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Featured Blogger
Natalie of Definatalie
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This month we meet the fashion and art loving ‘fatshionista’ behind www.definatalie.com – Natalie!
How do you describe Definatalie to people you meet who haven’t read it before?
It’s only recently that I’ve started to feel more comfortable telling people I’m a blogger! It’s been hard for me to synthesise what definatalie.com is all about into a digestible phrase, but I just sent off my new business cards (blogness cards!) to the printer and on the back of it is “I am an artist, designer, activist and fatshionista and I blog about all of this on definatalie.com”. My blog is personal, it’s about all the things that interest me and make me me, but it’s also about giving voice to things that other people might be too afraid to vocalise.
When did you first start blogging and what made you first hit the keyboard?
I first started blogging on Livejournal, like a lot of people, around 2001. Since I was a kid I used a journal to record and work through my days and events, so it was pretty natural for me to move to LJ and do the same. What appealed to me about online journaling was the opportunity to communicate with people via the written word, rather than orally, and it was definitely the sense of community I experienced in those early days that hooked me! I think blogging has a lot to do with connection and community, as much as it’s about self expression. We all want to feel like we’re not alone and blogging helps us know that.
You’ve been blogging at Definatalie for three years – congratulations! Can you tell us why it evolved from being about art to design to being more about fat acceptance and your own personal experiences?
When I started definatalie.com I was working in a proper office job as a graphic designer and I wanted to get out because I was very close to a mental breakdown. The concept of blogging to make money was only very new but I wanted to experiment with it and see where it would take me. I never realised that it would take me on a personal journey!
As I kept blogging and experimenting I learnt that niche blogging, or blogging to make money, didn’t interest me that much. It felt like I had to negate a lot of my personality and follow too many rules and honestly, there wasn’t any monetary gain. So I evolved my “voice” and my blogging topics so that I could talk about other things that were important to me. Funnily enough, when I started getting personal I started connecting with people!
I still blog about art and design as part of a range of topics that interest me and form who I am, but I want to talk about more than that because I am more than a couple of niche topics. For me, blogging has been a great tool for self acceptance and love and I don’t think enough people recognise that.
Why do you think blogging about fat acceptance is important – (and can you explain what fat acceptance is, for those who might not be familiar with it)?
The Fat Acceptance movement is all about the radical notion that fat people are human beings with a right to being treated respectfully in social, professional and medical spheres. It’s about recognising that fat people are discriminated against and have their options limited. Many people automatically equate fat with poor health, ugliness, and laziness but fail to understand that those assumptions are actually more hurtful and damaging than fat itself. Media hysteria about weight references myths and biased studies and sadly, this is informing the general public as well as many health professionals. People are not getting factual information about weight and health and this is in turn harming a significant proportion of the population.
I blog about fat acceptance, fat fashion and my own personal fat because fatness is more often than not negated and made invisible. Fat people are rarely allowed to speak on their own behalf because they are seen as not being in charge of themselves or their bodies. It’s an injustice that I can’t be quiet about, and by adding my voice to an increasingly dissatisfied and poorly treated minority I hope to make fat issues more visible so treatment of fat people is more equitable.
What is the thing you most enjoy about blogging?
The opportunity to enact social change through discussion is so precious and important to me. I love being able to express myself and I love having a platform where I can do that. As a woman who is also fat, my opinion is too often dismissed and it’s upsetting and unjust. Exercising my right to an opinion and a visibility has meant that other people have seen my online presence and felt confident enough to exercise their own rights and start blogging too.
What is the coolest thing your blog has helped you to do?
I’ve been able to learn a lot from blogging and interacting with commenters and other bloggers. Personal growth and deepening my self awareness is really important to me and I’m ever appreciative to be part of a community that challenges me and lets me own my growth.
On top of that, I have had some pretty cool experiences too. This year I’ve done some fantastic things and met some beautiful people and attended amazing events… all because I write stuff on the internet. It blows my mind!
What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out their very first blog?
Being a blogger means you’re a Jack and Jill of all trades! You’re often a writer, photographer, curator, editor and sales person. This means you get a lot of freedom for self expression but a lot of responsibility too.
Readers appreciate honesty and authenticity. If you make a mistake, own it, apologise and learn from that mistake. Always credit your sources. Link to images and posts that inspire you and your blog’s content. Get your readers talking, to you, and to your other readers. Create a little bubble that your readers (and you!) want to return to and nourish.
Tell us about your pets, friends, hobbies, star sign, shoe size… whatever!
I’ve made so many friends through blogging, and not just acquaintance type friends either – real friendships with people I hang out with IRL and URL! As an introverted teenager, I wondered if the internet could be a way to find people to connect and communicate with, and as I approach 30 I’m amazed to reflect on my life and recognise that yep, I have made wonderful friendships that transcend the online/ offline dichotomy. The internet isn’t just for porn! It provides people with a platform for finding kindred spirits. I really don’t know how I would have fared if I was born even a decade earlier.
Do you have a particular favourite post you think is Definatalie at its best?
Most Fridays I post the Friday Fance – five images that typify my version of “fanciness”. For me, fanciness has little to do with gender or sexuality and lots to do with passion for self expression and creativity. Your “fance” is about demonstrating you at your most wonderful and complex best.
Recommend a blog to us! If you like Definatalie, maybe you’d like….
This is really hard for me, because I can never choose just one thing to recommend! So here is a short list of recommended reading :)
What do you love about Nuffnang?
Nuffnang is bringing blogging credibility to Australia, a country that instills such misguided faith in traditional media. I love the sense of community Nuffnang encourages, and being given the opportunity to take part in innovative social media campaigns like the Chambord Shine Awards campaign I’m currently involved in. Thanks Nuffnang!
