Living in a Fat Body

Image description: A fat woman’s shoulder, side rolls and hip are shown in a black-and-white photograph. During this pandemic, so many people are finding that their bodies, for the first time, are now in the “plus size” or “fatter than I wanted” categories, and are finding it a pretty scary place to be. It’s scary…

Image description: An abstract light blue watercolor background with the words, “Stop appropriating the experiences and oppression of people who are fatter than you.” Lindley’s logo is at the bottom. Here’s one way you can help end weight stigma: Stop appropriating the experiences and oppression of people who are fatter than you. If you live…

If we could opt out of oppression, would we still “deserve” it?

Image description: A fat blonde woman in a bikini with visible side rolls sits on a vintage red suitcase at the edge of the water on a beach, looking away. Content note: Dental procedures I feel like my poor dentist’s office has born the brunt of my ever-spinning analyses this year, while in truth, I…

Image description: A thin white man with close-cropped hair is shown from the neck up in two shots, side by side. In the first, he has a manic smile. In the second, he has an exaggerated frown. In both shots, his face and neck are covered with a pasty white substance. End image description. Photo…

Image description: A fat white women with shoulder-length blonde hair is shown in a black and white image with a black drape just covering the tips of her breasts and part of her torso. She is looking off to one side with a solemn expression, with tree limbs behind her. Today we’re going to explore…

One part of interacting with healthcare providers while living in a fat body is that your value and worth as a patient are always, always conditional and based on your perceived compliance. I’ve been seeing my dentist, who I adore, for many years. My genetic lack of tooth enamel makes me a frequent visitor. In…

Image description: A fat white baby’s arm is partially seen between an overlapping floral blanket, blue onesie sleeve and the body and strap of a car’s seat and child safety seat. Image source: Al Soot on Unsplash It’s definitely the fat kids’ fault. That was the gist of a discussion I witnessed last week, in…

When someone in a marginalized body shares a deep fear with you and your first answer is, “Well, I work in that field and I’ve never seen that,” you are in the wrong. Especially if you do not share that marginalization. Especially if you are a healthcare provider. Especially if that fear is well-founded, well-documented…

You can assign points to food and you can talk about calories in calories out and you can talk about willpower and you can talk about dietsand you can talk about fatand you can talk about loss but until you start talking about the way human bodies actually work in the real world you’re not…

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Lindley Ashline (she/her) (@bodyliberationwithlindley) on Aug 26, 2020 at 9:29am PDT I never intended to get involved in the eating disorder community. I’ve never had an ED. But the prevalence of ED treatment clinicians and patients in the health at every size (#HAES) community forced me…

The first two paragraphs of the thought below deserve a content note for violence and fat hatred, though the rest doesn’t. Please protect yourself as needed. I got my first death wish this week. One of my anti-diet Facebook posts was apparently shared in a Facebook group for bodybuilders that spends some of their effort…

Today I’m thinking about the mental load of living as a fat person and how it’s affected by one small example: this Renfrew newsletter mess. (Trigger warnings apply.) If you live in a smaller body, you can say, “Oh, that’s terrible” and move right along with your life. But if you live in a fat…

Content note: Open bigotry; fatphobia in a medical and healthcare treatment setting. Image is Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.” “As I sit across from my 5’ 8” 350-pound client, I am filled with discomfort and fear. In the grip of my terror, I want to fix her, to make her healthy and to protect her from…

Dear fat admirers and chubby chasers: We don’t care whether you find us attractive. At all. Every time I talk about the innate desirability, attractiveness or sexuality of fat women, men roll up to let the world know that unlike the rabble, they like fat women. A lot. In fact, they even have a thing…

“All relationships need boundaries. A boundary is an imaginary line that separates me from you. They separate your physical space, your feelings, needs, and responsibilities from others. Your boundaries also tell other people how they can treat you – what’s acceptable and what isn’t.” – Sharon Martin I didn’t learn to start setting boundaries until…

Please stop asking us to describe our pain for your gain. You’re preparing a presentation for your colleagues, or your class, or your professional society on healthcare, Health at Every Size, or weight stigma. You want to include some stories of the harassment, bias, discrimination and hatred fat people face every day, but since you…

I was standing in the aisle between cubicles when I turned my back, gritted my teeth and said, rather shortly, “No, really, you can check the tag on my pants if you don’t believe me.” I’d made a casual comment about not being able to find black slacks that I liked, and a well-meaning but…