High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! The Padded Lilies are a water ballet troupe of fat women based out of Oakland, California, United States. The group was founded by fat activist Shirley Sheffield in 1997 to promote "synchronized swimming, body-acceptance, fat-empowerment, and fitness at any size." The Padded Lilies have been profiled in People magazine, interviewed by the British Medical Journal, and featured on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and in the short film "Weightless."