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
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
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
