Writer Virgie Tovar denounces structural fatphobia in Latin America.
American writer and activist Virgie Tovar , one of the most influential voices in the fight against fatphobia , stated in an interview that women with larger bodies in Colombia and Latin America face not only social stigmas but also structural barriers similar to those in her native country.
"Often it's not just about beauty standards, but about things as basic as whether a person can sit on the bus, receive adequate medical care, or get vaccinated with the right needle size," Tovar explained during her visit to Bogotá.
Tovar, author of the book You Have the Right to Remain Fat, said that telling her story has been a way to reclaim the narrative about larger bodies : "My life is happy, it's full, and that makes a lot of people uncomfortable because it doesn't fit the pathetic image that's often projected onto us."
Of Mexican descent, Tovar has openly shared her personal experience with eating disorders and social pressure to lose weight from a young age.
"You Have the Right to Remain Fat," by Virgie Tovar.
After years of dieting and self-imposed pressure, she found in feminism and activism a way to redefine her relationship with her body and denounce the structures that perpetuate oppression toward fat people.
The activist expressed surprise at the reception of her book in the Spanish-speaking world : "I didn't know it would be translated into Spanish or that it would have such an impact in feminist circles in countries like Colombia or Chile," she said.
In Bogotá , she has met with groups such as the Gordas sin chaquetas foundation and collaborated with other Latin American activists from the body movement.
She also acknowledged the influence that Latin American women writers have had on her work, whom she admires for their approach to the body from a more honest and direct perspective than is typical in American literature.
"Latin American women writers have been extremely influential for me because they write about the body very differently, and I would say they do so with more honesty," she said.
Writer Virgie Tovar denounces structural fatphobia in Latin America. Photo: Clarín archive.
Regarding Colombia, she acknowledged not having been directly discriminated against during her stay , but heard testimonies that confirm the presence of structural fatphobia.
He also reported that pharmaceutical companies have first tested campaigns for products like Ozempic, which lowers blood sugar levels, in Latin America before bringing them to the U.S.
"It is outrageous that experiments are being carried out in this region, as if it were a laboratory ," he added.
Clarin
