Two books to read, one I just read, on diet culture and anti-fat bias.

You Just Need to Lose Weight and 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon (2023)

Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole-Smith (2023)

Excerpt: Chapter 1:

https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/p/the-myth-of-the-childhood-obesity#details

In this illuminating narrative, journalist Virginia Sole-Smith exposes the daily onslaught of fatphobia and body shaming that kids face from school, sports, doctors, diet culture, and parents themselves--and offers strategies for how families can change the conversation around weight, health, and self-worth. Fat Talk is a stirring, deeply researched, and groundbreaking book that will help parents learn to reckon with their own body biases, identify diet culture, and empower their kids to navigate this challenging landscape. Sole-Smith draws on her extensive reporting and interviews with dozens of parents and kids to offer a provocative new approach for thinking about food and bodies, and a way for us all to work toward a more weight-inclusive world.  

Interview with Sole-Smith: https://annehelen.substack.com/p/how-to-have-the-fat-talk

Also! Excerpt of Chapter 9 (on fathers) in The Atlantic. Excerpt of Chapter 5 (on the diet culture of doctors) in TIME.

Fat Girls Hiking: An Inclusive Guide to Getting Outdoors at Any Size or Ability by Summer Michaud-Skog (2022)

I loved how Michaud-Skog describes the evolution of FGH (www.instagram.com/fatgirlshiking/), from their personal social media account, into a hashtag and platform that featured lots of people who “rallied around inclusivity, fat activism and accessibility in the outdoors” and, how that evolution (and expansion/visibility) required an evolution in purpose and clarity in mission. Some quotes (slightly remixed) below:

In the beginning, some people thought FGH was a motivational group for people to lose weight. And since body positivity and self-love had increased traction in the mainstream as part of a pro-diet and weight-loss agenda, I had to again adjust the language around what Fat Girls Hiking is and what it is not. I created community guidelines so anyone attending an event or group hike or participating in the community online could engage in a way that would be best for the care of the community. FGH doesn’t allow diet or weight-loss talk. We also don’t allow racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ableism or any form of bigotry. These guidelines are now part of our mission statement, which I constantly post about (every hike and event description includes them) because social media often feels like a never-ending battle against anti-fat diet-culture trolls.

...

Over time, I adjusted the FGH guidelines through my experiences to curate the space I wanted to thrive in and offer to others. My goal is online and real-life spaces and communities where we can all by fully who we are without shame or justification or explanation. Initially, I made the mistake of saying all were welcome. But that’s not actually true. I won’t welcome bigots into this community. If someone is bothered by the fact that I talk not only about being a fat woman in the outdoors but also about being queer, then this community may not be for them. If someone is looking for a place to share how they have lost weight through hiking a lot, this is not the community for them.

People can do whatever they want with their bodies and participate or not in diet and weight-loss culture, but in this tiny microcosm on the internet, I won’t allow it. It’s okay though - there are literally thousands of places online and IRL where you can talk about diet culture. It’s everywhere.

In order to keep the online FGH space free from diet culture, weight-loss talk, body shaming, and any form of bigotry, I had to invest time in creating language and tactics for when trolls or anyone else comes into the space without respect for the guidelines.

I also appreciated the honesty in the lack of actual people showing up to the first group hikes, even though people had requested them and were enthusiastic about them on social media. The transition from online interest into physical presence is not a guarantee (as anyone who has looked at the # of Eventbrite / FB event rsvps vs actual attendees knows).

As my politics grew more radical, I cared less and less about corporations or magazines acknowledging my work - it’s the community and all the people in it who motivate me, and I’m fiercely protective of them. I eventually stopped using the term body positive* because I didn’t like the implication that I, or anyone else who lives in a fat or marginalized body, had to be positive about being widely oppressed.

... It’s clear to me that the work I do with FGH is fat activism. Fat activists are still figuring out the best language to describe our work. Fat positivity centers the fat body, but some activists have moved away from using the term positivity, as it creates an unrealistic ideal that we must always feel positive about our fat bodies. Fat acceptance is a term used by activists to create a broader, more neutral understanding for folks living in bigger bodies.

In my own activism, I gravitate toward the terms body liberation and fat liberation. Body liberation recognizes the need for distance from diet culture’s toxicity and freedom from the societal, cultural, and systemic oppression anyone in a marginalized body faces. Fat liberation recognized the specific intersection of folks in fat marginalized bodies.**

* author includes short discussion on its creation by fat Black women and subsequent co-option and transformation into diet-entrenched spaces

** author on spectrum of fatness, as developed by The Fat Lip podcast, and being a midsize fat woman, e.g. being able to find clothes in stores, mostly (sometimes painfully) fit in seats and physical spaces

Nature had a way of healing my soul and reminding me to be loving more than anything else in this world. For that, I’m thankful. #hike #rock #hiking #fatgirlshiking #fatgirl #hiker #girlswhohike #fitness #morning #beautiful #nature #trees #tree #treehugger #naturalbeauty #love #outdoors #getoutdoors #trail #cliff #smile #fitnessmotivation https://www.instagram.com/p/B9PeWG9As4f/?igshid=j88uhaq9hri2

I hate nature #hiking #cuzihaveto #okayno #itskindapretty #valmüstair #fatgirlshiking #heyprettytravels #heypretty (hier: Lü, Switzerland) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0tTm0Vgb0l/?igshid=ydb1y6jjsggj

A couple weeks ago the hubs and I went on an overnight trip to Eureka Springs to get away and to see the fall foliage. I wanted to do a little hiking, got us lost first, and we saw a sign for a “100 foot lookout point”. Okay sweet! Pull up... it’s an actual preserved forest ranger observation tower. So. Many. Stairs. My first thought was “oh crap”. My second thought “screw it I’m doing it anyways”. Hubby paid his $1, goes in the narrow full body turnstile, and apprehensively tells me it’s very tight. Yes. I got STUCK. In between embarrassment, thinking I was going to die, and swearing we never spoke of this again, I was laughing hysterically. They didn’t expect some fat ass to want to climb that tower but guess what, this girl did. And that view was absolutely breathtaking. I didn’t want to leave, despite my fear of heights that had me clinging to the rail except to take that selfie in which I honestly thought I was going to die. The lesson here? There’s so many assumptions about what our bodies can or can’t do because of how they look. You’re not obligated to conform to a single one if you don’t want to. . . . . . . . . . . #bodypositive #fitness #motivation #me #myposts #hiking #fatgirlshiking #thisbodycan #youdoyouboo https://www.instagram.com/p/BqpR3bbh7jM/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=a1vruqaevqcz

#Tinydog has been super butthurt since Bender Oak’s sick and getting all the attention. So I had to take her for a few miles along the #bosque. Which means she went #hiking for 3 miles and I had to carry her the rest of the way. 🙄 #spoiled #thisisamerica #womenwhohike #wildernessculture #unlikelyhikers #optoutside #outsidewithpride #hikenewmexico #hikingwithdogs #blackandwhite #chihuahua #fatgirlshiking #hikingadventures #explore (at Bosque Trail)

Proving to myself anything is possible even it takes over 9 hours and the pain is slowly setting in. This hike was a bitch and before doing it I thought I've done worse and boy was I wrong. 9.2 miles and 4000 ft of gain making it the biggest hike of the summer. I'm so tired. If I you need me I'll be crawling to the door when the dominoes driver arrives ✌🏽️ #hike #mailboxpeak #fatgirlshiking #unlikelyhikers #hiking #hikeyourownhike #womenwhohike (at Mailbox Peak)

Cause a hit dog will holler! . . . . . #effyourbeautystandards #naturedaddy #fatpositive #seekhelp #bayareahikes #hikela #wanderlust #optoutside #hikelife #hikingworldwide #bodypositive #herpnwlife #unlikelyhiker #fatgirlshiking #hiking #wildernessbabes #hiker #destinationhl #fatwanderbabes #traphike #mentalhealth #womenwhohike #unlikelyhikers #washingtonhikes #bodypositivemovement #stigmafree #fatliberation #mountainhiking #sheexplores #theoutbound (at Arc de Triomphe) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7Bg73_JIVz/?igshid=1h545f0w7s06c

I’ve driven by this place about 200 times and finally had time to stop! I did the boat tour which was really cute and hiked about 1/2 mile out on the Scare Crow trail when I realized it was the kinda thing I should’ve put shoes on for so I turned around. #FatGirlsHiking #FatFashion #LostRiverCave (at Lost River Cave) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3pozLNhBNh/?igshid=122o6t09c4f4z

My favorite hike I've ever done. It was with a group of ladies who were kind funny and had bodies like mine. I did lots of thinking and processing during the 5.13 mile trek. If you know me you'll know how much I love the ocean so this hike was obviously worth the burn in my muscles.

I was thinking this morning about Alaska, how the sky is vast and the earth reveals endless possibilities. How it made me feel comfortable with my vastness, helped me relish life's possibilities. I finished my memoir there. I was deeply in love while there. I wed my best friend to her best friend in Alaska. I climbed giant mountains and visited glaciers. I cried a lot. I kicked my sister's ass at cards. Each time I visited Alaska, she revealed to me a part of myself I didn't know was missing. . . . . #bawdyloveontheroad #womenwhotravel #femalenomad #alaska #pottermarsh #adventurer #travelingwriter #writerswhotravel #travelwriter #fatgirlshiking (at Potter Marsh Boardwalk)

Short walk in the jungle today, of course, this is really the #SanMarcos river, but it's so beautiful that I'm totes getting jungle vibes lol! #healthystacey #river #sanmarcosriver #smtx #savetheriver #jungle #beautiful #fitmindfitbody #fitness #weightlossjourney #weightloss #getoutside #backatit #backtonature #hiking #fatgirlshiking #hillcountry #husbandtime @krisrking

That time I stood under the falls! #waterfall #hikingadventures #hiking #outdoors #tn #fallscreekfalls #fallscreekfallsstatepark #womenwhohike #womenwhoexplore #trailsnotscales #fattofit #fatgirlshiking #tennessee #exploretennessee #exploreoutdoors #hike (at Fall Creek Falls State Park)

Bestie asked if I like my (lack of) hair or if I'm kind of sad. I have to say, I'm not sad at all. I really like it actually. 🤘🏻 Day 11 of #hikeitbaby30, and it was good to get outside after two zero days. Bummed a little because I was shooting for #nozerodays, but I'm still doing awesome. 😎 We also found the first in a cool pirate themed Geocache series one of our favorite fellow Geocachers placed, but there was no way I was attempting so grab that container. 😅 @hikeitbaby #hikeitbaby #hib #hib30 #hiboutside #geocaching #optoutside #getoutside #takeitoutside #togetherwehike #nevertooyoungtohike #hikelikeagirl #hikelikeamother #fatgirlshike (at Suwanee Creek Greenway) https://www.instagram.com/p/CNikgH9J4SD/?igshid=mx5731n1w0oc

We had to drive up to Cincy from FL for a not fun reason so of course I had to make the most of a road trip and get in some adventuring this Labor Day Weekend. We decided to check out the Smoky Mountain region and today I finally visited @greatsmokynps ⛰️ What a gorgeous part of the country!! The trail we picked ran along the river for the entire 4 miles. I was in heaven hearing the water rapids and playing in the river and searching for waterfalls withy son and the doggo. #adventureisalifestyle #blacktravelers #resist #labordayweekend2019 #prettygirlshike #waterfallchaser #visitgatlinburg #nomadness #findyourpark #fatgirlshike #blackgirlstrekkin #blackwomenoutdoors #waterlust #diversifyoutdoors #shesnotlost #diversityinadventure #melaninbasecamp #takingupspaceoutdoors #wanderluster #wecoloroutside #travellushes #weouthere #outdoorwomen #unlikelyhikers #outdoorafro #blackgirlsoutdoors #blackgirlshike #travelnoire #blackwomenoutdoors #soultravel (at Great Smoky Mountains National Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/B145OhRpYga/?igshid=kl8vlci6s7m0

I've been hiking 3 times this week. Although I love the exercise but I'm mostly using the time to think, cry, reflect and thank my body for still being able to put one foot in front of the other. I feel like broken record but this year has been hard as hell. I'm dealing with losing my brother and grandma. I'm constantly worried about the state of our country. I've lost interest in things I used to love. When I hike I'm able just walk. My worry, anxiety and grief is still there but I'm able to think about why I'm feeling that way and able let some of it go step by step. Happy Sunday y'all and bring on the week 🌲#life #me #walking • • • • • • • • • • • #herpnwlife #pnwwonderland #liveoutdoors #thatpnwlife #neverstopexploring #upperleftusa #packandgo #pnw #getoutside #hike #hiking #wilderness #explore #sheexplores #fatgirlshiking #wehiketoheal #mentalhealth (at Summit Lake)

It's official: @BrownPeopleCamping is partnering with @airstream_inc to join their #EndlessCaravan initiative! They're generously lending us a trailer to explore Seattle and the gorgeous surrounding #publiclands and #nationalparks in early July. My husband and I have never been in a trailer or RV, nor do we know anyone who even owns one. So we're a little nervous but mostly excited to learn about and promote diversity in that #TrailerLife! I'll be sharing stories from the road and lots of diverse features on my Tumblr blog: www.brownpeoplecamping.com. So please bookmark our site, share trailer advice with us, and stay tuned for more details. But most important of all, please wish us luck as we prepare for this wild new adventure. ❤️

#BrownPeopleCamping #findyourpark #goparks #rei1440project #optoutside #fypyes #fatgirlshiking #DiversifyOutdoors #unlikelyhiker #thegreatoutdoors #getoutside #wildernessculture #sheexplores #womenwhohike #getoutstayout #campvibes #alltrails #womenwhoexplore #ourwild #itsallyours #hikingculture #airstream #sponsored #pnw #liveriveted