Plus-size UK cyclewear brand Fat Lad At The Back seeks to challenge widespread fat shaming in cycling and throughout society through a hard-hitting and deliberately shocking outdoor campaign which verges on being ‘swearingly rude’.
Fat Lad At The Back defends and champions larger cyclists with a controversial UK out-of-home (OOH) campaign which plays on the kind of playground type critical banter which is all too frequently aimed to larger bodied cyclists. The executions take a ‘head-on’ approach to the criticism and the complicity of the cycling industry in perpetuating divisive size and weight based stigmas by declaring that ‘Actually, Fat Can.’
Born out of first-hand accounts of discrimination from customers – who regularly report derogatory name-calling from the public – the campaign was conceived by agency Mellor&Smith to challenging the perception that cycling is only for think, light people.
The outdoor billboards are supported by a parallel social media strand which encourages other ‘fat lads’ to share their own stories.
You might hear FAT CAN'T but actually FAT CAN and FAT DOES and our community is a testament to that
There are so many people ready to tell us what we shouldn’t, couldn’t and can’t do, so we are challenging the nee sayers and showing them what we can and are doing. pic.twitter.com/Sw38PbKqD1
— FatLadAtTheBack (@FatLadAtTheBack) July 15, 2022
Share your story and let's celebrate our achievements together with the hashtag #actuallyfatcan pic.twitter.com/wFF74GFN8w
— FatLadAtTheBack (@FatLadAtTheBack) July 15, 2022
“Whatever preconceptions society has about fat people, our community is proof that body size doesn’t stop us, and that fat can,” explained Fat Lad At The Back Co-Founder Lynn Bye.
Mellor&Smith Managing Director Paul Mellor added: “Fat Lad stands for something, and it stands with its community. It’s not wishy-washy, it’s not worthy… it’s straightforward and it’s empowering. This campaign highlights a massive issue within the community and gets people talking.”
Comment
This in-your-face creative celebrates rider diversity: something that is typically absent from most traditional cycling campaigns and bike racing sponsor activations.
It leverages a booming space and spiking interest and attention around the 2022 Tour De France as cycling continues to enjoy a renaissance in the UK as the pandemic brought a fresh focus on health and wellbeing, while rocketing fuel costs continue to lure record numbers on to bicycles.
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