Thick Twice Podcast Entertains and Educates with Wit, Style and Swag

Christen Marbury and Natalie Elliott

In January, Blavity News named Thick Twice Podcast as one of its 20 Black Podcasts to Check Out This Year. Naturally, the feature is good news for creators and hosts Christen Marbury and Natalie Elliott. Newly launched last year, the show initially made waves for its witty, sharp, and uncompromising take on issues that affect full figured and plus size women. Additionally, the show has expanded beyond its initial focal point to include coverage on pop culture, fashion, dating, social issues, and more. The hosts first met as freshman at Michigan State University and have since enjoyed over ten years of friendship. Looking to expand beyond their day jobs, Marbury and Elliott sought to find a platform where their voices could be heard loud and clear. They are bold and unabashed about their message and part of the show’s charm is that their content seems authentic due to their camaraderie on and off camera. In February, Thick Twice started its second season and Marbury and Elliott look to continue their same style of bold commentary their listeners have come to love. In their exclusive first ever interview, I talk with Thick Twice Podcast about body positivity, black-owned businesses, season two expectations, and more.

Eight Eleven: Blavity recently named Thick Twice Podcast one of the 20 Black Podcasts to Check Out This Year. What was that experience like and did you expect it so early on in your career?

Elliott: It was super exciting for me, I didn’t know it was coming. I think Christen went to school with the person who wrote the article. They did a callout and asked about what podcasts she followed. Kristen mentioned ours and I had no idea that ours would actually be mentioned in the article on Blavity.com. So, it was a great energizer for me because doing this type of work with a podcast is definitely my creative outlet. Having somebody recognize that and see the work that we’ve been putting into it and how we developed over time, it kind of put some energy into what we can be into the future. That was an amazing experience. It definitely caught me by surprise. We just finished our first season and we haven’t even been doing this for a year; it will be a year in May. It’s been an encouraging and eye-opening experience. In a lot of places, I don’t get to have that creative outlet, whether it’s in my 9 to 5 or dealing with my family. This was my time to really give myself a space to be creative and talk how I want to while also building a creative community for ourselves. It was a great experience and I’m happy that people are enjoying ours [podcast] because it’s really fun for us to do.

For those of us who don’t know the both of you, can you introduce yourselves and tell us a little bit more about who you are and what you do?

Elliott: My name is Natalie Elliott and on the show I go by Lee just to create a different space. During the day, I am a sexual health educator in Macomb and Oakland County, Michigan. I do a lot of community outreach and I’m also a birth and postpartum doula. I love my work that I do in the community while also uplifting mental health and body positivity. Those are two other things that I’m interested in.

Marbury: My name is Christen. For those who don’t know me, I was born and raised in Detroit. Currently, I work for a scholarship program called the Detroit Promise. I manage a program within the scholarship where we coach college students throughout their time at their respective college. Similar to Natalie, I’m really into community work, specifically in Detroit. I also have a few businesses: Thank God I’m Fabulous plus-sized boutique and Christen’s Cheesecakes.

What is the Thick Twice Podcast and what’s the history and motivation behind starting it?

Marbury: I believe our theme changed from our inception. I think we started being mainly focused on fat girl or plus sized conversations but we’ve blossomed into talking about more than that. I think we’re just two friends that talk about good topics. We just bring our opinions and interests into it [the podcast].

Elliott: It was definitely a space for us to have a creative outlet for ourselves on the side of our daily jobs. We actually met at Michigan State. We stayed on the same floor freshman year and we’ve been friends ever since then. The podcast was definitely an opportunity for us to hangout a lot more and to connect as friends. We started it after we were invited to another podcast. The way that podcast was conducted, we felt like if they can do one, we can definitely try it out. That podcast does relatively good but the way we were treated on the show was kind of disrespectful. I felt we needed a space to have a creative outlet to talk about the things we wanted to talk about and not be disrespected so we definitely started our podcast after that. It started as playing around with YouTube videos but then we grew into the episodes we have and now we have a whole season.

Was the previous podcast incident about you not feeling welcome because of who you are and/or what you look like or due to the quality of the show?

Marbury: It was a podcast that was specifically geared towards plus sized people and their varied backgrounds. From the previous episodes we saw, the topics ranged from adult film to someone working a regular job. So they had a wide range of guests. When we did the episode with them, they would ask us a question and not let us finish our statement. It was their show as the hosts and they didn’t let us as the guests talk.

Elliott: I definitely think in that interview, they were trying to create a safe space for plus sized women to express themselves. When we first started our podcast, since we’re plus sized women, we were going to be geared towards those experiences that plus-sized people live through that people may not notice or take seriously. We were trying to create that safe space for us to express those experiences while also not being preyed on or fetishized. It definitely helped us do the work from that space.

In the era of Monique, Lizzo, and more, do you think that the representation in the media for full figure women is well represented or is there room for expansion especially among Black women?

Marbury: I definitely think there’s still room for expansion. I think that we are definitely further than where we were. You’re seeing more or different types of plus sized bodies versus the acceptable hourglass plus sized curvy woman. I do feel like we’re seeing more of that. We’re definitely further than the Monique era. I feel Lizzo is a part of that new representation. But also, I feel there’s still room for growth.

Elliott: I think that it’s such a spectrum. Coming from the Monique era of her chasing Professor Oglvee on The Parkers, that image of her was on TV. But outside of that role, she was saying things like, “I hate skinny bitches”. Now seeing her in 2022, she’s saying “being fat is a sin. If you’re fat you need to lose weight.” She used to be a confident plus sized woman who stood her ground. I remember in one of her movies, that was one of the first times I felt that I saw a plus sized woman where she was being accepted and loved. I saw that movie and felt it was so interesting, I watched it all the time. Monique, Queen Latifah, Natalie Deselle, these were the only people that I had to look up to because the options were so limited. Through social media, I feel like being plus sized is not in it’s comedic era anymore. You’re not going to see any Rasputias, any fat comic reliefs as much anymore because we are starting to branch out into what we can do. We don’t have to be just comedy. Lizzo is amazing; she’s a great representation of what your everyday plus-sized life would be like. You may be plus-sized but you’re still a human being. You’re still living your life. You’re not on the brink of dying because you’re fat. You can make millions and twerk on Instagram if you want to and you shouldn’t be ashamed of yourself. I definitely feel there needs to be more representation that’s not jaded. Jazmine Sullivan used to be plus-sized. I remember they gave sh*t to Jordin Sparks for being plus-sized. They also did it to Adele. There are so many people that you look up to as role models for representation but over time in that industry, they succumb to that [pressure]. It is really important to have people that look like you as representation no matter what age you are.

What are some of the differences that are in society regarding body positivity in Black or Latin women vs white women? Black people in general seem to be festishized or shamed more when being plus-sized or big and tall whereas it seems to be different for white counterparts.

Marbury: I can agree with you on that. Honestly, it’s a little baffling. In the spectrum of things, black women are usually more curvy. I feel like they glorify or accept it in non-Black people because it’s not their norm. It’s taboo in a way. But it’s the normal for us. They’ve always tried to make us hate ourselves regardless. That just kind of plays into that.

Elliott: I definitely feel that way too. When the plus-sized movement on Instagram got really big, there were a few white women, like Ashley Graham who was really big in 2009 and 2010. As more white women have jumped into the body positivity movement, it kind of shifted from what it was for. It was for marginalized black bodies and people of color who weren’t seen in media everyday, that weren’t coke bottle shaped. Over the years, it’s definitely gotten diluted. For a person that’s White and a size 12, that is super curvy. For a Black person, it appears that you’re more of a regular size. It’s harder to be a fat person of color because our bodies aren’t necessarily accepted in the way society thinks of body positivity or acceptance.

Society always makes it seem as though as a full-figured woman or big and tall man that you should be ashamed of who you are. How would you both describe your confidence and personal freedom nowadays compared to when you were teenagers? You talked about this in episodes F*ck That Old Lady and Juneteenth.

Elliott: I definitely think that’s also a spectrum. As a kid, being bullied and taunted because of my size, sometimes that’s still in the back of my head. No matter how much money you have, money can’t always replace the trauma. Sometimes I appear to be out and self confident. Most of the time I walk into the room and think that nobody’s paying attention to me. I’m invisible and that’s how I get through. Nobody’s paying attention to me. I can act as weird as I want because nobody’s looking at me. That’s what I use for confidence and it’s what I used as a kid. I say confidence for me now is definitely a spectrum. I think I’m more comfortable in my ways now. As a teen, I was wearing stuff that people didn’t think I was supposed to wear. Wearing shorts and lace dresses was a big thing for me as a teen. Then, it was more of I’m wearing this and I also feel nauseous because I know people are staring at me. But now as an adult, it’s like I know people are staring at me! It’s more so I have faith in myself that I’m doing this for me and I know I look good. I think I understand more of preference and how the world works and how people see you. That definitely helps out a lot as far as if somebody doesn’t like you and what they see, they can move on. I still get stares sometimes for what I’m wearing because it’s too tight, short, or revealing too much fat. But at the end of the day, I think I’m a little bit more secure in myself to know that if I can put it on, I bought it with my own money, I’m going to wear it. If I want to speak my mind, I don’t have to subscribe to a certain stereotype, being a Black person or a fat person. Just do you. That’s helps me over time.

Marbury: I agree, it is a spectrum. Some days I’m in love with my body, in love with myself, in love with how I look in something and the next day I’m my toughest critic. But, I do feel for the most part, especially with me stepping into modeling and social media, it helped me build my confidence. Similar to what Natalie said, it took me a long time to get to the point of not really caring what other people thought of how I looked. But, I feel like I’ve almost mastered it at this stage in my life. If I like it and I feel good in it, then I’m going to wear it. I filmed a YouTube video and I was talking about how growing up I would feel so judged. I had a cousin who was smaller than me and they would dress us alike. She could wear something and nobody would bat an eye. I would wear the same thing like shorts for instance, and people would say that I had too much showing. Coming from that to this stage now has been a long journey. At this stage, I just don’t care about what other people think about how I look, as long as I feel good about myself.

Thick Twice Podcast

What is one thing that you wish people would understand about full figured women? Do you feel that there needs to be a body positivity movement for men or do you feel that there already is one?

Marbury: One thing they need to know is that we are not a trend. I feel like the trend started after the Drake line [in Only with Nicki Minaj]. I don’t know if people felt more comfortable with being genuine and outward with liking plus-sized women or if they were just going with the trend because Drake said it. Also, I don’t eat that much either, I think it’s just a metabolism thing. Some people have higher metabolisms and they burn calories faster. Personally, I snack but I don’t eat a lot.

Elliott: I would want people to understand that we’re human beings and our bodies function the same way as others. Being fat isn’t a life or death sentence, it isn’t something that’s horrible. During my childhood, people made it seem as though being fat was one of the worst things you could do. You’re a human being. You still need to learn about emotions, how to be in a relationship and what you should and shouldn’t expect. That level of respect shouldn’t decrease because you’re fat or plus-size. What you should expect from people shouldn’t have to be less than. Also, treat us with humanity. In some spaces, you’re either fetishized or you’re a threat to the health of society. I definitely think there needs to be a body positivity movement for men. I think it’s slowly starting. Talking to my brother, he was saying that he doesn’t know where to shop at if it’s not Polo or Big and Tall stores. I suggested Fashion Nova, ASOS, Curve, and Forever 21. It’s slowly starting to become more noticeable. Plus-sized men also need clothing that’s available and stylish beyond sweatpants and hoodies. The clothing movement is starting. That whole idea of getting yourself a big boy is a stereotype as to say that they’re going to feed you and get you everything you want because they should be appreciative that you’re with them. As it relates to body positivity, I think men in general need to learn a bit more about fetishizing and when to know the difference in someone loving you versus looking at you like you’re a human teddy bear. I definitely think there’s room to grow into that. When I’ve talked to plus-size men about this, they’re thinking it’s not a fetish. There’s definitely room for the plus-size men’s movement to grow.

Marbury: I 100% agree. And honestly, the first thing that popped into my head was the teddy bear example. Yep, she said everything. I also think the movement is starting but it could definitely use a lot more attention. A lot of focus has been put on the plus size women’s movement. We have way more options than what we did at one time. I remember shopping at Ashley Stewart and Lane Bryant, looking like I was about to go to a job interview when I was twelve years old (laughs). I remember that and I feel like men deserve the focus now. We’ve gotten some things and they need to get them as well.

One important thing that you guys talk about in Thick Twice Podcast is Black-owned businesses. Where are you guys shopping, eating, and what health and beauty products are you using?

Marbury: I’m definitely still using my vegan body butter from A Vegan’s Collection. Waist Beads is a Black owned waist bead company in Detroit. I’ve also supported Kuzzo’s Chicken and Waffles in Detroit.

Elliott: I always shout out the Three Thirteen store on Livernois in Detroit, love that store. I just love the owner. You never usually see an owner in a store but he’s always in there running around everywhere. He’s behind the counter, folding T-shirts, while also talking and making business deals. I just love the energy he gives out and the stuff he does throughout the community. He has really nice quality streetwear. I always use The Lip Bar. Also Royal Glisten, I really like their products. The owner Jenae is also a Michigan State University alumnus. Junetober Scents is a luxury candle brand that I love shouting out. These are local brands that I’ve been purchasing from. There’s also a bakery that I’ve been going to named Lana’s Bake Shop. Sonya’s Mobay is a Jamaican restaurant that I love. They have the best Jamaican food in the city right now.

In this day and age, it’s awesome to see Black-owned businesses and creatives are being supported more. What Black creatives are you supporting right now?

Elliott: That’s something that I’m always passionate about is looking for more Black creatives. I’m a big YouTube watcher. Most of the time I use YouTube. I am really big into True Crime and Makeup by Brittney Vaughn. She’s my go-to. As for Instagram, I love a little bit of everything. My timeline is filled with art and solo travel. Another person that I really like is Candyss Love. She was a big inspiration for me when I wanted to do solo travel all over the country. I love her energy and content. For the most part, that’s all I try to consume is Black people’s content. I try to find uplifting people to follow. Intelexual Media by Elexus Jionde is a history channel where she goes over decades at a time and the history of Black people in the 60s or 70s. I’m a big history person so I love watching her videos and getting a different perspective of how Black people intertwine with history in a different way. I hope to find even more Black creatives outside of fashion and makeup; that we can expand on content and not get sidelined into what people think we’re supposed to do in entertainment.

Can you tell us a bit more about the other businesses that you have?

Marbury: I used to make cheesecakes and desserts for family events. One day I decided to put them in jars. We had a work event where I brought in some cheesecake jars and my coworkers encouraged me to start a business. This blossomed into Christen’s Cheesecakes. I also have Thank God I’m Fabulous Plustique. It’s a plus-sized boutique. Also, there will be a rebranding later this year.

Elliott: I have Thick Twice Closet. It’s focused on thrifted clothing that I started before the pandemic. I resell things that I have in my closet. I’m looking forward to seeing how I can revamp my closet and merchandise this year. You can find it on Instagram at @thicktwicecloset.

Can you give us an exclusive on the second season of Thick Twice Podcast? The first episode was called Love a Black Woman From Infinity to Infinity. What more can people expect this season?

Elliott: Sure! That episode was our recap of the last season that ended in December. We’re talking about things that go on in the media, popular topics. Of course we talked about Nick Cannon as he’s always in the media these days. We shared some interesting Black history facts that we didn’t hear about growing up and adding new people to that topic because Black history is still being made everyday. That was our first episode. This season, we definitely hope to have guests. We’re definitely going to be dedicating some episodes to plus-sized/big and tall men and their experiences. We hope to get into a little bit more about sexual health. We have a lot of interesting guest stars that are on the way. We hope to just expand with our topics.

Thick Twice Podcast is on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.