Almost rude ‘Fat C*n’t’ campaign from plus-size cyclewear brand hits out at shamers
A plus-size cyclewear brand is challenging widespread fat shaming in cycling through the medium of a heavy-hitting out-of-home (OOH) campaign.
Fat Lad At The Back’s ‘Fat C*n’t’ campaign puts a spoke in the wheel of body shaming in cycling
Fat Lad At The Back is speaking up for larger cyclists with ‘Fat C*n’t,’ a riff on the playground-level banter that all too frequently accompanies the sight of larger bodies in the cycling and fitness sphere.
Conceived by Mellor&Smith, the campaign addresses head-on the complicity of the cycling industry in perpetuating divisive stigmas by declaring that ‘Actually, fat can.’ Challenging the perception that cycling is only for skinny people, the campaign celebrates a diversity of riders that is absent from traditional cycling campaigns.
Lynn Bye, co-founder of Fat Lad At The Back, said: “Whatever preconceptions society has about fat people, our community is proof that body size doesn’t stop us, and that fat can.”
Paul Mellor, managing director at Mellor&Smith, 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.”
The OOH campaign is born out of first-hand accounts of discrimination from Fat Lad customers, who report derogatory name-calling from the public.
Cycling has enjoyed a renaissance as a renewed focus on health and wellbeing over lockdown and spiraling fuel costs have combined to push record numbers on to two wheels.