#102: Diet Culture, Thin Privilege and Thin Fragility

Hungry: Trust Your Body. Free Your Mind.

After sharing a post about how exhausting I felt talking about diet culture (see post below), I realized a few things that I needed to name and share.

On the podcast, I shared the post I shared, why it was an important piece for me to share openly, the reaction I received from the community, and two surprising take-aways; thin privilege and thin fragility.

I share and name my own thin privilege and get specific about how I know I’m privileged living inside of a straight-sized body. I also share my own fragility and how recognizing the impact of diet culture on marginalized identities is critical to our own freedom.

The social media post:

I know this is very uncool of me, but I get tired of talking about diet culture.

I'm in awe of so many of my colleagues that call out the harmful messages and inaccuracies we're being told about health, weight, food and body size.

I know I've done my share and there is more for me to do, but it just wears on me.

I feel hopeless. Like we are fighting a losing battle. Any impact I have is a faint whisper compared to the massive marketing machines behind diet culture kings like Weight Watchers, Noom, and Jenny Craig.

In this hopelessness, I feel indifference. Fine- go ahead. Keep marketing to kids. Keep lying to people and telling them your diet is a lifestyle plan. Take people's money and take away their body autonomy.

It makes me so angry, I could scream. But who do I scream at? Who do I call? It's like I'm swinging my arms blind folded. Diet culture is everywhere, with no obvious physical location.

I've given my hard earned money to Weight Watchers. I've been duped by them too.

Maybe that's why I'm tired of talking about diet culture. I'm mad at myself. I'm mad that I was deceived. I'm mad that all of my clients have been deceived too and they have to hire me.

I wish it never existed. I wish I never went on a diet when I was 12. Then I wouldn't have to talk about diet culture.

I realize now that I'm just fuckin' sad. That's all.