Meet Courtney Shove | Roller Skating Fat Advocate and Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Courtney Shove and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Courtney, what is the most important factor behind your success?
The most important factor behind the success of my brand is to never lose myself. Change can be good, but the message my brand stands for will always be the same. The only reason I have gotten to where I am today is because I shared the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of my life on social media. When I began my online shop I named it Fat Femme Fatale because that’s exactly what I am. I’m fta, Black, and queer. The intersectionality of marginal identities are all important to me. I want to be the representation for others that I never had. Whether if it my social media brand of Fat Girl has Moxi, or my artwork.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Making videos has always been a fun outlet for me, but more so drawing. I rarely paint anymore, I focus on my digital art. I am a self taught artist and my main focus is roller skaters of different shapes and sizes. People I I know or wish I knew are my subjects. My paintings are dear to my soul, but my digital art is fun and feminine. I think I have been somewhat successful because I found my niche. The roller skate community supports one another, therefore they are very open to my artwork, whether a sticker or a print.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, let’s pretend there isn’t a pandemic.. ha… Well, we would drive down to beach, here in Long Beach, and strap on our skates. We would carve/bomb Junipero hill to experience the feeling of flying. Then we would skate the path towards Shoreline Village. We would then take the winding staircase up to the bridge and enjoy the view… hopefully it’s around sunset. We would make our way to the 3rd street Promenade and grab some food and a beer from Dog Haus. Then we’d skate to Made to check out art from local makers and make our way to the speakeasy in the back for free poool, board games, and more beer. We would be able to the skate in all these locations, so no shoes required.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The first fat idol I had was Tess Holliday. Without her knowing I even existed, she gave me permission to love my body. I stopped hiding my body. I began to wear what I wanted and feel powerful and even sexy. I remember before I gained a large following, I told my partner that I wanted to be to people what Tess was for me. I can confidently say that I am now. I wanted to sell art for over a decade. When the pandemic hit, I found myself without a job and my partner, Rebel, encouraged me to take the leap and start an Etsy. That is when Fat Femme Fatale began.

Website: www.fatfemmefatale.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fat_girl_has_moxi/