Abstract
Within this paper, a white, fat, queer, trans nonbinary designer and educator uses a critical autoethnographic approach to examine the ways in which they have centered fat bodies. This is done through examination of two experiences: a design project creating fat letterforms and a pedagogical activity discussing bias in AI where they say fat in the classroom. By examining each narrative using a defined procedure, the author analyzes how fatphobia and other systems have negatively influenced the inclusion of fat bodies within design. Their analysis thus produces specific takeaways of how to name and resist this system. Using this approach while highlighting the lack of literature regarding fat bodies and design, the author positions this paper toward expanding the design field to be inclusive of fat bodies. This work orients design toward equitable practices while resisting a growingly inequitable political and cultural climate in the USA and internationally.
Keywords
fat, fatphobia, autoethnography, inclusion
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.846
Citation
Hull, B. (2026) Naming and resisting the system of fatphobia in design by a fat, queer designer and educator, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.846
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Naming and resisting the system of fatphobia in design by a fat, queer designer and educator
Within this paper, a white, fat, queer, trans nonbinary designer and educator uses a critical autoethnographic approach to examine the ways in which they have centered fat bodies. This is done through examination of two experiences: a design project creating fat letterforms and a pedagogical activity discussing bias in AI where they say fat in the classroom. By examining each narrative using a defined procedure, the author analyzes how fatphobia and other systems have negatively influenced the inclusion of fat bodies within design. Their analysis thus produces specific takeaways of how to name and resist this system. Using this approach while highlighting the lack of literature regarding fat bodies and design, the author positions this paper toward expanding the design field to be inclusive of fat bodies. This work orients design toward equitable practices while resisting a growingly inequitable political and cultural climate in the USA and internationally.