Unsolicited: Fatties Talk Back

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Latest Episodes:

CREAM Jul 24, 2023

Hello again, fupas!! In this episode, the fatties share their dream ice creams and explore the pronunciation possibilities of different nuts. Then we pivot to a column from Dear Prudence about kink and the complexities of grappling with ~parental worries~ or external involvement in our romantic relationships. We get into fetishism, gaining, “pleasure politics”, edtwitter, autonomy, and, as always, desire. Grab a sundae and get into the first part of our conversation about fat kink.

P.S. We recorded this months ago before we got our audio sorted out. Sorry for any hiccups!

P.P.S Say hello to the many pets in the background of this episode!

This episode's advice column: Help! My Parents Seem Intent on Forcing Me to Reveal My Kink.

Media mentioned:

The Color of Kink: Black Women, BDSM, and Pornography by Ariane Cruz

Samuel Delaney’s keynote talk “Aversion/Perversion/Diversion”

Revenge Body by Caleb Luna

Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da’Shaun Harrison

No Health, No Care The Big Fat Loophole in the Hippocratic Oath by Marquisele Mercedes

Find us on social media!

Unsolicited on Twitter
Unsolicited on Instagram
Find Da'Shaun:

Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH

Find Mikey:

Twitter: @marquisele
Insta: @fatmarquisele

Find Jordan:

Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall

Find Caleb:

Twitter/Insta: @dr_chairbreaker

Find Bryan:

Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh

How Do I Strip You of Your Power? Jul 09, 2023

¡Hola Fupas! In this episode, your beloved fatties discuss the one, the only: Semaglutide!!! We take on the ‘Ozempic Revolution’ and take some turns into a heated discussion about ‘movement strategy’ to ponder a pressing question: What the hell are fat activists even asking for? But before any of that, we discuss our respective fast food sweet treats. It’s a packed episode, so grab a snack and prepare to be rage with us!

(P.S. We recorded this months ago before we got our audio sorted out. Sorry for any hiccups!)

Media mentioned:

Wegovy Isn’t a Game Changer, But An Update by Marquisele Mercedes

Institutional Antifatness w/ Marquisele Mercedes & Monica Kriete (from the Death Panel podcast)

"Firm behind Wegovy slimming jab suspended from UK trade association"

‘Orchestrated PR campaign’: how skinny jab drug firm sought to shape obesity debate

Wegovy’s So-Called “Long-Term” Study by Ragen Chastain

Weight Loss Research Should Be Five Years Long - At Least by Ragen Chastain

I Lost Weight on Ozempic. Here’s What the Debate Gets Wrong. (from the NYT’s First Person podcast)

Do You Carry a Lunchbox? Jun 25, 2023

Happy Pride Fupas!! This episode, your fav fat queers start off by discussing our favorite noodles, with the amount of confusion, disagreement and hilarity you all have come to know and love. We move on to discuss the reason for the season: is there room for fat liberation at gay pride? We talk about the complexities and, more often than not, failures of pride celebrations to welcome ALL of all of us. Take a seat, a beat, a cookie, and listen on all your favorite podcast streaming platforms. And above all: don’t forget deodorant for your inner thighs this summer!!

(P.S. There are some audio hiccups that we hope you can excuse. Like queerness, we too are messy.)

Media and topics mentioned:

Revolting Bodies? The Struggle to Redefine Fat Identity by Kathleen Lebesco

Regret rates for gender affirming procedures

The Ugly Laws w/ Susan Schweik (from the podcast Sad Francisco)

A Primer on "Libidinal Economy" in Relation to Black Folks from Cosmic Hoboes

Desirability: Do you really love fat people when you can’t even see us beyond the political? by Da’Shaun Harrison

An discussion of “summer bodies” and Pride

Imani Barbarin on TikTok discussing COVID and the thin ideal

Jockstraps and Crop Tops: Fat Queer Femmes Dressing for the Night by Caleb Luna

Fire Island (2022)

Conversations on Equity: Eating Disorders, Race, and Queerness (a long-form audio project by Marquisele Mercedes)

Find us on social media!

• Unsolicited on Twitter https://twitter.com/unsolicitedftb

• Unsolicited on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/unsolicitedftb

• Find Da'Shaun:

• Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH

• Find Mikey:

• Twitter: @marquisele

• Insta: @fatmarquisele

• Find Jordan:

• Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall

• Find Caleb:

• Twitter/Insta: @dr_chairbreaker

• Find Bryan:

• Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh

Transcript available soon!

Un/touchable Jun 18, 2023

We’re back, fupas! In our glorious return episode, the fatties gush over their favorite breads (and question whether crackers count?). Then, we tackle a problem closer to home; Mikey shares her concerns and we discuss the pressure to lose weight ahead of important life events, the difficulties with maintaining a fat politic, and the desire to be untouchable.

Find us on social media!

• Unsolicited on Twitter

• Unsolicited on Instagram

• Find Da'Shaun:

• Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH

• Find Mikey:

• Twitter: @marquisele

• Insta: @fatmarquisele

• Find Jordan:

• Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall

• Find Caleb:

• Twitter/Insta: @dr_chairbreaker

• Find Bryan:

• Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh

Transcript available soon!

She's All Fat Nov 15, 2022

Welcome back, fupas!! In this week’s ep, the fatties battle it out over favorite cereals and milk substitutes. Then we pivot to a column from Dear Prudence that opens up conversation into changes in relationships over time, desirability politics, and friendship. This episode's advice column:

"Prudie advises a man who lost all feelings for his wife after she gained 50 pounds."

Find us on social media!

Unsolicited on Twitter
Unsolicited on Instagram
Find Da'Shaun:
- Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH
Find Mikey:
- Twitter: @marquisele
- Insta: @fatmarquisele
Find Jordan:
- Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall
Find Caleb:
- Twitter/Insta: @dr_chairbreaker
Find Bryan:
- Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh

Transcript available soon!

ACAB Includes Food Policers Oct 27, 2022

Happy Halloweenie, fupas (what we have decided to call our listeners)!! In this week’s spooky-ookie episode, the fatties rumble about their favorite spicy-icy foods. What qualifies as spicy and what doesn’t? And furthermore, whomst will be left standing—or sitting—in the battle royale?? The remaining fatties then return to the advice column format to ask the hard questions about fat-shaming, food-policing roommates. Listen now and Happy Halloween!!! 👻🎃🕷🕸

Media mentioned in this episode:

https://www.byfood.com/blog/culture/what-is-wasabi

Find us on social media!

Unsolicited on Twitter
Unsolicited on Instagram
Find Da'Shaun:
- Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH
Find Mikey:
- Twitter: @marquisele
- Insta: @fatmarquisele
Find Jordan:
- Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall
Find Caleb:
- Twitter: @chairbreaker_
- Insta: chairbreaker2.0
Find Bryan:
- Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh

The Whale Oct 09, 2022

In this episode, the fatties discusses the play and upcoming movie "The Whale," Brendan Fraser, and the way media rarely engages honestly with fat people of any size, but especially the fattest among us. For the opening segment, in honor of the theme of this episode, the group discusses their favorite seafood, which goes exactly how you probably expect! (Who has a bad take this time on seafood? Listen and find out!)

Media mentioned on this episode:

Find us on social media!

Unsolicited on Twitter
Unsolicited on Instagram
Find Da'Shaun:
- Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH
Find Mikey:
- Twitter: @marquisele
- Insta: @fatmarquisele
Find Jordan:
- Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall
Find Caleb:
- Twitter: @chairbreaker_
- Insta: chairbreaker2.0
Find Bryan:
- Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh

Live from the 2022 Fat Studies Conference Sep 25, 2022

We're back babies! For our first episode of the season, we're going LIVE to the Fat Studies 2022 Conference. This episode was recorded on July 7, 2022. We kick off with an introduction by the amazing Aimee Simpson, the organizer of this year's conference. We follow with a moment of remembrance for Cat Pausè, conference founder, who passed away late last year. Cat was and remains an inspiration to so many of us, and her work and impact on Fat Studies will remain with us forever.

For our appetizer, we talk about our favorite chocolate foods, and of course, there are some real #neurodivergentvibes to the way some of us engage with chocolate, and Bryan infodumps on Cadbury.

We then get into our main course for the episode, which is a Captain Awkward piece from a fat woman who says she's struggling deeply to find herself loveable. As we dig in, we unpack the ways that we conflate sex with love, desirability with value, and how the anti-fatness outside and inside of us sets the boundaries for what we can and can't realistically have, and how to wrestle with that honestly and still find joy.

On a side note, we're so excited to be welcoming you all back to Unsolicited Season Two. Episodes will drop every two weeks on Sunday, and we're launching a Patreon with our next episode. Thank you to every one of you who has listened and shared and engaged with our work, we're so honored to have you as our listeners.

Transcript will be coming soon.

Media mentioned on this episode:

Find us on social media!

Unsolicited on Twitter
Unsolicited on Instagram
Find Da'Shaun:
- Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH
Find Mikey:
- Twitter: @marquisele
- Insta: @fatmarquisele
Find Jordan:
- Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall
Find Caleb:
- Twitter: @chairbreaker_
- Insta: chairbreaker2.0
Find Bryan:
- Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh

Solicited: I'm Just Asking Questions Mar 27, 2022

It's our Season Finale!

For our final episode of the season, we've got the best appetizer segment yet: the foods we love but everybody else hates. There's a lot of well-deserved dragging, but especially for Bryan. Then, we once again dive into a reader question (Hi Marissa!). This time, it's about fat parents whose own internalized anti-fatness had a huge impact on us as kids, but who may not have grown as we have. As you can imagine, this one gets deep, y'all.

Finally, we wrap up with our thoughts about season one and where we're going from here. Spoiler alert: Yes, we're taking a well-deserved vacation, but we will be back in your ears in three short months! Meanwhile, we've got a couple aperitifs coming soon, so don't go anywhere!

But honestly, it's been such an honor to go on this journey with all of you, and we can't wait for Season Two!

Find us on social media!

Unsolicited on Twitter
Unsolicited on Instagram
Find Da'Shaun:
- Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH
Find Mikey:
- Twitter: @marquisele
- Insta: @fatmarquisele
Find Jordan:
- Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall
Find Caleb:
- Twitter: @chairbreaker_
- Insta: chairbreaker2.0
Find Bryan:
- Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh

She's Too Butch!!! Mar 13, 2022

The gang's all back and this time we're chatting about our favorite soups (or, in Caleb's case, why they allegedly hate soup). And, after an incredibly dramatic reading from Mikey, we discuss a Dear Prudence write-in from a mother concerned that her daughter-in-law is becoming too butch. ...Yeah. (Prepare to hear the word 'butch', like, a lot.) This episode's advice column:

"Help! My Son's Wife is Getting Bigger and Butcher Than a Woman Should!"

Find us on social media!

Unsolicited on Twitter
Unsolicited on Instagram
Find Da'Shaun:
- Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH
Find Mikey:
- Twitter: @marquisele
- Insta: @fatmarquisele
Find Jordan:
- Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall
Find Caleb:
- Twitter/Insta: @chairbreaker_
Find Bryan:
- Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh

Transcript can be found here.

Solicited: The Disability Question Feb 27, 2022

While Da'Shaun is out, our friend Tommy (@tommyinboots) joins us to talk about our favorite ~munchies~ and disability. Later—for the first time!!!!!!!—we respond to a write-in from a listener (hi Jules!) Media mentioned in this episode:

Find us on social media!

Unsolicited on Twitter
Unsolicited on Instagram
Tommy:
- Twitter: @tommyinboots
- Find more of tommy's work at patreon.com/tommywearsboots :)
Find Da'Shaun:
- Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH
Find Mikey:
- Twitter: @marquisele
- Insta: @fatmarquisele
Find Jordan:
- Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall
Find Caleb:
- Twitter: @chairbreaker_
- Insta: chairbreaker
Find Bryan:
- Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh

Transcript can be found here.

Chair Breaker Jan 30, 2022

We each take turns sharing our favorite potluck/cookout foods (you know, in an ideal world where you know everyone's kitchen is clean). Later, we get into our own personal experiences with furniture breaking underneath us, as well as the relationship between furniture, access, and policing in schools.

Media mentioned in this episode:

Find us on social media!

Unsolicited on Twitter
Unsolicited on Instagram
Find Da'Shaun:
- Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH
Find Mikey:
- Twitter: @marquisele
- Insta: @fatmarquisele
Find Jordan:
- Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall
Find Caleb:
- Twitter: @chairbreaker_
- Insta: chairbreaker
Find Bryan:
- Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh

Transcript can be found here.

It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay Jan 18, 2022

Column for this Episode:

Dear Prudence: My Fiancé keeps showing me old photos to remind me of my weight gain

Media mentioned:

Find us on social media!

Unsolicited on Twitter
Unsolicited on Instagram
Find Da'Shaun:
- Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH
Find Mikey:
- Twitter: @marquisele
- Insta: @fatmarquisele
Find Jordan:
- Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall
Find Caleb:
- Twitter: @chairbreaker_
- Insta: chairbreaker
Find Bryan:
- Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh

Transcript can be found here.

Happy New Year Jan 01, 2022

We discuss our New Years traditions in various forms and rethink the usefulness of resolutions, as well as bash capitalism (what's new?), workplace "wellness" initiatives, and uneven labor in the fat liberation movement.

This week's column:

Ask A Manager: "My team is requiring us to do a diet/exercise/'mental toughness' program"

Media mentioned in this episode:

Find us on social media!

Unsolicited on Twitter
Unsolicited on Instagram
Find Da'Shaun:
- Twitter/Insta: @DaShaunLH
Find Mikey:
- Twitter: @marquisele
- Insta: @fatmarquisele
Find Jordan:
- Twitter/Insta: @jordallenhall
Find Caleb:
- Twitter: @chairbreaker_
- Insta: chairbreaker
Find Bryan:
- Twitter/Insta: @blackqueeriroh

Transcript can be found here.

The Adele-pisode Dec 12, 2021

Da'Shaun shares their intense love for hot chocolate and The Polar Express, Mikey makes their hatred of nut juice known, and we delve into Adele, her new album 30, her weight loss everyone shouldn't be talking about, and what happens to the rest of us when celebrities' bodies, especially those of fat Black women, are the main topics of conversation on everyone's lips.

Media mentioned in this episode: