Home»All Photographs»Bodypainting at the Library

On 6/26/15, I gathered with an artist, a handful of helpers, and several fierce naked fat women for an Adipositivity bodypainting photoshoot. On the front steps of the New York Public Library, natch. We navigated the bumps and ruffles one might expect with such an event. Cops. Crowds. Dudes sexualizing where they’ve no business sexualizing. Cops again. As well as some tribulations we didn’t expect. But fortunately we were right between the famed library lions, Patience and Fortitude, and dammit, we scraped together one hell of an effective outreach event. I must’ve talked to hundreds of people about body positivity, fat visibility, and sizeism. Some of them from the press. As a result, today there are positive pieces about fat people and body love in papers and news sites all over the world. (Example linked below.) Thank you, Press! Wet neck smooches to you! Some of the folks who’d stopped to talk came back later for more discussion. No doubt about it. We made some people think.

The two disrobed women in the photos who aren’t blueish green were passersby who got so caught up in the spirit of fat body love, they took off their clothes. Yup. One even got a bit painted. Her name is Linda. She lives in Detroit. This is Linda’s first visit to New York City. She was going to see the library but got a little sidetracked. She now wants to move to NYC. I made certain she knows the streets aren’t normally teeming with green naked fat ladies, so she can make a more informed decision. But I do hope I’ll see Linda again.

The clothed fat lady in a couple of photos is me. A very grateful photo-activist who had a really nice afternoon. Many thanks to everyone who participated. Many, many thanks.

~Substantia Jones

US News & World Report: http://www.usnews.com/news/offbeat/articles/2015/06/26/fat-nude-body-painting-in-nyc-celebrates-body-positivity

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/9TgnkscYW6w

Bodypainting by Andy Golub of NYC Bodypainting Day