Tag: diet culture

Guilt is a complicated concept. It is a noun, a verb, and an emotion, usually used to refer to having done something wrong. There is the guilt associated with having committed a crime against society, and then there is the guilt we place on ourselves for not being perfect–or in...

Professor Kim’s reply had arrived in my inbox the previous evening, but I couldn’t bring myself to open it right away. When I opened it the next morning at my desk, I felt relieved. Prof. Kim wrote: It feels like [the eating disorders field is] several decades behind compared to...

Realising that today’s teenage girls live in a world different from mine—that I’m a complete alien to them—makes me both uneasy and shiver. It aches, too, to think that their lives began from a random point in such recent years, detached from the schemes and backstories that shaped me. So,...

I don’t remember at what age I discovered Impressionism, an art movement in the 19th Century. Van Gogh, Monet and Degas, among others, created works of art that differed significantly from the painting style of their time. I was drawn to Impressionism the moment I saw it and have loved...

Nobody likes being told, “You’re a loser.” The word “loser” immediately conjures up feelings of inadequacy, failure, and shame. The only place I can think of where “a loser” is considered noble and revered is in diet culture and the weight loss industry, where “loss” is even in the name....

BMI or Body Mass Index is a term used frequently when discussing the health and weight management of humans. It appears in medical charts, insurance statistics and weight loss programs. People are judged by it constantly, sight unseen. In her book, “You just need to lose weight” and 19 Other...

I’ve always considered apathy to be negative. The dictionary defines apathy as a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern. Conducting a little research about apathy and whether it’s considered an emotion, I was interested to discover it’s actually a lack of emotion, which makes perfect sense. Apathy is the opposite...

A decade ago, my husband and I purchased an elliptical machine from a store that specialized in exercise equipment. The purchase price included a complementary session with a personal trainer. We took advantage of this offer, mostly to get some valuable pointers on how to use the machine and all...

Almost three years have passed since I began to recover from anorexia nervosa. In July 2020, my 65th birthday was coming up and I could not remember a time without eating disorder thoughts and behaviors. Eating disorders are devious and sneaky; mine defied discovery for decades. Now I know better,...

Utopia: a place of ideal perfection especially in laws, government, and social conditions (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) In sixth grade, my class was asked to write a paper entitled Utopia. The year was 1966-67, when the United States was embroiled in the Vietnam war, peace protests and race riots. My class was...