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As a plus sized mom to a baby girl it really hammered home just how important it is how I talk about my body and how I fuel and dress it. Genetics being what they are, she will likely continue from being an adorably chunky toddler into a chubby kid, tween and teen, and its so important to me that she gets to view her body in a way I never did. As a joy and pleasure to live in and explore the world in.
It sparked great conversation with my husband about how we view things, and the inherent racism of fatphobia, and even limiting family access to our daughter based on how they speak about others and their bodies.
Graphic: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Self harm, Sexism, Classism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Stalking, Sexual harassment
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic
Fatphobia is a form of structural oppression that--just like any other--is based on a socially constructed hierarchy of bodies and intersects with other systems of oppression (e.g., a fat Black woman is treated considerably worse than a fat white man).
Specifically, anti-fatness is rooted in and upholds racism, in particular anti-blackness.
Fatphobia also often serves as an outlet for other forms of bigotry because it's more socially acceptable to be anti-fat than it is to be racist or classist.
The author advocates for fat liberation and body reflexivity, although I wish the author had spent more time on that. Seems weird to introduce a new concept in the conclusion.
Key takeaways:
-Fuck diet culture, but also beauty culture in general.
-You have a right to shrink yourself or have plastic surgery (accepting all health risks/ consequences), but you are not obligated to.
-You can resist fatphobia by refusing to diet. In doing so, you're also standing up to the other systems of harm that are tied to, or intersect with, fatphobia.
Your body is for you.
It's not for consuming, comparing, assessing, or ranking.
It's not good, bad, or neutral.
You're not required to have any particular attitude toward your body, and your perspective is the only one that matters.
You are not responsible for pleasing others.
You can appreciate bodies, viewed through an uncritical lens, in all their diversity.
Graphic: Body shaming, Fatphobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment
Minor: Ableism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Antisemitism