The International Size Acceptance Association (ISAA) is a

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based

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

(NGO) aimed at advancing

fat acceptance The fat acceptance movement, also known as fat pride, fat empowerment, and fat activism, is a social movement which seeks to eliminate the social stigma of fatness from social attitudes by pointing out the social obstacles which are faced by f ...

, directed by Allen Steadham. Unlike the

National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) is a non-profit, fat acceptance civil-rights organization in the United States dedicated to improving the quality of life for fat people. . NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination base ...

(NAAFA), the organisation has an international slant and has several overseas branches, though many of its operations remain within the U.S. at present.

The organisation today

Current leading figures

The current people are prominent in the association at present: * Allen Steadham - Director and Founder * Daphne Bradshaw - Secretary * Grace Moredock - Advisor and Editor of ISAA Publication ''Without Measure'' * Kelly Bliss - Advisor * Doris Skiba - Coordinator ISAA Diversity Initiative * Michael Drenth - Legislative Coordinator * Lynda Finn - Advisor

Branches

The ISAA has branches in the following locations. Branches within the United States: *

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Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

("Virtual" branch) *

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("Virtual" branch) Branches outside the United States: *

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

* Middle East/North Africa *

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

("Virtual" branch - though it does have a real representative, Karen Ang) *

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

("Virtual" branch - Australian representative Jodie Hunter) *

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(NZ representative, Lynda Finn) Also, ISAA has an alliance with Allegro Fortissimo of France. ISAA strongly encourages members and prospective members to set up branches in their own area.

Policies and mission

ISAA is dedicated to size acceptance and bringing an end to what it feels is unfair discrimination against large people. Its mission is "to promote Size Acceptance and fight size discrimination throughout the world by means of advocacy and visible, lawful actions". ISAA has adopted a position of opposition to weight loss surgery (WLS) as dangerous and unnecessary, and conducted a campaign against it in 2001. This is shared in common with most other size/fat acceptance organisations, though campaigns have met with relatively limited success. ISAA also opposed the definition by the U.S. government of

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

as a disease, though it was ultimately unsuccessful in preventing this. Other policies and positions include: * Opposition to feederism and similar weight gain

fetishes A fetish (derived from the French , which comes from the Portuguese , and this in turn from Latin , 'artificial' and , 'to make') is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular, a human-made object that has power over ot ...

* Encouraging fitness and low-impact exercise (swimming, walking, etc.) * Encouraging self-respect and self-esteem * Encouraging healthy body image

Publications

Much of the organisation is centered on online campaigns and information, and media interviews. The main publication that the association runs is the online magazine "Without Measure" and associated group blog "WOM Beta". This is maintained and edited by Grace Moredock, ISAA's Secretary. A new addition is usually published around twice a year, though it is not regular. Early on, the publication was offered for download via

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, though since 2001, it has been published online. The publication has a youth section and content called "BBTeenz". ISAA does reach out to youth and young adults more than any of the other main size acceptance groups. ISAA also keeps an archive of printable flyers and leaflets on its website for members to print and distribute, and encourages people to link to its site. Some local chapters also keep their own website, either independent or as a subsection of the main ISAA site.{{Citation needed, date=December 2022

Podcasts

ISAA has had a variety of

podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...

productions since 2002. "Today Size Acceptance Has A Voice!" Now archived, the ISAA Rapport was broadcast via streaming Windows Media, Gia Marciano and Allen Steadham broadcast over the internet from

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, Texas, in a contemporary "talk radio" format. Gia and Allen blended humor and insight with the hard-hitting topics of interest to the Size Acceptance Community and also inform the general public about size-related issues (for some people, for the first time). In addition to Gia and Allen's take on today's size-related issues, "The ISAA Rapport" featured live interviews with well-known and always fascinating guests on a variety of subjects, from self-esteem to fashion to politics. Currently, ISAA's main podcast is called PODWOM. PODWOM is the abbreviation for Podcast Without Measure, the podcast edition of Without Measure (WOM), the official electronic magazine for the International Size Acceptance Association (ISAA). Each podcast features unique segments, commentary plus in-depth discussions and interviews conducted by the show's host, ISAA Founder and Director, Allen Steadham. Like WOM, each segment reflects a different element of interest concerning size acceptance, Respect Fitness Health, science, fashion, current events and much more. PODWOM's aim is to present each segment in an entertaining and informative way, made available in downloadable MP3 format. PODWOM's theme song is taken with permission from the song "In Him", performed by the now disbanded

Des Moines Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines, ...

-based Christian artists, Coram Deo.

Membership

ISAA is no longer a membership organization, effective September 1, 2006. Prior to that, membership cost $20. ISAA has had as many as 2,500 members worldwide, but membership was never ISAA's main focus so much as public participation in size activism and education.

History

ISAA was founded on July 1, 1997, by Allen Steadham, the current director, in Austin, Texas. The first issue of Without Measure came out in August, and set out the ISAA's mission and position regarding WLS and media and medical world's treatment of fat people. From its early days, it has been a predominantly web based organisation, and has always relied heavily on the internet to expand, organise and campaign. ISAA has been mentioned by Yomiuri,

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''. In June 1997, Steadham wrote to then American President

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, receiving a personal letter in response (now scanned onto the ISAA website) and an in‑depth radio interview by the

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(BBC) of the UK in February 2006 with ISAA UK head, Fatima Parker.