The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) is a non-profit,

fat acceptance The fat acceptance movement (also known by various other names, such as fat pride, fat empowerment, fat liberation, and fat activism) is a social movement which seeks to eliminate the social stigma of obesity. Areas of contention include the aest ...

civil rights oriented organization in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

dedicated to improving the

quality of life Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...

for the

obese Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classified as obese when ...

. NAAFA works to eliminate

discrimination Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...

based on

body size Body may refer to: In science * Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space * Body (biology), the physical material of an organism * Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of animal ...

and provide fat people with the tools for

self-empowerment Empowerment is the degree of autonomy and self-determination in people and in communities. This enables them to represent their interests in a responsible and self-determined way, acting on their own authority. It is the process of becoming strong ...

through public education,

advocacy Advocacy is an Action (philosophy), activity by an individual or advocacy group, group that aims to influence decision making, decisions within political, economic, and social institutions. Advocacy includes activities and publications to infl ...

, and member support.

History

NAAFA was founded in 1969 by Bill Fabrey in

Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...

as the "National Association to Aid Fat Americans.". In its early years, social activities and letter-writing campaigns were a major part of the organization. As the organization turned more toward

political activism Activism consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived common good. Forms of activism range from mandate build ...

, the name was changed during the 1980s. NAAFA has a yearly national convention in summer, which is usually alternated between the east and west coasts. In 2008 they introduced the "NAAFA Size Diversity Toolkit" to educate corporations on quality of life issues. As part of its ongoing campaign, NAAFA also opposes

airline An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers or freight (cargo). Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines ...

policies regarding charging fat people for each seat they use.

In popular culture

Penn and Teller Penn may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Penn'' (film), 1954 Tamil film starring Vyjayanthimala * ''Penn'' (TV series), a 1991 Tamil mini-series * ''Penn'' (TV series), a 2006 Tamil-language soap opera * '' The Penn'', or ''The Stylus'', ...

featured NAAFA ( in an episode called "Obesity") on the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

series '' Bullshit!'' (March 24, 2007).Penn & Teller ''Bullshit!'' on Showtime
/ref> *NAAFA is parodied in the animated sitcom

Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. Th ...

as the "National Association for the Advancement of Fat People." *NAAFA is parodied in

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

episode,

Walking Big & Tall "Walking Big & Tall" is the thirteenth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 565th overall episode of the series. The episode was directed by Chris Clements and written by Micha ...

as the organization, Big is Beautiful.

References

External links

Official website
Civil rights organizations in the United States Fat acceptance movement Obesity Disability organizations based in the United States Support groups {{US-org-stub