The Padded Lilies are a water ballet troupe of fat women based out of Oakland, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The group was founded by fat activist Shirley Sheffield in 1997 to promote "synchronized swimming, body-acceptance, fat-empowerment, and fitness at any size

Health at Every Size

Health at Every Size is an approach to health that focuses on intuitive eating and pleasurable physical activity rather than dieting and weight loss.-Overview:The major components of HAES, as described by Jon Robison, are:...

." The Padded Lilies have been profiled in People magazine

People (magazine)

In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...

, interviewed by the British Medical Journal

BMJ

BMJ is a partially open-access peer-reviewed medical journal. Originally called the British Medical Journal, the title was officially shortened to BMJ in 1988. The journal is published by the BMJ Group, a wholly owned subsidiary of the British Medical Association...

, and featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and in the short film "Weightless."