Hi! I started reading this blog a couple of weeks ago and it’s been a eye-opener. Let’s just say, thank you. Truly, madly, deeply. For every single inch of help, information, support you offer.

I’ve been wondering about something (well, lot of things, but this has bugged me for days) and would like to hear the thoughts of some wiser than me.

In Issa Water’s ‘21 Things’ post, the very first rule states that you can’t draw a line on who are fat and who are too fat. Fat acceptance is for all fat people.

On this blog, there’s a lot of entries from people who hate using public transport. For, obvious reasons.

I’ve tried to think about, how we could make travelling via buses, metro, planes etc. enjoyable to fat people, too. The obvious choice would seem to be enlargening the seats/vehicles. e.g. your FAQ says that plane seats are mostly 31-35". Which isn’t a lot. And, now, let’s say that companies behind the transport (…thingies? Decisions? Sorny, English isn’t my first language and I can’t find the suitable term) hear the pleads, and decide to do something about it; make the seats bigger and spaces suiting for fat people.

But now: by how much? Cause, where should they draw the line? Should they make the seats 5 inches larger? 10 inches? 15? Who would, could, be the right person to decide, which sized people get cast out?

I think. That if the change was finally made. Fat people were finally acknowledged. It would be awesome. But. But. Wouldn’t it be quite fucking horrible, to have them done by 10" and then be amongst those, who would’ve needed an 12" enlargement. I’m just somewhat wondering, whether the current situation is worse, than having that happen to you, and being basically told: we’ve adjusted, and hey guess what, you’re still too fat.

This may not be an issue at all, and there’s far more pressing matters concerning fat discrimination, but it’s something I’ve been trying to solve in my mind, quite unsuccesfully. Now I’m not seeking an 100% correct answer, here (unless, of course, you have one to offer :D). Just would love to hear some thoughts. :)

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Mod response:

To this in particular, to illustrate a point:

But now:by how much? Cause, where should they draw the line? Should they make the seats 5 inches larger? 10 inches? 15?

How about making them benches instead of single seats?

How about making any armrests moveable, and collapsible?

How about making seating reconfigurable/movable?

How about making all seating in 6 inch segments that are flipped up to the wall (like theatre seats) when you board, and if you need an 18" seat pull down three segments, and if you need a 24" seat pull down four, etc?

How about making a new kind of expandable, accordion-like seating?

Necessity breeds innovation. Right now there’s no necessity to service fat people because it’s acceptable NOT to service them – in fact, there’s an incentive to explicitly make their transportation experience more difficult and expensive, due to how thin passengers feel entitled to both their space and whatever “extra” space they deem a fat passenger is “wasting.” This is exacerbated by molded/fixed seat widths, so thin passengers feel entitled to the seat “they paid for” since it services them perfectly when not encroached upon, and fat people are forced to pay double or are shit out of luck.

There’s also a cultural framing of public seating that needs to change. We don’t see kids or thin people (generally) as “wasting” half a seat if they only take up half a standard sized seat. But if a fat person takes up 1 ½ seats then we see them (generally) as “wasting” the half of the second seat they don’t occupy.

-ArteToLife