Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls by Jes Baker Read Free Book Online Page B

doing is taking the exact same process of body oppression and giving it a new name.
    Our “diet industry” has become a “lifestyle change industry.” Same concept. Same strategy. Same outcome. Different mask.
    It’s rather effective. Think about how easily and automatically this excludes various groups of people. Who is instantly exiled the second health becomes the top measurement of worth? People with physical disabilities. People with chronic or incurable ailments. People who live in poverty and can’t afford balanced meals. People who don’t have the resources or education required to learn about how to take care of their bodies. People who live with a mental illness that doesn’t allow them to take care of themselves at all. People so focused on just surviving that there isn’t any energy left to focus on physical maintenance. Lots and lots of people who are unable to fully participate in our “wellness culture” because of the body and life they were born into. Defining worthiness by health and fitness level is not just about size discrimination. It’s also about classism. Racism. Ableism. And much more. Thanks to this new “beauty myth,” far more people are unable to achieve not only the body that we say is acceptable, but also the lifestyle that we demand. It almost feels like we’re looking at the most extreme form of elitism yet.
    If we want to explore how extreme this beauty ideal has become, we need to look no further than a recently named eating disorder: orthorexia nervosa, also called “the health food eating disorder.” Now before you roll your eyes or laugh at this term, let me explain what it means. When we call something a disorder, it’s because we’ve crosseda line and that “thing” has started to affect our lives to the point where it’s tremendously harmful. Eating an organic farm-to-table salad every day doesn’t necessarily fall into disordered behaviors, but not being able to travel when you want to because you’re worried about how clean the food will be? That may be. Limiting the types of foods you consume because it makes you feel good may not match the description, but feeling SO guilty for your “transgressions” when you don’t follow your healthy eating rules that you spend the entire day loathing your existence? Maybe it’s time to check in with yourself.
    IMPORTANT SUMMARY: It’s not the individual actions, but rather a pattern of obsession and the inability to function that becomes concerning. And understandably, these extreme behaviors are easy to adopt when you fully believe that your value, worth, and right to exist relies on how “healthy” you are.
    Related to orthorexia is the fascinating term that professionals have started to use in conjunction with the trend of clean, raw, paleo, and health food movements: “righteous eating.” This very clearly and automatically associates type of food with virtue, and even notes the religious tone now connected with what we consume. This, I feel, is a perfect example of how we, as a society, have become devout members of the Wellness Church.
    Hallelujah and praise the Kale.
    Overcoming and understanding this health/beauty myth was the last gigantic barrier in my path toward truly feeling good about my body. I learned to love my shape. My cellulite. My arms. My adult acne–ridden face. But I still found an unbearable amount of shame in all things health and fitness related. I was terrified to go to the doctor because they might tell me my cholesterol was too high and that I was now unhealthy. I had extreme shame about eating anything that wasn’t “health food,” especially in public. I would feel unsurmountable guilt if I missed a dance class (or four) and would internally berate myself for days. I would get embarrassed ordering a venti anything, even if I wanted it. I would try and hide my