Em-URGE-ing Voices

Posts Tagged: fat

Weight, What? How Fatphobia Impacts Reproductive Care

uterus

Fatphobia, the institutional bias against plus-size bodies, is rampant in the way we view ourselves and each other. Popular culture depicts the slim woman, (size 6 at most) as normal, despite sizes 16-18 being the true average women’s size in the US. Anyone outside this cultural norm or skinniness is deemed undesirable—as literally taking up too much space in society. This can be seen in the othering and separation of plus size clothing or models, the cultural obsession with dieting and weight loss products, and the fetishization or degradation of fat women on social media. Everywhere we look, we are flooded with false messaging telling us that to be fat is to be different and unwanted. Fatphobia is perhaps at its most harmful when it influences healthcare. Weight bias in… Read more »

Let’s Talk About Fatphobia

Like many femmes, I have an interesting relationship with my body. I’m 5’9, and last time I checked, close to 200 pounds. I now wear size 16 jeans, and usually XL tops. I’m pretty sure my bra size is a 38 DD. Being tall, I feel as though a lot of people expect me to be super thin, and I’m not. I frequently have trouble fitting clothes at what I lovingly refer to as “White Girl Stores.” These stores include American Eagle, Forever 21, and other stores that I probably should not even be attempting to shop at because I’m 22 and about to enter the professional world. I like going to Ann Taylor and splurging on business shirts because that’s where they fit. I’ve lost many pairs of jeans… Read more »