Updated, May 2021: I wrote this piece in 2019 and it was long overdue for an update. I’ve removed the “White Fragility” framework because WOW that did not age well, and I should never have used it. I know better now, and I'm sorry. I updated the definition of “deathfat” and credited author and fat … Continue reading Fategories – Understanding the Fat Spectrum
"Oh boy, how much do you weigh?" His name was Dr. Pfeffer. My discharge papers from the emergency room told me to make an appointment with him. I had a large obstructive kidney stone that wasn't going anywhere on its own. I get them sometimes, usually they pass with little fanfare. This one (1.1cm) had … Continue reading A Plea
One of my favorite ways to get to know someone is to find out what their weirdest, most out-of-the-blue, most inane trigger for Big Anger is. My husband's is chicken and waffles; he finds the combination of a sweet breakfast item with a savory non-breakfast item simply unbearable and there mere sight of chicken and … Continue reading The Minnesota Starvation Experiment, Ancel Keys & Why Science Won’t Save Us
Sometimes a book, movie, or piece of art enters the public consciousness to such a degree that you feel like you know what it's all about, even if you haven't actually read it or seen it. I had this experience when I visited The Art Institute of Chicago for the first time last summer. It … Continue reading Book Review: Fearing the Black Body – The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings
I'm a big Star Wars fan. And one of my favorite arcs in the whole franchise is from "The Last Jedi." (Yeah, I like the new trilogy, die mad about it, haters.) Luke Skywalker, Jedi of myth and legend, is talking to Rey. Rey is a young girl from nowhere, daughter of no one, she … Continue reading Moving Rocks: On Burning Health at Every Size to the Ground
I used to work for this nonprofit organization. We were a big org that was focused on animal welfare. Like many organizations in this field, our office was blindingly white. There were probably less than 5 non-white people who roamed our labyrinthine hallways, and any given white staffer could easily rattle off their names. In … Continue reading Activism and Obedience
Did you know that you can declined to be weighed at the doctor's office?! YES, I KNOW. The internet has been telling me for years at this point. I hear it all the time: in shareable graphics, in posts from others either fretting about declining to be weighed or triumphantly describing declining to be weighed … Continue reading Unbearable Weight: Why I Don’t Decline Being Weighed at the Doctor’s Office
I have a confession to make. It's shameful and I hesitate to put it out there on the internet where it will be saved in perpetuity, but it must be done. I fucking love TLC's "90 Day Fiancé." In general, I am not a fan of "guilty pleasures," because life is short and you should … Continue reading Hot, Heavy, and Stupid: TLC’s Bad New Show & Our Pathological Hatred of Fat People
Fluffy Kitten Party 