UNZIPPING THE FAT SUIT By Aaron Nation
boys she was my best friend. She herself had planned to have the surgery and spent years on waiting lists trying to make it happen. Unfortunately she passed before her dream of having it done could happen. I guess then any thoughts of having the surgery myself vanished. It wasn’t until 2 years later that I met a friend that was planning on having it done, and the idea came rushing back. I carefully watched on as this close friend became the best version of herself and I thought fuck it I can do the same thing for myself. When lockdowns hit I said it’s now or never and decided to pull up my big boy pants and booked it without telling a soul. On the 1st of March this year I boarded a plane to Istanbul alone and went to change my life. Turkey was no longer just the Christmas dinner for me but the place I would finally become the person I wanted to be. Many asked why I didn’t get the surgery here in Ireland. Let’s get real for a moment…. I’d have to rob a bank to afford it here with Turkey being a fraction of the price it was a no brainer. The team in Turkey were exceptional and I felt like yes this is right for me. Running through my mind in the weeks after surgery was how Letycha’s followers would view my decision to go under the knife. I spent years empowering people to be the person they wanted to be, and here I was getting cut open to become someone that I never was before. But then I thought I am choosing to become my best self both in and out of drag, both for my health (physically and mentally) and for aesthetic reasons. I finally found a way to improve my health and become the thin person that was trapped inside a fat suit with a broken zip. Don’t get me wrong, big is 100% beautiful and I will always think that, but I had to lay everything out on the table and see where I wanted my life to go. Being in my 30s and so morbidly obese, it was not going to end well for me. Having tried every fad going, surgery was the last resort in my eyes, and I had reached that point. So, now I will be the skinny bitch with the larger-than-life personality, rather than the larger-than-life waist measurement. I feel the future is full of endless possibilities now. Upon writing this article, I have lost 7 stone since surgery and I’m only half way there. I hope to reach my goal of losing a further 7 stone and then become a model…. Jokes!!! In all seriousness, I’m just going to continue to lose and eventually reach a healthy weight I am happy with. I plan on still repping for the big guys and girls because once a fatty, always a fatty, no matter what your weight is. As anyone reading this can guess, my confidence is already boosted no end, so I hope to keep it, because there is always someone in the world rushing to try and tear that down. One of the downsides to being a member of the gay community is that those nasty people are plentiful. I love being an entertainer for the scene but with it I have had my fair share of nasty comments thrown at me. All over my fat ass!!! Let’s get real we cannot all be, nor want to be a Calvin Klein model so begin to accept everyone for who they are. Hunny let’s face it, it’s more fun when you’re built for comfort rather than speed!!
I have been heavy since the day I let out my first cry. And like every baby and toddler I had the adorable rolls… Cute on an 18-month-old but evidently it’s not so cute on a grown man. Growing up I breezed through getting older year by year, and similarly I breezed through clothes sizes like no other. From as far back as I can recall, I can remember my mother saying to people “it’s only puppy fat, he’ll grow out of it”. I DID NOT. If that was puppy fat, by the time I was 15 I was a full-grown Great Dane. As you can imagine I then started the continuous battle of yo-yo dieting. You name it, I have tried it; Atkins, Weightwatchers, Slimming World, Lipotrim, Motivation Weight Loss Clinic amongst so many others. These always had their peaks of brilliance followed by the impending crash back to reality. And as a result, this took its toll on my confidence with how I looked, and how people saw me. When I was in my early 20s, I guess you could say I was shy and socially awkward, and I believe it all stemmed from my own issues of not being body “perfect”. It wasn’t until I found drag in the fabulous form of Letycha Le’Synn that it all changed. “ I CAN REMEMBER MY MOTHER SAYING TO PEOPLE “IT’S ONLY PUPPY FAT, HE’LL GROW OUT OF IT”. I DID NOT. IF THAT WAS PUPPY FAT, BY THE TIME I WAS 15 I WAS A FULL-GROWN GREAT DANE” Letycha has always been body positive and proud of her size. And that’s how I made her!! The art of drag has been the best thing to happen to me in such a long time as I learnt how to accept myself for who I was then and am now. When I first started creating the persona of Letycha I was on a mission to make her the direct opposite of who I was at the time. Imagine shy awkward fat dude VS super confident Glamazon. How on earth are they the same person? But it was oh so easy to be her, and then I had the ultimate mask to hide the real me from anyone I wanted. By creating this persona, I could go out and do as I wanted in ways Aaron never would. It was through that persona I became more body comfortable with my size as a man. Mind you still not jumping for joy about being big but at least more accepting. Letycha empowers people to be who they are and want to be, and ironically it happened to myself. The decision to go for surgery came about through loads of different places. Being brought up in a family where excess weight is common, I guess it made me very aware of bariatric surgeries. 5 years ago, I lost my mom and like many of us gay
“ FIRSTLY, LOVE YOURSELF FOR WHO YOU ARE AND LET NOBODY DETER YOU FROM THAT”
To anyone reading this article there’s a couple of things I’d like you to take from it. Firstly, love yourself for who you are and let nobody deter you from that. Self-love is the only way to radiate happiness. Secondly, do whatever you can to healthily reach that state of self-love. For me it was surgery, yes it was a last resort, but I assure you it is by no means an easy option or the fast way out. After surgery is intense being left with constant restrictions in diet. It’s a learning curve with many ups and downs along the way. Days when you feel on top of the world ready to face all challenges, and days when you can barely move. Then again that’s life. And lastly, be kind. It costs nothing to show a little kindness because everyone no matter what size has some level of insecurity about their bodies. Being on the receiving end of hurtful comments about your size is the hardest place to be. For now, I’m off to throw away endless costumes that no longer fit, they will be for sale on the pink pages under the heading “1-man tents!” … but at least a good heel will always fit. Aaron / Letycha xx
Unfortunately, in life and society being FAT or overweight can most definitely put someone at a disadvantage in the world. Now I know what you might think, why can’t you get up and do something about it? But it’s simply not that easy. Being FAT is in fact a very serious eating disorder for many of us, that we often do not take into account. So, I’m going to shed a little light on my life and journey. My name is Aaron Nation, or as most of the Cork LGBTQ+ scene would know me, Letycha Le’Synn. I’m going to delve into my journey so far in regard to weight loss. This is a battle that so many of us face in our lives and I feel it is not broadcast enough for the masses.
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