Unsolicited: Fatties Talk Back
Unsolicited: Fatties Talk Back
Unsolicited
Join fat activists Marquisele Mercedes (she/her), Da’Shaun Harrison (they/them), Caleb Luna (they/them), Bryan Guffey (they/them), and Jordan Underwood (they/he) as they break down how and why anti-fatness shows up in our lives and relationships. Listen as they get endlessly sidetracked while re-answering old advice columns about weight, fitness, and more from fat liberationist perspectives. Released almost every other Sunday.
CREAM
Hello again, fupas!! In this episode, the fatties share their dream ice creams and explore the pronunciation possibilities of different nuts. Then we pivot to a column from Dear Prudence about kink and the complexities of grappling with ~parental worries~ or external involvement in our romantic relationships. We get into fetishism, gaining, “pleasure politics”, edtwitter, autonomy, and, as always, desire. Grab a sundae and get into the first part of our conversation about fat kink.  P.S. We recorded this months ago before we got our audio sorted out. Sorry for any hiccups!  P.P.S Say hello to the many pets in the background of this episode!   This episode's advice column: Help! My Parents Seem Intent on Forcing Me to Reveal My Kink.   Media mentioned:  The Color of Kink: Black Women, BDSM, and Pornography by Ariane Cruz  Samuel Delaney’s keynote talk “Aversion/Perversion/Diversion”  Revenge Body by Caleb Luna  Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da’Shaun Harrison  No Health, No Care The Big Fat Loophole in the Hippocratic Oath by Marquisele Mercedes  Find us on social media! Unsolicited on Twitter Unsolicited on Instagram Find Da'Shaun: Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH Find Mikey: Twitter: @marquisele Insta: @fatmarquisele Find Jordan: Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall Find Caleb: Twitter/Insta: @dr_chairbreaker Find Bryan:  Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh
Jul 24, 2023
1 hr 15 min
How Do I Strip You of Your Power?
¡Hola Fupas! In this episode, your beloved fatties discuss the one, the only: Semaglutide!!! We take on the ‘Ozempic Revolution’ and take some turns into a heated discussion about ‘movement strategy’ to ponder a pressing question: What the hell are fat activists even asking for? But before any of that, we discuss our respective fast food sweet treats. It’s a packed episode, so grab a snack and prepare to be rage with us!  (P.S. We recorded this months ago before we got our audio sorted out. Sorry for any hiccups!)    Media mentioned: Wegovy Isn’t a Game Changer, But An Update by Marquisele Mercedes Institutional Antifatness w/ Marquisele Mercedes & Monica Kriete (from the Death Panel podcast) "Firm behind Wegovy slimming jab suspended from UK trade association"  ‘Orchestrated PR campaign’: how skinny jab drug firm sought to shape obesity debate  Wegovy’s So-Called “Long-Term” Study by Ragen Chastain  Weight Loss Research Should Be Five Years Long - At Least by Ragen Chastain  I Lost Weight on Ozempic. Here’s What the Debate Gets Wrong. (from the NYT’s First Person podcast) 
Jul 9, 2023
1 hr 38 min
Do You Carry a Lunchbox?
Happy Pride Fupas!! This episode, your fav fat queers start off by discussing our favorite noodles, with the amount of confusion, disagreement and hilarity you all have come to know and love. We move on to discuss the reason for the season: is there room for fat liberation at gay pride? We talk about the complexities and, more often than not, failures of pride celebrations to welcome ALL of all of us.  Take a seat, a beat, a cookie, and listen on all your favorite podcast streaming platforms. And above all: don’t forget deodorant for your inner thighs this summer!!  (P.S. There are some audio hiccups that we hope you can excuse. Like queerness, we too are messy.)    Media and topics mentioned: Revolting Bodies? The Struggle to Redefine Fat Identity by Kathleen Lebesco   Regret rates for gender affirming procedures  The Ugly Laws w/ Susan Schweik (from the podcast Sad Francisco)  A Primer on "Libidinal Economy" in Relation to Black Folks from Cosmic Hoboes  Desirability: Do you really love fat people when you can’t even see us beyond the political? by Da’Shaun Harrison  An discussion of “summer bodies” and Pride  Imani Barbarin on TikTok discussing COVID and the thin ideal  Jockstraps and Crop Tops: Fat Queer Femmes Dressing for the Night by Caleb Luna  Fire Island (2022)  Conversations on Equity: Eating Disorders, Race, and Queerness (a long-form audio project by Marquisele Mercedes)    Find us on social media! • Unsolicited on Twitter https://twitter.com/unsolicitedftb • Unsolicited on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/unsolicitedftb • Find Da'Shaun:   • Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH • Find Mikey:   • Twitter: @marquisele   • Insta: @fatmarquisele • Find Jordan:   • Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall • Find Caleb:   • Twitter/Insta: @dr_chairbreaker • Find Bryan:   • Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh   Transcript available soon!
Jun 25, 2023
1 hr 18 min
Un/touchable
We’re back, fupas! In our glorious return episode, the fatties gush over their favorite breads (and question whether crackers count?). Then, we tackle a problem closer to home; Mikey shares her concerns and we discuss the pressure to lose weight ahead of important life events, the difficulties with maintaining a fat politic, and the desire to be untouchable.   Find us on social media! • Unsolicited on Twitter  • Unsolicited on Instagram • Find Da'Shaun:   • Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH • Find Mikey:   • Twitter: @marquisele   • Insta: @fatmarquisele • Find Jordan:   • Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall • Find Caleb:   • Twitter/Insta: @dr_chairbreaker • Find Bryan:   • Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh   Transcript available soon!
Jun 18, 2023
1 hr 5 min
She's All Fat
Welcome back, fupas!! In this week’s ep, the fatties battle it out over favorite cereals and milk substitutes. Then we pivot to a column from Dear Prudence that opens up conversation into changes in relationships over time, desirability politics, and friendship. This episode's advice column: "Prudie advises a man who lost all feelings for his wife after she gained 50 pounds." Find us on social media! Unsolicited on Twitter Unsolicited on Instagram Find Da'Shaun: Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH Find Mikey: Twitter: @marquisele Insta: @fatmarquisele Find Jordan: Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall Find Caleb: Twitter/Insta: @dr_chairbreaker Find Bryan:  Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh Transcript available soon!
Nov 15, 2022
1 hr 1 min
ACAB Includes Food Policers
Happy Halloweenie, fupas (what we have decided to call our listeners)!! In this week’s spooky-ookie episode, the fatties rumble about their favorite spicy-icy foods. What qualifies as spicy and what doesn’t? And furthermore, whomst will be left standing—or sitting—in the battle royale?? The remaining fatties then return to the advice column format to ask the hard questions about fat-shaming, food-policing roommates. Listen now and Happy Halloween!!! 👻🎃🕷🕸 Media mentioned in this episode: https://www.byfood.com/blog/culture/what-is-wasabi Find us on social media! Unsolicited on Twitter Unsolicited on Instagram Find Da'Shaun: Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH Find Mikey: Twitter: @marquisele Insta: @fatmarquisele Find Jordan: Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall Find Caleb: Twitter: @chairbreaker_ Insta: chairbreaker2.0 Find Bryan:  Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh
Oct 27, 2022
1 hr 6 min
The Whale
In this episode, the fatties discusses the play and upcoming movie "The Whale," Brendan Fraser, and the way media rarely engages honestly with fat people of any size, but especially the fattest among us. For the opening segment, in honor of the theme of this episode, the group discusses their favorite seafood, which goes exactly how you probably expect! (Who has a bad take this time on seafood? Listen and find out!) Media mentioned on this episode: Vanity Fair: "The Whale" Misses the Mark Elizabeth Archer's Facebook Post Bryan's response Bryan & Elizabeth on KZYX Find us on social media! Unsolicited on Twitter Unsolicited on Instagram Find Da'Shaun: Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH Find Mikey: Twitter: @marquisele Insta: @fatmarquisele Find Jordan: Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall Find Caleb: Twitter: @chairbreaker_ Insta: chairbreaker2.0 Find Bryan:  Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh
Oct 9, 2022
1 hr 37 min
Live from the 2022 Fat Studies Conference
We're back babies! For our first episode of the season, we're going LIVE to the Fat Studies 2022 Conference. This episode was recorded on July 7, 2022. We kick off with an introduction by the amazing Aimee Simpson, the organizer of this year's conference. We follow with a moment of remembrance for Cat Pausè, conference founder, who passed away late last year. Cat was and remains an inspiration to so many of us, and her work and impact on Fat Studies will remain with us forever. For our appetizer, we talk about our favorite chocolate foods, and of course, there are some real #neurodivergentvibes to the way some of us engage with chocolate, and Bryan infodumps on Cadbury. We then get into our main course for the episode, which is a Captain Awkward piece from a fat woman who says she's struggling deeply to find herself loveable. As we dig in, we unpack the ways that we conflate sex with love, desirability with value, and how the anti-fatness outside and inside of us sets the boundaries for what we can and can't realistically have, and how to wrestle with that honestly and still find joy. On a side note, we're so excited to be welcoming you all back to Unsolicited Season Two. Episodes will drop every two weeks on Sunday, and we're launching a Patreon with our next episode. Thank you to every one of you who has listened and shared and engaged with our work, we're so honored to have you as our listeners. Transcript will be coming soon. Media mentioned on this episode: Captain Awkward: How Can I Stop Fat Shaming Myself and Enjoy My Life BGD Blog: On Being Fat, Brown, Femme, Ugly, and Unloveable Know Your Meme: Squidward Looking Out the Window Find us on social media! Unsolicited on Twitter Unsolicited on Instagram Find Da'Shaun: Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH Find Mikey: Twitter: @marquisele Insta: @fatmarquisele Find Jordan: Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall Find Caleb: Twitter: @chairbreaker_ Insta: chairbreaker2.0 Find Bryan:  Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh  
Sep 25, 2022
1 hr 20 min
Solicited: I'm Just Asking Questions
It's our Season Finale!  For our final episode of the season, we've got the best appetizer segment yet: the foods we love but everybody else hates. There's a lot of well-deserved dragging, but especially for Bryan. Then, we once again dive into a reader question (Hi Marissa!). This time, it's about fat parents whose own internalized anti-fatness had a huge impact on us as kids, but who may not have grown as we have. As you can imagine, this one gets deep, y'all. Finally, we wrap up with our thoughts about season one and where we're going from here. Spoiler alert: Yes, we're taking a well-deserved vacation, but we will be back in your ears in three short months! Meanwhile, we've got a couple aperitifs coming soon, so don't go anywhere! But honestly, it's been such an honor to go on this journey with all of you, and we can't wait for Season Two!  Find us on social media! Unsolicited on Twitter Unsolicited on Instagram Find Da'Shaun: Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH Find Mikey: Twitter: @marquisele Insta: @fatmarquisele Find Jordan: Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall Find Caleb: Twitter: @chairbreaker_ Insta: chairbreaker2.0 Find Bryan:  Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh  
Mar 27, 2022
1 hr 35 min
She's Too Butch!!!
The gang's all back and this time we're chatting about our favorite soups (or, in Caleb's case, why they allegedly hate soup). And, after an incredibly dramatic reading from Mikey, we discuss a Dear Prudence write-in from a mother concerned that her daughter-in-law is becoming too butch. ...Yeah. (Prepare to hear the word 'butch', like, a lot.)  This episode's advice column: "Help! My Son's Wife is Getting Bigger and Butcher Than a Woman Should!" Find us on social media! Unsolicited on Twitter Unsolicited on Instagram Find Da'Shaun: Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH Find Mikey: Twitter: @marquisele Insta: @fatmarquisele Find Jordan: Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall Find Caleb: Twitter/Insta: @chairbreaker_ Find Bryan:  Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh Transcript can be found here.
Mar 13, 2022
51 min
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