Flaunting fat and sharing fashion: A multimodal analysis of how two Black fatshion influencers resist weight stigma on Instagram

Abstract

Fat fashion blogging has largely been celebrated for its resistance potential. Historically, much of this blogging was collaborative with a focus on sharing information and counter-aesthetic images on plus-size fashion. With the rise of the advertising-driven social media platform Instagram, individuals can capitalize on fatshion blogging by becoming social media influencers who promote brands and encourage purchasing decisions. This article uses visual semiotic analysis and critical discourse analysis to show how two fat Black fashion influencers use fashion, flaunting and fat discourse to resist weight stigma. We argue that these efforts complicate our understanding of fat resistance due to the neo-liberal intensification of the entrepreneurial self. Exploring the fat fashion Instagram phenomenon opens new avenues for reflecting on digital resistance to weight stigma and how this is undermined by capitalist interests.