Why Jes Baker is totally a fat positive hero

Jes Baker is okay with being fat. Get over it.

That’s just the message the 26-year-old Behavioral Health Professional recently sent to Abercrombie & Fitch CEO, Mike Jeffries (anyone else tired of hearing that guy’s name?). But she also sent that message to society itself.

Jes has garnered millions of views on her blog, The Militant Baker. Her letter to Abercrombie & Fitch with an “Attractive & Fat” photo shoot included was wildly popular, and she was interviewed by several news stations.

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All of Jes’s articles are passionate, revolutionary morsels that encourage her readers to stamp out fatphobia, in either more demurely motivational ways (e.g. “The second you stop looking for a skinny model in your mirror and start looking at YOU… is the second you will start to appreciate what you are.”), or more forthright ones (e.g. “F*ck their fascist beauty standards.”).

In addition to kicking the media’s physical fat-related standards in the face, Jes also feels strongly about increasing awareness of the psychological issues surrounding weight. She blogs a lot about mental health, and she writes with the care of someone who has had personal experience.

And did I mention all of Jes’s body-loving pictures? If you ever feel bad about yourself after looking through a magazine with impossible ideals, just look at her “How to Get a Sexy Swimsuit Body in Less than 5 Minutes!” post. Or her article called, “I Wear What I Want: Sleeveless”. Or her “Body Image(s)” photography project. You really can’t go wrong.

Jes is a truly awesome role model. She fiercely challenges the media and the ideals it has created — something, with practice, we all should dare to do.

Elizabeth Frankel is a Minnesotan who loves psychology, theatre, and anything related to horses. She seeks to understand why the world is the way it is through critical thinking, and when that fails, she just employs sarcasm.