This Instagram account dedicated to fat girls traveling will give you serious wanderlust.
Annette Richmond is fat. Annette Richmond loves to travel. Yes, these two truths can coexist.
In fact, Richmond built an entire movement on this foundation.
Photo via Annette Richmond, used with permission.
Richmond works remotely and spends most of the year traveling around the globe as a "digital nomad." When we connected, she was in Thailand, one of her favorite destinations. Richmond will spend the next eight months in Southeast Asia, based out of Bangkok.
"Like many people, I thought I had to work a job I hated and scrimp and save for one or two vacations per year. I’ve learned that I create my own path," she explains in an email interview. "After I received my first passport stamp, I was hooked!"
Photo via Annette Richmond, used with permission.
In January 2016, Richmond created the Fat Girls Traveling Instagram account.
As a travel blogger, Richmond writes about her adventures and takes stunning photos in exotic locales, hoping to get them cross-posted on popular Instagram travel accounts. But time after time, the only photos making the cut featured thin, white women. So Richmond launched Fat Girls Traveling, where she showcases photos of fat women travelers.
Followers are invited to tag the page to share their photos and stories. Richmond re-shares them to her 13,000 followers across Instagram and Facebook.
🍂Fall Feels 🍁 📸FGT Member @katlynnemo 📍 Berlin, Germany
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As her community grows, Richmond is branching out to host fat-positive events, including her first summer camp in 2018 for fat women, called Fat Camp, where guests can talk travel, take in the outdoors, play games, and eat great food in a judgment-free zone.
"I feel honored and humbled that what started out as a passion project has inspired so many women to travel the world," she writes.
📸 @somewhere_under_the_rainbow || 📍 New York City, New York
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"... I know that the work I’m doing is challenging the status quo and not only opening up the minds and hearts of fat shamers. But opening up the world to so many fat people who are afraid to leave their comfort zones out of fear of being ridiculed."
And like most women challenging the status quo, Richmond faces trolls on the regular.
Some people simply aren't ready to see fat women as carefree and joyful. Some try to mask their contempt with disingenuous concern, she says. Richmond and other fat-positive voices call these people concern trolls.
"People that troll the interwebs spouting health and weight loss advice to people they don’t know and truly don’t care about it," she writes. "People that if they were honest with themselves, would admit that seeing someone that’s fat and happy with themselves and with their bodies makes them uncomfortable."
📸 @kellyaugustineb @plusjones @iambeauticurve || 📍Playa del Carmen, Mexico
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Richmond does her best to face the disdain with love and positivity, but she admits the abuse takes a toll.
"There have also been negatives, like cutting toxic people from my life. Calling out friends and family members who use abusive fatphobic language," she writes. "It’s important that we remember to be kind to each other, because we’re all humans that bleed when cut and cry when feelings are hurt."
Photo via Annette Richmond, used with permission.
But nothing will keep Richmond from doing what she loves — and encouraging others to do the same.
For anyone thinking about exploring the world, but concerned about their size, Richmond recommends traveling with vendors that support larger travelers. One airline, Southwest, even offers a second seat for free (you book and pay in advance, then get a refund). Purchasing your own seat belt extender may also ease anxiety around having a potentially embarrassing conversation with a flight attendant.
As for fear of sticking out upon arrival, it's bound to happen — even to smaller travelers. Keep in mind that different cultures have different standards of beauty, and try to go with the flow.
"In Jamaica my body was embraced. In that culture curves are coveted," Richmond writes. "It’s a different story in Asia, but for the most part I know that people here aren’t doing things to be cruel, they are intrigued by my size ... "
📸 @avery_hungrycaterpillar || 📍 Beaufort, Sabah
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So if you're thinking about traveling more — or just getting started — do what you can to make it a reality.
There's a great, big world out there and we all deserve the opportunity to experience it.
📸 @mamafierceblog | 📍Gama Laugin, Secret Lagoon, Iceland
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."