Our Story
Making friends as an adult is hard. Making friends who don’t shut the fuck up about their diet is harder.
Picture it, Rhode Island, 2019: In what started as a joke tag group on Facebook, Venus and Brittany connected and realized having and organized community of local fat babes would be amazing. They decided to be the change they wanted to see in the world and thus, Fat Babes RI was born.
Through the pandemic we began to grow, but it wasn’t until lockdown lifted that we started planning regular events, including our favorite annual Thick Bitch Picnic. We’ve enjoyed beach days, karaoke nights, good conversations, shared knowledge, and building community. We’re always looking for opportunities to bring people together.
Membership Requirements
- This group is for women/enbies. If you are unsure whether this includes your specific gender identity, please feel free to message an administrator. We are an LGBTQ+ inclusive space.
- This group is for fat people. We are pro fat liberation, full stop. There is no hard line to determine what 'fat' is because lets face it, culture around bodies is fucked. We are not in the business of telling people how to identify, however this space is intended for people who joyfully self identify as fat. We are all at different points in our individual journeys, please enter this space with humility and respect.
- This group is for adults. To allow free discussions that include sex, sexuality, and substances, we do not allow minors in this group.
Our Co-Founders
Brittany is either completely silent or talking at 1.5x speed. They are a web developer, graphic designer, event planner, brand strategist, and community manager. They plan events, edit the monthly Fat Babes RI newsletter and maintain the website.
You can't take them anywhere without them making silly noises at any dog in their field of vision. Unlike the natives, she makes a habit of leaving Rhode Island to travel whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Venus/Leslie is a bubbly ball of glitter and everybody's cheerleader. She loves planning group events and finding fresh faces to expand our community. As a newly formed burlesque baddie, she's giving representation on the stage and in the streets to make fat bodies feel seen and included.
She is the inspiration behind our beloved Thick Bitch Picnic and has an eye for creativity, helping make our events dazzle and shine. Because the only thing she loves more than fat babes is fat babes in a setting worthy to behold them.
Community Rules and Guidelines
- Members must meet the membership requirements. These requirements exist to protect the purpose of the group and safety of group members.
- This is not an intentional weight loss community or support group. The purpose is to love, support and encourage each other exactly as we are. Discussions about health, nutrition, and fitness are fine but not with the singular goal of weight loss.
- Discrimination, hatred, and trolling will not be tolerated. The vibe is drunk girls in the ladies room, not the Facebook comments section.
- Promotion of weight loss products or multi-level marketing (MLM) schemes is not allowed. Promoting your own business or side hustle is fine so long as you do not spam the group with posts and meaningfully participate otherwise. Also if it comes off as scammy pseudoscience wellness grifting, not only will it be deleted, it will be endlessly mocked first.
- Do not share posts/photos outside of the group without permission. If a member asks to have a photo taken down with themselves in it, please remove or edit the photo. Respect digital privacy whenever possible.
- Members who host events may set restrictions. This can include guest count, substance policy, dress code, and guest policies.