By Ayelen Hamity and Sam Harrison

Here at AnyBody Argentina, the Argentine chapter of Endangered Bodies, we often get asked about our values. Why does Argentina need a size law? Do other countries have one? What does “body positive” mean? For people who are unfamiliar with our type of activism—or just beginning their body-positive journey—some of the terms we use might be confusing. That’s why we’ve created this mini-dictionary of body-positive terms to help you understand our values here in Argentina and as part of the Endangered Bodies network worldwide.

By Sam Harrison, member of the Argentine chapter of Endangered Bodies, AnyBody Argentina

So, let’s talk about cosmetic surgery.

Every year, millions of cosmetic surgeries are performed globally. According to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, over 23 million procedures were performed in 2016. Some of the possible complications include hematomas, nerve damage, infections, deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, scarring, organ damage, anesthesia complications, and in some cases, death. What’s more, the industry is sometimes under-regulated: In the UK (as of 2013), anyone can legally perform dermal filler procedures, without prior training or knowledge.

The stats aren’t pretty.

To be clear, these are risks that informed adults can and will take. Our goal is not to criticize adults who choose cosmetic surgery. But adults are not the only ones going under the knife.

Children and teenagers around the world are undergoing cosmetic surgery at younger and younger ages.

By Ragen Chastain, Writer, Speaker & Activist

People of all sizes, including fat people, should be able to exist and thrive in the world without shame, stigma, bullying, or oppression regardless of why they are the size they are, what being that size means, or if they could become a different size. 

That statement should be so obvious that it never has to be said. Unfortunately, in a world where creating body hatred is incredibly profitable, and where anti-fat sentiment runs roughshod over the lives and happiness of so many fat people, it can’t be said enough.

The desire to have a better relationship with our bodies, and to support the diversity of body sizes, is an important first step, but there are many steps after that. They include steps that we may take to evolve in our relationships with our bodies, to unlearn the stigmatization of bodies that we have been taught by our culture, and to fight back against the messages that our bodies aren’t amazing and worthy at any size. Enter the Fat Activism Conference.