Kate McCracken began the Cincifatty body liberation community in 2019. The Facebook-based, intensely body-positive community has, since then, shared clothes, advice, recommendations and messages of body-positivity both online and at events like clothing swaps, book clubs, tea parties and pool parties.
“At our events, you wear the bathing suit you want to. You show up in the body that you have,” said McCracken. “You see people of all different backgrounds just gathering, and it becomes a space where folks get their identity validated just by being [there].”
The group, which aims to give people of all body types a space to embrace themselves, will throw their fourth annual pool party in August.
“The idea is that everyone, regardless of size, health, gender, sexuality, deserves to feel free in their body, and sometimes societal, cultural things tell us that we’re not supposed to be—force us to think that we’re wrong or bad [and to] try to change it,” said McCracken.
Swimsuits for all
McCracken originally got the idea for the pool party from the Hulu show Shrill. One of McCracken’s friends in Cincifatty asked her to throw a party like the one featured in Season 1, Episode 4, “Fat Babe Pool Party.”
Pools have a density of bodily pressures. “Many people, because swimming often includes wearing a bathing suit, have just stayed out of the water or not gone to places like pools and beaches because they didn’t feel comfortable or they felt afraid or they felt ashamed,” she said. “So many people since the very first party have come up to me and said, ‘I haven’t worn a swimsuit in 15 years and today I’m doing it and it feels so good."
She hopes the Cincifatty group and events like the pool party will help combat diet cultures and societal messages of “wrong bodies” that affect many groups.
“Diet culture harms everybody, but actually oppresses fat people. And it’s not even just fat people because of all the many intersections you might be living in a fat body,” said McCracken “You might be a queer person, you might be a person of color, you might be a disabled person. The more of those underrepresented identities, non-dominant-majority identities you have, the more you’re told your body is wrong.”
Building a body-positive community
McCracken started Cincifatty four years ago as a Facebook group. She had just moved to Cincinnati from California, driven by her lifelong desire to live somewhere with seasons.
Cincinnati was a place that McCracken and her partner felt was “receptive to growth.”
It won their hearts among competitors of other potential cities that “people from L.A. usually move to” like Austin, Texas, and Portland, Oregon. It had a Brooklyn vibe, a not-so-cold winter and a thriving arts community.
The only thing missing? A body-positive community. McCracken got to fixing that problem herself.
“I had recently gone through my own process of unlearning diet culture and really accepting and even celebrating my own body,” she said. “And so I started asking around” and found other interested people.
Since then, members have used the group to share in their experiences, both good and bad, and ask for recommendations for things like clothing and doctors.
The group continues to grow. Their first pool party, in 2019, had 30 to 40 people. This year, they expect upwards of 100.
McCracken rents a community pool and partygoers fill it with giant inflatables, the music of a collaborative playlist, beautiful and diverse bodies, and joy.
All body types and all gender presentations are accepted and wanted at Cincifatty events. McCracken says she encourages members to bring friends of all sorts.
“As long as you’re just showing up with an expression of yourself that doesn’t cross someone else’s boundaries, then we’re good,” McCracken said.
Becoming more queer-affirming
McCracken says the group has welcomed more and more members of the LGBTQ+ community since its inception.
“Over time, there were folks particularly from trans and gender-nonconforming communities showing up tentatively, like, “I don’t know if this is okay,” and then being like, “This is okay. Bring your friends.” This is actually a safe place. And I think we’ve gotten more of a reputation as a very queer-affirming community as a result.”
McCracken hopes that more people find the community. She has a deep-seated desire to share what she has built.
“So I have this experience where I’m walking down the street in Cincinnati and I see a person whether they’re in a fat body, or I perceive them to be a queer person or disabled person or whatever,” she said. “And I think to myself, ‘I wonder if they know about [our event] since just because I know how lonely it is to be living in one of those identities and not always feeling like I have enough community around me to affirm my existence.”
McCracken hopes that buzz about Cincifatty continues to build.
“I would love for our community, through our events, just to grow to the point where we’re a household name. That, if you live in our region, you know that it exists. And if you choose not to participate, that’s all fine and good. But that, over the years, fewer and fewer people are like, ‘Oh, I just found out about this.’” 🔥
Ignite Action
The 4th Annual CINCIFATTY SPLASH Pool Party will be held on Sunday, August 13 from 6:30-9pm at Waterworks Pool (2605 Harris Ave, Norwood, OH 45212). Tickets are required to attend. More info and tickets here.
Follow the Cincyfatty – Body Liberation for All community on Facebook.