Today we’d like to introduce you to Mayra Mejia.
Hi Mayra, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
As far back as I can remember, I have always been such a shy and awkward kid. I didn’t really feel like I belonged and struggled to find community in real life. That is, until I discovered plus size fashion bloggers. Finally, I began to see plus-size and queer representation and realized I could find my personal style and a way to express myself through words and fashion. I began my own little blog in the early/mid 2000’s and learned about body positivity and fat liberation. I learned that my body was not a problem to be solved, no matter what diet culture tries to say about it.
By starting out writing about style, I was able to write for other larger blogs and later became a writer for a plus-size fashion platform called The Curvy Fashionista. I moved all the way up to managing editor before branching out on my own as a freelance fashion and culture writer. I know that style is a deeply personal endeavor and that for many plus size people, discovering and being able to obtain clothing that affirms them is incredibly powerful. In that power, we can reclaim our bodily autonomy, and that is a big part of fat liberation.
I continued to write about fashion and culture, but always made sure to have it be in an inclusive lens, and after a while, I realized that while online community is so essential, so is being in community in real life. I wanted to cultivate and find fat positive community here in the DMV, so I gauged interest on Instagram about having a plus size happy hour, and to my surprise, lots of people were interested. So I decided to give it a name, PLUSH DMV.
Since that first humble meet-up in September of 2019, this community has grown so much, and continues to grow today! I am so grateful to the PLUSH DMV community. I truly aim to give people a place to feel safe and seen in their own skin and identities. Especially in the political climate that we are in today.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Honestly, there have been a few bumps in the road in my journey. I began my journalistic career at a time when body positivity was at its peak. There was a high demand for my expertise in plus size fashion and body liberation. I want to make it clear that to me, body liberation and plus size inclusion is NOT a trend, but the media and fashion industry very much treated it as such… so when the ‘trend’ died, so did the opportunities. It really hit me hard and truthfully shook my confidence, but I once again decided to take matters into my own hands and create the space myself. I decided to take matters into my own hands, and I started my own Substack called Musings Of Mayra. Right now, it’s more of a platform for my personal writing and poetry, which has been so liberating in itself! I plan on expanding and creating a media platform that centers body liberation in all its forms in the future; that is definitely my big picture goal.
When it comes to PLUSH DMV, a major obstacle was, of course, COVID-19. We had to completely halt events until April of 2022. But the need for community is ever-present, and we are happy that folks continue to find us!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I consider myself a queer Latinx creative, a founder, a community organizer, and a writer. I truly believe you can become anything you set your mind to, as long as you are deeply passionate about it. I have an overflow of passion. I am known for my writing in plus size fashion, fat liberation, and organizing and advocating for the rights of all bodies, but especially those of us in marginalized bodies.
PLUSH DMV is most known for our plus size clothing swaps and our variety of other social events! We have also hosted happy hours, game nights, dance parties, fat and queer positive vendor markets, and even fat positive comedy shows in collaboration with local comedy groups.
I am most proud of working through my own anti-fatness ( it is something that everyone inherently has because of society’s standards of beauty), it is truly the most difficult and liberating thing I have ever done in my life. It is because of this that I can proudly create events that celebrate plus size and queer communities. Another thing that makes me incredibly proud is when people tell me about how they’ve made friends and connections with folks at PLUSH events. Every ounce of the effort that I put into PLUSH DMV is worth it when I get feedback that my events are one of the first fat positive events they have ever attended. Representation is such a powerful tool, and I aim to ensure that people feel loved and included anytime I am involved because I know too well how much of a sting it is to not feel like you belong.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I want to thank every venue that hosted us and gave PLUSH DMV a space to gather! The DMV area is such a creative hub. I am truly blessed with an incredible support system of friends, family, organizers, and fellow fat positive activists that I learn from daily.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mayraymejia.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mayraymejia
- Other: https://musingsofmayra.substack.com
