bodypositivity Archives • In Plainspeak

bodypositivity

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Picture of Miss Moti in a bathing suit, lying in a pool

Brushstrokes – Miss Moti Comics

“Moti” is often used as a slur, a denigrating epithet translating as “Fatty”, that is used to shame and to degrade; but when the “t” sound is pronounced differently, it becomes “moti”, a pearl – shining, precious, priceless.

By Curated Content

January 2, 2019

Brushstrokes – Miss Moti Comics

By Curated Content

October 15, 2018

Brushstrokes – Miss Moti Comics

Shamed and Sidelined For Too Long, Plus-Size Women in Pakistan Are Now Speaking Up

“I realised plus-size acceptance is neither a movement to eat whatever you want nor is it about placing restrictions,” Amina said. “It’s about being kind to your body and realising you are not defined by the size of your waist.”

By Curated Content

October 15, 2018

Shamed and Sidelined For Too Long, Plus-Size Women in Pakistan Are Now Speaking Up

Miss Moti, wearing a tunic and in a gymnastics pose. The text "throw kindness around like confetti' is written around her

Interview: Kripa Joshi

Kripa Joshi, an Illustrator and Comic Artist from Nepal, is the creator of Miss Moti, a character who defies stereotypical notions of how a person should look, feel and be. Kripa’s own experiences growing up as a plump person and her struggles with weight, have informed and inspired Miss Moti.

By Shikha Aleya

October 1, 2018

Interview: Kripa Joshi

Themes

In Plainspeak publishes one issue every month, with a single theme running across two months. Our aim is to expand safe, inclusive self-affirming spaces.

CURRENT ISSUE:

June 2025: Language and Sexuality

Language bestows on us the gifts of self-expression, conceptualisation, communication, and interaction, amongst others. At the same time, many languages being gendered in their vocabulary and grammar restrict how we might speak, and even think, about sexuality. Does language then affect gender and sexual expression, and the manner in which we experience and express desire, intimacy, pleasure, frustration, and even violence? Do we use language in different ways with different people – rough and ready language with our friends and lovers and more formal language in public? What does this say about the ‘rules’ around sexuality? Is there a language that signals belonging to a group or community (queer or kink, for example)? Do some languages have a more generous vocabulary than do others? Given that we live in a world increasingly dependent on AI-based technologies, do Large Language Models like Chat GPT, Claude, DeepSeek, Gemini, etc. reflect and perpetuate existing biases and societal values around sexuality? What are the effects of all of this? How can we use language to expand safe, inclusive and self-affirming spaces for all? This issue of In Plainspeak explores these and other fascinating connections between language and sexuality.

UPCOMING ISSUE:

July 2025: Language and Sexuality

August-September: Climate Change and Sexuality

Floods, storms and droughts, so-called ‘natural’ disasters, are becoming more common as a result of climate change. Climate change refers to long-term regional and global shifts in temperatures and weather patterns caused largely as a result of human activity, such as by the over-use of fossil fuels. Increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, severe fires, and intense tropical storms are some of the other fallouts of climate change. There are further consequences too, the most brutal – the lack of food, water, clean air and shelter – being felt first by those most vulnerable. Those like hotter summers and colder winters, some people deal with by a mere flick of an AC switch. Given where we are situated on the spectrum of privilege, all of us use adaptive mechanisms to cope with major disasters and minor discomforts. Is climate change related in any way to sexual wellbeing and SRHR? How does it affect sexual behaviour? Sexual health and access to SRHR services? Discrimination and violence against already marginalised groups? Do the mechanisms people use to adapt to climate change violate sexual and reproductive rights? Conversely, can the realisation of sexual and reproductive rights build resilience and contribute to positive climate action? This issue of In Plainspeak explores these and other important questions.

अगस्त-सितंबर – जलवायु परिवर्तन और यौनिकता

जलवायु परिवर्तन के परिणाम स्वरूप बाढ़, तूफ़ान और सूखे जैसी तथाकथित ‘प्राकृतिक’ आपदाएं, आम होती जा रही हैं। दुनिया भर में और अलग-अलग क्षेत्रों में तापमान और मौसम के रुझानों में दीर्घकालिक बदलावों को जलवायु परिवर्तन कहा जाता है। ये परिवर्तन ज़्यादातर मानवीय गतिविधियों के कारण होते हैं, जैसे कि बहुत ज़्यादा जीवाश्म ईंधन (फॉसिल फ्यूल) का इस्तेमाल करना। बढ़ता तापमान, समुद्र का बढ़ता स्तर, पिघलते ग्लेशियर, भयंकर आग और तीव्र तूफान, जलवायु परिवर्तन के अन्य परिणाम हैं। इसके और भी दुष्परिणाम हैं, जिनमें से सबसे गंभीर हैं – भोजन, पानी, स्वच्छ हवा और आश्रय का अभाव होना – जिसका अनुभव सबसे पहले उन लोगों को होता है जो इसके प्रभावों के प्रति सबसे अधिक संवेदनशील होते हैं। कुछ लोग तपती गर्मी और कड़क सर्दी से जूझते हैं, जबकि कुछ लोग इन सबसे ए.सी. के स्विच के एक झटके से ही निपट लेते हैं। विशेषाधिकार की विस्तृत श्रेणी (स्पेक्ट्रम) पर हम जिस स्तर पर हैं, उसे देखते हुए हम सभी बड़ी आपदाओं और छोटी-मोटी असुविधाओं से निपटने के लिए अनुकूली रणनीतियों का उपयोग करते हैं। क्या जलवायु परिवर्तन किसी भी तरह से यौन खुशहाली (वेलबीइंग) और यौन एवं प्रजनन स्वास्थ्य एवं अधिकार (SRHR) से जुड़ा हुआ है? यह यौन व्यवहार को कैसे प्रभावित करता है? यौन स्वास्थ्य और SRHR सेवाओं तक पहुँच को कैसे प्रभावित करता है? जो समूह पहले से ही हाशिए पर हैं उनके ख़िलाफ़ भेदभाव और हिंसा को कैसे प्रभावित करता है? क्या जलवायु परिवर्तन के अनुकूल होने के लिए लोग जिन तरीकों का इस्तेमाल करते हैं, वे यौन और प्रजनन अधिकारों का उल्लंघन करते हैं? इसके विपरीत, क्या यौन और प्रजनन अधिकारों को प्राप्त करना, समुत्थान शक्ति (रिज़िलीएन्स) पैदा कर सकता है और सकारात्मक जलवायु कार्यवाही में योगदान दे सकता है? इन और अन्य महत्वपूर्ण सवालों पर इन प्लेनस्पीक के इस अंक में चर्चा की जायेगी।

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TARSHI Corner

Watch a webinar exploring the changing contours of masculinities and sexuality, featuring two In Plainspeak contributors: Ishan Mehandru and Sudipta Das.

Disclaimer

We curate content from other portals to amplify discussion around sexuality and rights. All rights remain with the original sources. Corners and Videos are embedded links and Brushstrokes and Blogrolls are republished from open sources with a link back to the original source. Older links may no longer be available.

We mostly use images with a Creative Commons license. If you are the owner of an image and find that the image has not been credited properly, please let us know at inplainspeak@tarshi.net.

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