Body Justice for Clinicians: Evaluating Clinical Bias, Thin Idealism, and Fat-Shaming, Ep. 131

Health at Every Size debunks common myths about weight and health, advocating for a lifestyle focused on well-being rather than weight loss. It emphasizes listening to the body's needs and finding joy in movement and eating, backed by scientific research.

In this book, Sonya Renee Taylor invites readers to reconnect with the radical origins of their minds and bodies and celebrate their collective strength. Taylor argues that body shame and oppression are interconnected with various forms of marginalization such as racism, homophobia, and sexism, which she terms 'body terrorism. ' The book emphasizes the need to acknowledge and challenge internalized body shame and societal norms, promoting radical self-love as a foundational tool for social justice and global transformation. It includes personal anecdotes, discussion questions, and reflective prompts to help readers embark on a journey of self-love and social change.

In 'Fearing the Black Body', Sabrina Strings presents a meticulously researched history of the transformation of Euro-American ideologies toward fat from the Renaissance to the present day. She argues that fatphobia is an extension of anti-Black racism, tracing its roots through various historical factors including the Atlantic slave trade, Renaissance art, scientific racism, and Protestantism. Strings demonstrates how the ideal of slenderness is racialized and racist, and how Western medicine has historically relied on the brutalization and dehumanization of Black people to validate these ideals. The book highlights how assessments of body size and shape have been used to justify systems of oppression and how contemporary fatphobia is deeply connected to the historical processes of racialization and objectification of Black bodies.