Seminar: Body-ody-ody: A Look Into Real Body Inclusion Behind and Beyond the Bar

In an era where diversity and inclusivity are at the forefront of societal conversations, the bar industry stands as a unique and often overlooked space when it comes to body inclusivity. This panel discussion aims to shed light on the challenges faced by individuals with diverse body types within the bar community and explore tangible solutions for a more inclusive future.

The bar space has been famously known to cater to a certain body type. People receive jobs or get rejected because of their body type. Establishments make their seats and tables smaller to fit in the max amount of people in one room. Bars are constructed with beauty in mind but not body functionality. The panel will use personal experiences to paint the pictures of lack of body inclusivity in bar spaces. We will also pull experience from our peers with different body types and needs to show that this issue isn’t just about big vs skinny, but that it is much more intersectional than that. We will show that body inclusivity covers not only the employees of the establishments , or the bartenders hired for different gigs, but the unconscious biases towards bodies can also affect the guests of the establishments as well. We hope to not only highlight our short comings as a bar community but to provide tangible solutions to make more spaces inclusive to all bodies. From hiring practices, bar build outs to guest seating and party layouts. This panel also will cover how social media can be a model for change in terms of body inclusivity in the bar environment. We will raise awareness: Share personal experiences and anecdotes to illustrate the prevalent lack of body inclusivity in bar spaces. Dive into intersectionality: Explore the intersectional nature of body inclusivity, moving beyond the simplistic narrative of big vs. skinny. This will give the audience a bigger view of the topic. which in turn will allow them to administer more inclusivity in different spaces. Discuss the impact on everyone: Discuss how biases towards body types affect not only bar employees but also impact the overall experience for guests. We will give examples on bar builds and floor plans that are great examples of a space with body inclusivity in mind We will propose actionable solutions for creating more inclusive bar environments, covering aspects such as hiring practices, bar design, and guest interactions. Social Media as a Catalyst: Examine the role of social media in promoting body inclusivity and how it can be leveraged as a model for change in the bar industry. We will show examples of what can be done on social media pages to be more body inclusive to your following.