A review by vickizliu
"You Just Need to Lose Weight": And 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon

4.0

I am new to fat activisim and general anti fat bias discourse and I found this to be a very digestible, eye opening, and well structured read. I also had the pleasure of attending an online book launch and discussion by the author Aubrey Gordon and Virginia Sole Smith and their different perspectives really emphasized that there are even different levels of discrimination for every size/"level" of fat. The book seems very well researched and most if not all cited sources are primary sources. I also appreciated that at the end of each chapter were reflection questions and section for opporunities for action. It's uncomfortable to confront your biases and examine them closely and the book does help guide you in a way so as to not raise your defenses. I was also particularly impressed with her dedication to intersctionality--how anti fatness and anti-blackness can go hand in hand and she touched on how anti fatness harms other marginalized groups (trans, LGBTQ+ groups, indigenous, PoC, disabled). The last chapter in particular touches on systesm of oppresion and how we must actively fight against them.