Why Can’t We Give up the Notion of the Ideal Body?

“In her column ‘Learning Curve,’ my colleague Nicola Dall’Asen breaks down the ‘complicated experience of accepting your own body in a world that doesn’t seem to want you to.’ In this edition, she explores a subject that’s under-discussed, even within body-positive and fat-acceptance circles, and asks midsize and small-fat readers (and everyone else) to consider the intricacies and exponential impact of anti-fat discrimination on larger-bodied folks.” - Sam Escobar

SE: “A simple yet poignant question, and one that is rarely addressed. As writer Nicola Dall'Asen notes, ‘A person's size has never dictated whether or not they can wear an eye shadow, body lotion, or hair spray. Why aren’t ads more reflective of that?’”

SE: “Treatments like Ozempic are complicated, but this piece from the Wall Street Journal broke its methodology down in a clear way while making a strong argument for what the advent of these drugs actually means for science, our health, and how we understand obesity and weight as a culture.”

SE: “It was summer 2021 when I first read this piece by historian Angela Tate, originally published on journalist Anne Helen Petersen’s wonderful Culture Study newsletter. After a long, terribly sad winter, we poked our collective heads out only to see people’s body image and disordered eating habits were worse than ever. But for those who do not fit the stereotypical image of an eating-disorder patient—young, white, underweight—it can be even more difficult to find relief and seek treatment. (Can you think of any movie where a non-white character has an eating disorder?)”

SE: “This is the piece that originally made me say ‘uh-oh’ last year. I’d already observed a worrying rise of fat-shaming and diet culture (typically disguised as clean eating or wellness routines), but seeing it all laid out like this through Russo’s reporting was illuminating, to say the least.”

SE: “Before reading Belle Bakst’s piece, I admit that I had zero awareness of the existence of prosthetic ‘fun eyes,’ let alone 24-karat ones. ‘After a lifetime of doing my best to blend in, I’m finally embracing how good it feels to stand out,’ writes Bakst, who describes both the painstaking fitting process and the bodily autonomy she regained through her shimmery prosthetic eye in beautiful detail.”

SE: “ Even in seemingly body-positive circles, I’ve often encountered a reluctance from people to accept that you simply cannot assess whether or not someone has an eating disorder based on their appearance. I challenge anyone who shares that skepticism to read this piece, then get back to me.”

SE: “Well, #hotgirlshaveibs hashtag is one hashtag I did not have on my bingo card for 2023, but here we are—and we’re finally talking about gastrointestinal issues, which often cause sufferers emotional distress and shame in addition to their physical symptoms. You know what else causes emotional distress, intense shame, and terribly painful gastrointestinal symptoms, yet rarely receives acknowledgment that matches its severity? Eating disorders. It’s all connected, folks, and this piece by writer Serafina Kenny beautifully breaks it all down.”

SE: “It’s hard to explain why, exactly, the celebrity weight-loss narrative can be so…disappointing. But one thing is certain: This frustration is not about the celebrities themselves, as Nicola Dall'Asen articulates here, it is about the culture, conversations and messaging surrounding these ‘journeys.’”