Fat Camp 2018 was my first foray into event planning and group retreats. I got inspired to host an adult summer camp while working at a summer camp for kids. So the first few Fat Camps were held at that camp in North Carolina.
Since then our Fat Camps have evolved into an more elevated experience with day trips, delicious farm-to-table cuisine, a cooking class and more! Today I’m going to share some of the inspiration, behind-the-scenes tea, and long held traditions that came from the launch of our award-winning retreat.
Campfires
Campfires are a quintessential part of the summer camp experience. In this photo our group is doing a release ritual. We continue to include nightly campfires in our Fat Camp itinerary.
Cute Swag
Everyone loves a great swag bag and I was lucky to secure donations from a few great brands. Like this statement bath sheet from Ban.do that Ashley is holding.
Meditative Moments
At Fat Camp 2018 we worked with the incredible fat-positive yoga instructor Kym Goins. Since then we’ve worked with yoga instructors and healers all over the world. All of our retreats offer activities centered around mindfulness and wellness.
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Pushing Boundaries
We’ve all been told that wearing black makes you look slimmer. Fat Camp 2018 was the first time I asked my clients to wear ALL WHITE. Pushing the fashion boundaries and in the process nudging campers like Sarah of Curvily to out of their fashion comfort zones.
Photo Shoots
My background as a Fashion Stylist comes out to play for the themed photo shoots. Representation matters and it’s so important to show images of fat people at rest, at play, in full glam and everywhere in between. In the photo above the Fat Camp 2018 speakers are serving Charlie’s Angels.
Clueless
Clueless is one of my favorite movies ever and I’ve always wanted to recreate some of the iconic scenes from the film. At Fat Camp 2018 the property had a tennis court, so we recreated the infamous P.E. scene with group and individual photos.
Wakanda Inspired
Black Panther was released February of 2018, so when I saw two of our Fat Camp speakers wearing African headwraps we did a Wakanda-inspired shoot. This photo was later featured in Essence magazine.
Arts & Craft
Arts and Crafts are an integral part of the camp experience and it’s something we’ve been doing since the start. From rock painting to tie-dyeing our Fat Campers always enjoy a bit of art therapy.
Power of Play
Dance parties and pool parties (when possible) are just two examples of how we build play into our itineraries.
Camp Crew
Fat Camp 2018 was filmed for a Vice documentary. I requested an all female film crew so that my campers would feel more comfortable having the experience documented. It’s been 7 years since Fat Camp 2018 and it’s an feeling incredible to be able to look back on the event via YouTube.
