10 Organizations and Individuals to Follow that Uplift Body Neutrality Outdoors
Photo Credit: Canva.com. Graphic Artist: Sarai Pak
Brought into the mainstream by actress Jameela Jamil in 2019, body neutrality is a movement about accepting our bodies, even if we don’t always love them. It means not connecting a body’s appearance to self worth. Not to be confused with body positivity, since it’s difficult to feel positive about our bodies when there is emotional harm.
“We can have positive days and negative days, but our bodies are still doing incredible things regardless of how we feel about them,” said Raquel Vélez, founder of Alpine Parrot, an outdoor apparel company for larger bodies. “Our bodies not only breathe, sleep, and eat; they also take us to beautiful places, whether that’s a garden, a nearby park, or into the mountains.”
Ever since the term, body neutrality, appeared online in 2015, more organizations are promoting body neutrality and diversity in the great outdoors. Historically, the mainstream outdoor community spread the western definition for what they considered “outdoorsy,” as white, cis, and skinny. This was reflected out on the trail with few fat and plus-size bodies. Thanks to grassroots efforts, the messaging around body neutrality and fat acceptance has spread. In recent years, popular brands like REI and Patagonia are offering more inclusive outdoor apparel, as well as newer brands like Youer and Alder.
By uplifting body neutrality outdoors, this has created inclusive spaces for diverse bodies, allowing for greater participation. Still, the work is far from over, especially for plus size folks from intersectional areas. “There seems to be a lack of representation within intersectional areas, for people of color, indigenous, and plus size folks with disabilities,” said Charlotte Buell, creator of Plus Size Backpacking.
However, there are groups out there that are working on uplifting body neutrality in the outdoors by bringing a sense of community to folks in larger bodies from a variety of backgrounds. Below are 10 organizations and individuals to follow if you want to support body inclusivity in the outdoors.
Charlotte Buell for Plus Size Backpacking
Charlotte Buell is an attorney by trade, but also an adventurer, who loves supporting individuals who want to explore the outdoors. She created Plus Size Backpacking, a judgment-free online community for people of all body types to ask questions and share resources about backpacking. Before Buell created this community, she didn’t find anything specifically related to backpacking for fat or plus size folks. “It’s different when you go backpacking. You need the tent, cooking supplies, sleeping bags and thermal clothes to stay warm in the winter,” said Buell. She’s a size 20-22, and is always the biggest person on a trail. “It can feel isolating, because I can't talk about certain things there. Maybe the group might not understand, or might not want to hear this.”
The Plus Size Backpacking Facebook page opened in December of last year, and already has 5,700 members, which also includes allies and tour operators who want to create body neutrality trips. The group’s best resource so far are their backpacking gear guides, where members post recommendations, questions, and alternative solutions when a certain item is not made for bigger bodies.
Going outdoors is not just a matter of wanting to try it out, it’s also a matter of knowing you can hike safely. And for people with larger bodies, this can be a problem as there’s a lack of proper equipment for them, which can be life-threatening, especially with action sports like rafting or rock climbing. “We can die out there if we sleep outside in the fall in North Carolina, and get hypothermia if the bag doesn’t close up over your body,” Buell said.
Buell also does gear testing, most recently with Youer and Backpacker Magazine, a popular publication, which is meaningful for the body neutrality movement outdoors. Though more companies are becoming open, “there are some that should pause and think about the plus size group and their profitability,” said Buell, who also loves supporting “cottage brands” or small brands who are specialized.
Buell spoke about the larger impact of Plus Size Backpacking. Members often tell her, “‘Thanks to this group I did my first backpacking trip,’ and It makes me want to cry,” she said.
Photo Credit: Danielle Desnoyers
“People finding that courage to try something that they thought they couldn’t do.”
As of late, she is attempting to build an unofficial backpacking gear library in her treehouse. She plans to outfit 1-2 beginners before they going backpacking for the first time. If you want to know more about her, you can also find her documenting her adventures on Instagram at @basecampkreative, or you can read her recent review of Alpine Parrot’s Ponderosa Pants for the Outside Magazine’s 2022 Summer Gear Guide.
2. Unlikely Hikers
Launched on Instagram by Jenny Bruso in 2016, Unlikely Hikers has expanded their community with events and a Podcast that was released in April 2020. The organization leads hiking events that “create safer, supportive, intentional, body-positive outdoor experiences for hikers looking for a community who might not feel welcome or comfortable in most outdoor group scenarios,” according to their website.
When Bruso was younger, she described herself as an “indoor kid,” but then realized her love for the outdoors after going on a 6-mile hike. As she started discovering hiking adventures in Portland, she grew more aware of how her body was perceived by skinny, white, CIS, heteronormative hikers. This motivated her to share resources and how to’s, especially for those who faced physical and financial barriers.
Today, Unlikely Hikers continues to break the mold by offering meet-ups and inclusive guided hikes for plus-size and fat folks. Currently, the organization is working on adding 10 hiking chapters and later expanding with additional groups.
3. Alpine Parrot
Alpine Parrot was created in 2019 by Raquel Vélez in response to the lack of sizes and ethnic diversity in outdoor apparel. Vélez is a Latina with two decades of engineering experience and a mechanical engineering degree from Caltech. Though she discovered the outdoors later in life, she is careful when choosing the garment design, focusing on the fit and quality. In 2021, she was named one of Outside Magazine's Outsiders of the Year.
Alpine Parrot currently offers sizes 14-24, in two cuts for different body types: Mountain, for a curvier fit, and River, for a straighter one. According to Vélez, the average woman in the United States is a size 16 or above, and yet the majority of clothing made is for smaller sizes. “The market exists. But it takes commitment, money, time, and a different way of thinking to make a full size set.”
Vélez likes to think of body neutrality as “body equality,” and that larger bodies are equally deserving of love and respect as any other body.
“As a society, we have been taught that there is always something wrong with our bodies - too fat, too thin, too brown, too white”
Photo Credit: Sarah Sherman
Alpine Parrot is not only unique in producing pants for plus size hikers, but it also hosts fit-testing events which take place across the country. Currently, they’re working on a new product for Fall ‘22 and new items for Spring ‘23, including their first top. They will be in a number of outdoor specialty retail stores across the U.S. soon, and they will be partnering with these retail stores to host events as well.
To find out more about current Alpine Parrot products, check out their product updates, as well hiking tips, on their blog and their Instagram.
4. Fat Girls Hiking
Founded in 2015 by Summer Michaud-Skog, Fat Girls Hiking is a fat activism and outdoor community that leads group hikes and focuses on body liberation, self care and healing. The idea began after Michaud-Skog went hiking with her girlfriend, who is a woman of color. On the trail she couldn’t help but notice the odd stare. They realized it was because they were two fat girls hiking. Though at first they made a joking song about their experience, it was clear there was a serious lack of fat, queer, and POC hikers in the outdoors.
In the fall of 2018, Michaud-Skog traveled across North America in a minivan, opening new Fat Girls Hiking chapters and researching ADA accessible trails. Now, Fat Girls Hiking has 40,000 followers and 31 chapters.
With Fat Girls Hiking, Michaud-Skog “aims to end the shame and stigma around the word ‘fat’ and use it as a means of empowerment, through intersectional feminism, fat activism, and body liberation.” This year Michaud-Skog wrote, Book Fat Girls Hiking: An Inclusive Guide to Getting Outdoors at Any Size or Ability that includes stories, practical advice, profiles of Fat Girls Hiking community members, and helpful trail reviews.
5. Whitney Washington
Whitney Washington is a long-distance biker frequently using the Instagram hashtag #recapturinglife to document her outdoor travels through videos. She started biking long distance last year, and has already racked up 4000 miles. Originally, she wanted to try long-distance kayaking, but opted for biking, since it was more efficient for her size, and after hearing about the Great America Rail-Trail, her mind was set.
She learned about long-distance biking through online spaces, but also from experience. During her last trip, she had four flat tires and had to replace them herself. She now knows basic mechanics, but is always glad when visiting populated places that have bike shops. “Going through Indiana my pedal crank was falling off the bone, luckily there was a bike shop in the middle of the trail,” said Whitney. “I did overpack the first time greatly, but with all the experience, this time I knew what I wanted.”
Biking has allowed her to grow not just as a biker, but as a person. “It’s ok to ask for help and be vulnerable.” Sometimes she had to change the route or do something unplanned.
Photo Credit: Ally Mabry
“I worry so much about not doing things right. [You have to be] ok with the fact that things are going to happen. Let yourself go with it and adjust.
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Washington always wanted to be an explorer and refused to let her weight stop her. Last year, over 90 people donated $4,605 to her GoFundMe page for her first bike trip across America. This year she’s biking from Alaska to California, and possibly Europe and Asia, since they’re both places that are more accessible to bikes. She’s collecting funds through her Patreon as well to help cover bike maintenance, food, camping gear, and cooking equipment.
Whitney has always dreamed of working for National Geographic, and she’s focusing on building a series of videos through Instagram and YouTube, inspired by other women travelers. “You don’t necessarily see people my size, and I wanted to create my story to show that all bodies have the capacity to do these things.”
6. Trail Dames
Trail Dames is a hiking group for curvy women with the goal of educating women of all shapes, sizes, and fitness levels. Founded by Anna Hutchmaker after she hiked the Appalachian Trail and noticed a lack of women who were overweight on the trail, the group has since established chapters in 15 states that lead monthly hikes.
Trail Dames follows The Trail Dames Trust and Safety Pact, which their website states was “created to provide a level of trust and grace within our community to allow our hike leaders to plan more difficult hikes without jeopardizing the safety of our members and to give all members, regardless of ability, the confidence to challenge themselves.”
Besides the monthly group hikes, Trail Dames also created The Trail Dames Charitable Foundation to support charitable work focused on education, trail maintenance, and giving back to other nonprofits. You can find many hiking resources through their site, and through their weekly Podcast episodes on the Hiking Radio Network, which showcases stories from the Appalachian Trail.
7. Ilya Parker
Ilya Parker is a Black, non-binary transmasculine trainer, writer, and educator. He is also the creator of Decolonizing Fitness, which provides educational resources for coaches, trainers, studio owners, and anyone interested in unlearning toxic fitness culture. The organization provides a supportive environment for individuals who have historically felt excluded from fitness spaces, including BIack folks and people in larger bodies.
Parker also releases transmasculine training programs to educate the fitness community through a Patreon account and Podcast. In recent years, Parker has taken his Affirming Spaces workshops across the country. He can also be found discussing issues of fatphobia, gender dysmorphia, trans identity, and ageism on Instagram.
8. Alpine Curves
Alpine Curves is a clothing and gear store for plus size women, providing athletic wear for camping, hiking, fishing, and hunting. Founder, Kindra Roberts, created Alpine Curves after going on a ski trip in 2017. During her trip, she spent hours searching for new ski pants and a jacket through different stores, but most places didn’t offer sizes bigger than XXL. “Anyone who wears plus size knows, that is not truly plus size. I became more and more frustrated and wished there was a one stop shop for gear that I knew would fit me,” she wrote on the Alpine Curves website.
Roberts wanted to turn Alpine Curves into a single source for plus size clothing and gear that fit plus size women with an outdoor lifestyle. Like most plus size women, Roberts struggled to find gear that would fit her frame, but also be functional, and be stylish. “It is my belief that every woman should be able to participate in any outdoor activity and not have to worry about what she needs to wear.”
9. Miss May Fly
Founded in 2016, Miss May Fly is an online shop for fishing, wading gear, fishing apparel, fly boxes, and fishing accessories. Created by Kimberly Ranalla after she struggled to find gear that not only fit, but was also functional and looked appealing, the shop was developed with an innovative sizing system and nature-inspired design in mind that adheres to women of all shapes and sizes.
Although her company started in 2016, Ranalla’s interest in fishing started in 2014 after she suffered spinal injuries during an assault which interrupted her career path. Though the injuries prevented Kimberly from enjoying regular activities, a friend introduced her to river fishing, which ended up becoming a type of therapy for her, and would eventually send her on a new path.
If you’re in need of fishing gear that works for larger bodies, check out the Miss Mayfly Wader, which entered the market in 2018 and has gained popularity with its exceptional fit, performance, durability, and flattering design.
10. Ample Movement
Ample Movement is a community created by Andrea DiMaio focused on changing the narrative around bodies through joyful movement for everyone. DiMaio is fat positive and teaches from a Health At Every Size (HAES) lens. DiMaio, “fiercely believes that yoga should be accessible to everyone who wants it,” including for those that may have physical or financial barriers, according to her site.
She has a philosophy of decolonizing the western layers of yoga, as it was originally an Indigenous wisdom practice from South Asia.“I believe that we can use our yoga off the mat, as a practice of social justice,” she writes.
On Instagram, DiMaio shares videos of a variety of yoga poses as well as body affirming messages. For those that are interested, Ample Movement has upcoming online and in person yoga classes, as well adventure days, including evening yoga at the Jamestown Audubon in Jamestown, New York, and a plus-size lake swim in Western New York on Saturday, August 13th, 2022.
The group is working to change society and create a space where everyone can discover their intrinsic worth no matter their body type or identity. As they say on their website, “we are here to hike, do yoga, bike, swim, kayak and any other adventures we can dream up.”
