Participation Rules:

1. Slots are reserved on a first-come, first-serve basis. If you end up having to give up your slot, please notify me ASAP so that another person can have a chance to participate. 

2. This project is intended for fat cosplayers. The use of fat suits for this project is strictly prohibited. If you identify as fat, it's okay if you don't match the exact body type of the character you're cosplaying. 

3. We are starting with 40 character slots open, but you are more than welcome to propose a character that is not on the list. I will cap this project at 50 participants.

4. The deadline for artist statements/reflections is September 15th. The deadline for cosplay photo submissions is October 1st.

5. Please get in touch and send over your written essays before the deadline! After the 9/15 deadline, unconfirmed spots will be released to other participants.

CONTENT WARNING: These films may be triggering to watch. Full disclosure: I haven't seen a majority of the films listed (sorry if most of them SUCK) but you can expect them to rely heavily on fatphobic tropes, fuel anti-fat moral panic, and exploit fatness for shock value. The goal of this project is to draw attention to the fatphobia and lack of fat representation within the horror genre, so please continue with this in mind.

Participation is voluntary as I am currently unable to offer compensation for this project. 

Artist statement prompts:

Tell us a little about yourself. What kind of art do you enjoy making? Describe your relationship to horror. How has anti-fatness impacted your experience as a horror fan and/or cosplayer? Halloween in general? What's your favorite thing about horror, and what are your hopes for future fat representation within the genre? Lastly, what's bringing you joy this coming fall?

Film reflection prompts:

Please write a brief synopsis of the film and a description of the character you chose. Had you seen this movie before, and does it mean anything to you? How did you feel about the way that fatness was represented in this film? Analyze how this character either reinforced or broke away from anti-fat tropes. (A few films may even have GOOD representation - if you got one of those, I'd love to hear your thoughts!) Walk us through the artistic choices you’re making for your costume. Did you decide to reinvent the character or stick to the source material? If you had the chance to rewrite this story, what would you have changed to humanize this fat character, if at all possible? Go nuts.

I am collecting emails so that I can reach back out to you all in a month or so for your photos and artist statements/reflections. Thank you so much for being a part of this project! Looking forward to seeing what kooky stuff you come up with!

Morbidly yours,

@fatliberation 🪦