Our level of oppression under diet culture is on a spectrum and where we are on that spectrum is determined by how closely our bodies align with the current beauty standards. The farther away you are from matching up to the current beauty standard, the less power you have in virtually all avenues of our society.
Power means that people, upon seeing you, assume you’re: healthier, wealthier, more intelligent, more socially dominant and more trustworthy. Power means that you’re more likely to get elected in politics, get a better paying job, be favored by teachers and other figures of authority.
No wonder we’re obsessed with controlling our bodies. The message is, “look like this, then you get this.” No wonder it’s SO HARD to give up on dieting and the fantasy body we have in our head.. “One day, once I look like that, my life will be grand..” Dieting has a 95% failure rate, yet we still tether ourselves to the idea that we’ll be the “special” one that “succeeds” meanwhile life is passing us by.
This is why my mission is to disrupt & undermine diet culture every chance I get. What else could we be doing with all the time, energy and money we spend on trying to be pleasing to look at? What more could I have accomplished by 36 if my twenties wasn’t consumed by dieting and trying to lose weight?
There is a level of activism that comes along with saying “F*ck you” to diet culture, because it’s a countercultural path, it’s rebelling against the mainstream. You’re going to walk out into the world and the majority of people you encounter aren’t going to get it, or they’ll straight up disagree with you, and that makes it HARD & exhausting to stay the course.
Remember that you’re not just doing this for yourself, you’re creating a better future for every woman & girl. Opting out of diet culture is more than accepting our bodies & making peace with food, it’s one less person feeding the beast.