PicoBlog

This week, I’ve been feeling reflective. Perhaps it’s because, as an elder millennial, I’ve finally joined Tiktok haha! And so now I’m being introduced to a whole new raft of fat joyful folks and content creators, which of course is wonderful. But it got me thinking of what my first fat influences were, and my first memories of fat people in culture. And it got me thinking of one character in particular...

Now look, the late 80s and early 90s were pretty dark times in fat representation. I can remember Roseanne, I can remember Rose and Onslow in Keeping Up Appearances (which feels like a very British reference!), and then of course we were beginning to get into fat suit territory. But one of my earliest memories is far happier and far more wholesome – it's Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act!

Firstly, what a film! (And Sister Act 2, both perfect films!). With Whoopi Goldberg in the central role, both of these films are joyful, exuberant, heartwarming affirming films. Sister Mary Patrick becomes one of her closest friends - warm, welcoming, and encouraging.

There is not a single joke made at the expense of Sister Mary Patrick. She is well liked. She does the same choreo as the others. She eats on camera, along with her straight sized friends. She is actively part of the storyline, seen as an equal. Yes, she is portrayed as hyper-bubbly, which is often a characteristic projected onto people of size, but I can’t get myself worked up about that – her infectious smile and enthusiasm for life gives ME life, and I love her ‘pure sunshine’ energy!

I feel particularly warm when I think of this film and this character. My body registers safety, my heart feels warm, and my thoughts feel positive. And I’m so glad that I got to internalise this early example of positive fat representation, even though of course I didn’t know it at the time. And that’s just as powerful as if she’d been explicitly fat positive – here she was, existing, doing things, being appreciated, being loved, being talented.

Of course, fatness is important to me – to paraphrase one of my heroes, Maya Angelou, I’ve been fat a long time now – it would be stupid not to be on my own side. So gathering up ephemeral little memories, and naming and claiming them as ephemeral little fat memories, helps me to root myself down into who I am, and where I come from. And why wouldn’t I want to come from a group of people that includes Sister Mary Patrick? <3

Until next week, friends, wishing you safety and joy.

Vicky

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