Anti-Fat Bias in the Singing Voice Studio, Part One: Culture and Context

Abstract

Singing voice teachers are working hard to be inclusive and progressive in the 21st century. We are aware of our power to create inclusive learning spaces that embrace our students’ identity traits, including race, gender, sexual orientation, ability, neurodivergence, and more. However, body size is almost always left out of the discussion of inclusive actions in the voice studio. Fatness is a social justice issue and singing voice teachers can either affirm or further marginalize fat students in the 1:1 training setting of the voice studio. In part one, the authors offer background information on the prevalence of fatness, the history of anti-fat bias, and the experiences of fat persons in healthcare, employment, and educational settings. This context encourages voice teachers to examine implicit anti-fat bias, one of the few remaining yet still widely tolerated cultural biases. Many believe that anti-fat bias can be justified by medical facts, but this belief requires an examination of the influence of money and the media. The authors utilize a fat liberationist framework, rejecting the long-held idea that fat bodies are problematic in the performing arts, and affirming that the performing arts industry must provide opportunities for talented and well-trained performers of every body size to work and tell stories that reflect our diverse world. In part two, the authors explore tangible pedagogical modifications to foster a sense of belonging for all voice students, including fat students. Micro-activism in the voice studio is a huge step toward systemic change, and it can have a profoundly positive impact on our students.