Kate Manne

Alice Fullwood, an economics writer at The Economist, and Kate Mann, an associate professor at Cornell, dive into the harsh realities of fatphobia in America. They discuss how fat women earn less than their thinner counterparts and face obstacles in promotions. The conversation critiques the societal pressure for weight loss linked to economic and career opportunities. They evaluate the efficacy of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, revealing that economic success goes beyond mere body transformation and challenges deep-rooted biases in health and employment.

"They find our bodies repulsive." Kate Manne, a philosopher and author, discusses fatphobia in our culture, questioning the validity of the BMI as a measure of health and the harmful effects of dieting. She explores the historical link between fatness and blackness, highlighting the impact of fatphobia in philosophy. The podcast also delves into the intersection of fatphobia with racism and classism, as well as the deep politicization of fatness. The speakers challenge societal stigmatization of fatness and explore misconceptions and biases surrounding weight and health.

In this engaging discussion, Kate Manne, a writer and philosophy professor at Cornell University, teams up with Sophie McBain, contributing editor at New Statesman. They explore the pressing issue of fat phobia and how it impacts personal identity and societal norms. Manne examines the harmful effects of dieting and weight cycling, advocating for a healthier perspective on body image. The conversation also emphasizes the need for systemic change to foster inclusivity and combat discrimination against larger bodies in society.

Today Virginia is chatting with author and feminist philosopher Kate Manne, about her new book Unshrinking: How To Face Fatphobia. Kate is also an associate professor of philosophy at Cornell University and author of Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny and Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women.All of Kate’s books, including Unshrinking, are available in the Burnt Toast Bookshop!Don’t forget, you can always take 10 percent off that purchase if you also order (or have already ordered!) Fat Talk from Split Rock Books! (Just use the code FATTALK at checkout.)And if you love today’s conversation you should come see Kate and Virginia together at Community Bookstore in Brooklyn on January 26. We’ll be celebrating the launch of Unshrinking and we would love to see you there! To get all of the links and resources mentioned in this episode, as well as a complete transcript, visit our show page. If you want more conversations like this one, please rate and review us in your podcast player! And become a paid Burnt Toast subscriber to get all of Virginia's reporting and bonus subscriber-only episodes. And don’t forget to check out our new Burnt Toast Podcast Bonus Content! Disclaimer: Virginia is a journalist and human with a lot of informed opinions. Virginia is not a nutritionist, therapist, doctor, or any kind of health care provider. The conversation you're about to hear and all of the advice and opinions she and her guests give are just for entertainment, information, and education purposes only. None of this is a substitute for individual medical or mental health advice.FAT TALK is out! Order your signed copy from Virginia's favorite independent bookstore, Split Rock Books (they ship anywhere in the US!). Or order it from your independent bookstore, or from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, Target, or Kobo or anywhere else you like to buy books. You can also order the audio book from Libro.fm or Audible.CREDITSThe Burnt Toast Podcast is produced and hosted by Virginia Sole-Smith. Follow Virginia on Instagram.Burnt Toast transcripts and essays are edited and formatted by Corinne Fay, who runs @SellTradePlus, an Instagram account where you can buy and sell plus size clothing.The Burnt Toast logo is by Deanna Lowe.Our theme music is by Jeff Bailey and Chris Maxwell.Tommy Harron is our audio engineer.Thanks for listening and for supporting anti-diet, body liberation journalism.  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit virginiasolesmith.substack.com/subscribe

The podcast explores the limitations of using BMI as a measure of body health and discusses alternative methods for assessing body composition. It delves into the challenges of unrealistic weight expectations for different body types and genetic diversity, as well as the controversies surrounding the societal implications of BMI as a health indicator.