Her content, for the most part, isn’t directly political or activist. She dances to viral sounds, films GRWMs and makes comedy skits with her boyfriend about relationships. This approach is intentional. “As a little woman, people see me as a circus freak, almost. And I’ve shown people [on social media] that I’m just as funny, I’m just as smart, and I’m just as human as everyone else.” She finds that ‘preachiness’ online doesn’t always get the message across, but that her skits are a way to subtly influence and educate people. “I am quite a light-hearted person. The way I do content, people don’t realise it’s activism, so they [audiences] are less defensive,” she says.
She is politically minded, though. “I think politicians should pay more attention to disabled people that are trying to make a change and have concerns about certain things, because our complaints are very valid. A lot of disabled people are unemployed because buildings are not accessible.” She tells me that even if the building is accessible, getting there often isn’t, “It should be illegal to not have a lift at a station, because there’s so many disabled people that get stranded. And, you know, the reason why [disabled people] are always at home is because it’s a struggle to go outside. I wish they could consider disabled people a bit more.”
How has she found peace in a world that so often mistreats her? Timbo says the book The Secret by Rhonda Byrne really shifted her mindset as a teen, “it kind of broke it down for me. Yes, people might look at you funny. But as long as you know yourself, that you are loved you are a bad b****, then you can make whatever you want to achieve in life happen.”
This is an energy she’s channelled since, and the reason GLAMOUR has honoured her at the 2023 Women of the Year Awards in partnership with Samsung. What does this recognition mean to her? “It means the world to me. Honestly, I never thought I could ever achieve something this major,” she says. “I think it’s amazing that I’m able to inspire other women to be who they are in this crazy world, but at the same time be unapologetically themselves. It’s an honour. And throughout the years, I’ve just been practising being me and speaking up about social issues, disability issues, and women’s rights as well. I’m glad it’s been recognised.”
It’s this recognition that led to Fats’s debut book – Main Character Energy: 10 Commandments for Living Life Fearlessly – being published in April this year. Editor Madiya Altaf said “Fats is the main character I aspire to be! An absolute powerhouse of fun and encouragement, her commandments are exactly the daily dose of ‘main character energy’ we all need to hear.” Following the release she launched the Living Fearlessly Podcast- inspired by the books’ themes- which has had guests like Victoria Pendleton and Alastair Campbell.
From standup, to podcasts, beauty tutorials and viral skits- Fats’ is a multi-talented, ambitious, force. It’s modelling, though, which makes her feel the most empowered; “Everyone’s looking at me, and I’m beautiful. I’m looking stunning. And I’m just fiercely walking down the catwalk,” she says. “I feel like my old self would have been like, ‘Oh, my God, you’re doing that?’. And now I’m like ‘Yeah, I’m strutting my stuff’. Everyone’s looking at me, because I look absolutely fabulous.”
As we’re finishing our conversation, I ask Timbo what she would go back and tell her 16-year-old-self. Without missing a beat, she tells me “don’t tek mi fi eediat”, before loudly laughing that we probably can’t run that in GLAMOUR. I assure her that we can.