girl, girl/girl , boy/boy, bondage and group scenes this is a film that should certainly be embraced by queer audiences. The film looks beautiful, with Metzger’s characteristic cinematic flare used to create sexy and psychedelic imagery.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mbq1cNIN0w

Hosted by Charlotte Cooper with DJ T Bagger + Poneography
Dress up seductive 70s bar staff
Doors open 7.30 pm
When: Saturday 4th September
Where: Red Rattler Theatre 6 Faversham Street, Marrickville
How much: $10
www.redrattler.org

Images of fat women that I really love

I'm clearing my desk before I head off to Australia and there are a couple of things I've been meaning to post here for a while. Both images are courtesy of Simon Murphy, who brought them to my attention.

1. The Honeymoon Killers features one of my favourite screen fatties in Shirley Stoler who plays Martha Beck. Her fatness is a central part of her characterisation and her portrayal is unforgettable, she's pathetic and murderous. In an age where fat people conform certain themes and storylines whenever we are rendered onscreen, including 'positive' portrayals, it's always exciting to see depictions that offer a bit more nuance. This is possible even within an exploitation genre. I also love to see fat people in films as aggressive, crazy, mean and fucked-up, which may explain my obsession with this clip of Divine from Pink Flamingos.

2. I wrote about my visit to the GLBT Historical Society whilst I was in San Franciso earlier this year. I got to paw and prod some of Sylvester's stage costumes. This week Simon picked me up a copy of The Weather Girls' album, Success. Martha Wash and Izora Armstead were the original Weather Girls and worked as backing singers for Sylvester. I read somewhere that s/he used to get them to break in her shoes too, huh! I never have to hear It's Raining Men again, it won't be too soon, but I love love love the picture on the album sleeve for these reasons:

• Turbans
• Neck detailed fatty kaftan couture
• Outfits dripping with beads and jewels
• Gloves
• Awkwardly posed grandiose gesture as literal interpretation of album's title
• Round faces
• Successful fat black women working together who, I hope, are still laughing all the way to the bank

Long live depictions of fat badassery and coolness. Over and out.

Big Bum Jumble

The Jumble was a rip-roaring success. Full write-up and pictures are now available on the Big Bum Jumble blog.

Lauren Pocket Rocket in the BBJ fashion show, styled by John William, photographed by Diana Thompson of fashionlovesphotos.com.

Big Bum Jumble, London, Tomorrow

Kay Hyatt, who also happens to be my girlfriend, is the lead organiser for the Big Bum Jumble, which takes place tomorrow in London. Please come if you're in town, it's going to be quite a day.

All the information you need, and plenty you don't, is on the Big Bum Jumble blog, managed by yours truly.

This is what a fat activist looks like

Being an activist means that I make stuff and I do stuff. Often this is about fat, but it's also about zines, the internet, films, academia, sex, all kinds of things. My fat and queer body is central to my cultural production, I cannot deny it even though, like many people, my body is often mediated by a screen, a mouse and a keyboard. My friend Sara Davidmann, who also happens to be an excellent photographer, took some pictures of me in a nest of some of the things I have made. That's me in the picture, pulling things I've made out of my cunt, my body. Here I am: fat, queer, a thinking, critical and productive citizen, "the obese". This is what a fat activist looks like, I'm one of many different kinds of fat activist.