I have no issue with using the word "fat" without meaning anything negative (because using euphemisms implies that being fat is such a bad thing that it's insulting to even acknowledge a simple fact about someone's body).
I think fat activists are right: it's just a freaking normal body shape, and we don't have to whisper about it.
BUT THEN...
But then I have to write an image description of an illustration of a gorgeous fat person and have to either erase fatness/fat people by not mentioning it at all, try not to offend by using a euphemism like "curvy" or "plus size" to obscure the meaning a bit, or describe the person as "fat" and worry that could sound like a negative judgment.
Especially with artists who purposefully represent fat people in their art, it would feel like a huge disservice to erase that in the alt text.
Maybe someone more involved in #FatAcceptance can help me out here with recommendations? I like to give good #ImageDescriptions that include relevant details and I want to be as #BodyPositive as possible. But text based communication poses some serious challenges when it comes to tone and implications. #Accessibility #Fatphobia
Ultimately I think best practice is probably just to try to use the word "fat" when and where it's relevant/appropriate, and in doing so hopefully participate in normalizing fat bodies, but it feels tricky.
@artemis "Gloriously fat". Joyfully fat, nicely plump. Beholden of a frog-like body presumably not being the positive thing people liking frogs might think it is, but insert a fluffy "rond" animal that people like more so instead to describe the body shape if more of an apple? Or a pear or whatever. Panda physiqued person. A fat cat of cool with a cuddle ready body?
(Don't describe me as cuddle-ready, I want no strangers near me or thinking they'll have access to me.)