Good Bodies

We can all agree that the early aughts did not make body acceptance easy. Remy and Emily share a DST listener’s Glamour article (shoutout Michelle), all about this topic and how the early 2000s fostered body image issues. Emily brings up that v problematic Paris Hilton book (you know, the one that recommends clubbing to dance away calories), which leads into a convo about how pop culture and TV glamorize thinness. Re: Gilmore Girls and the infamous Kim Kardashian and Marilyn Monroe dress situation. Then onto a listener-submitted Dear DST about traveling to warmer places in the winter, being with in-laws for the holidays, and the body image struggles that come with. Remy and Emily relate to the struggle and share some advice on how to set boundaries.Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stars—are they really just like us? Joining Remy and Emily today is special guest Peter Grossman, a former employee of Us Weekly and Rolling Stone and an aficionado of the “Stars—They’re Just Like Us!” column. Peter unpacks that infamous section of the magazine: he shares the original intention, how it came about, and his role in it as a photo editor. The short answer? No, they’re not like you, but for that one moment while they’re photographed at the supermarket, they’re kind of close. Peter tells Remy and Emily about the background of Us Weekly (unsurprisingly, it was run by lots of smart women), and they get into the Photoshopping and editing that happens in magazines, how the skinnier celeb always won the “Who Wore It Best?” section, and how now that everyone can control their own image, do paparazzi need to exist?Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two scoops in a waffle cone, please. Remy and Emily unpack double scoop du jours, starting with those AI portraits you’ve been seeing all over your Instagram feeds. Emily hasn’t tried the technology, but Remy has, and it didn’t have the effect she was anticipating. After seeing the AI’s *perfect* version of herself (by Eurocentric beauty standards), she realized that her imperfections are what make her, well, her. How’s that for some unexpected self love? Then onto today’s second scoop. Remy and Emily welcome on special guest and host of the Virtual Reali-Tea podcast, Danny Murphy, to debrief RHONJ’s Jackie Goldschneider calling out RHONY’s Bethenny Frankel’s skinny marketing tactics (hello Skinny Girl Margarita). Remy, Emily, and Danny break down the problematic world of skinny branding (Skinny Oreos, Special K, SkinnyPop), and wonder, how could Bethenny rebrand?Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alyssa Amoroso wears many, many hats (in life and in fashion). Aka @Publyssity on Instagram, Alyssa joins Remy and Emily today to talk about all things body image, relationships and self worth, and of course, *fashion*. A former publicist turned influencer, Alyssa gives the 411 on her professional background before getting into her personal experiences with fashion. She shares how her body has changed, the newfound food allergies she’s been dealing with, and her struggles with self-talk. They talk about dressing for your body, and Alyssa brings up how you don’t have to have any certain body type to recreate a look. Do you feel comfortable in what you’re wearing? That’s all that matters. They wrap up with a discussion about trends (yes, it’s ok to like them), before Remy gives some sound advice—outfit repeating is good PR. It’s what we like to call “personal branding.”Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What time is it? TikTopics time, obvi. Remy and Emily are debriefing some TikToks that cover it all—body image, dating, societal norms. First up is one woman’s video about dating in a larger body. Remy wonders, do you have to present yourself so completely online, before someone can judge whether or not they’d date you? This leads into a walk down memory lane of Remy and Emily’s dating stories’ past (a trip to Florida and a matchmaker are involved). Then onto another video, all about the v problematic societal standards surrounding women's beauty and aging—lots to unpack. Get ready for a game-changing realization: the cast of “And Just Like That” are the same age as the cast of “The Golden Girls” when they were filming *gasps in shock*. Can Hollywood stop messing with our perception of age?Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When you google “dressing for your body” a lot of different things pop up, most with the goal of looking “flattering.” But wtf does “flattering” even mean? Remy and Emily unpack it all on today’s episode, which is not about dressing for your body type, but dressing FOR your body (yes, there’s a difference). They discuss a recent article about the workplace dress code post-Covid, which begs the question—what is considered distracting clothing, and why? This leads into a convo about personal uniforms, and Remy and Emily share their go-to looks. They wrap up unpacking the associations that come with the term “dressing for your body,” before working through that oh-so-relatable feeling of thinking you “could never wear” certain clothes. Empire waists, anyone?Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today's ep starts with Remy’s fav platform—TikTok. She and Emily discuss some recent videos that Remy found, starting with one about the education of body image in schools (or realistically, the lack thereof). This leads into another video about how speaking negatively about your own body actually opens the door for others to doubt their bodies. Then onto yet another TikTok, which demonstrates a type of immersion therapy. Picture this: a woman is laying on the sidewalk with the purpose of getting weird looks. Remy and Emily unpack how this method could help work through insecurities, and Emily wonders—should she try it? They wrap up the Tik-talk with a vid about how Scott Disick made comments about Kourtney Kardashian’s body when they were together (big yikes there), before getting into today’s Dear DST. It’s all about those uncomfortable experiences when family members comment on your body—even when it’s supposed to be a compliment. Remy and Emily talk about the complex feelings that can arise.Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TW: This episode discusses restrictive eating, weight loss, and eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia.Now that we’re all good friends here, Emily is getting personal about her body journey. She and Remy preface the episode by saying that their experiences might not be the same as everyone else’s, and that recovery is a lifelong process. Then, Emily gets into her journ’. She shares how weight became a source of guilt in her life, and details how her family played a part, her experience with dieting, her time at fat camp, and how losing weight for her sister’s wedding led to an eating disorder. There is of course the emotional side to this, and they touch on the (groundbreaking) realizations that confidence is different than self esteem, and that being sensitive is absolutely a strength. Emily then shares the final (albeit current) chapter of her body story—how she found intuitive eating and movement. She and Remy wrap up by chatting about bad body image days and read some *v helpful* listener-submitted experiences about getting through them.Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you ever feel anxious around Thanksgiving? ’Cause, same. Remy and Emily get right to it and chat about all of the things, re: restriction around food, body image issues, difficult moments with family. They unpack the pressures surrounding the holiday, and Emily shares how she has changed her mindset to actually enjoy the day (remember to take it little by little). Then Remy asks the important q: what time do you have Thanksgiving? They get into lots of other listener-submitted Thanksgiving debates: How do you pronounce pecan pie? Is turkey actually good, or is it just a vehicle for gravy? They wrap up sharing some techniques for getting through the tough moments (aka when people make comments about what you’re eating and get into heated political debates). What Remy’s learned? It’s usually best to make your point through tenderness and turkey.Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Remy and Emily are joined by a v exciting guest today—fat activist and content creator, Megan Ixim. Emily tells Remy how they originally met (Megan dated one of Emily’s friends), and how Emily remembers Megan as the first person to introduce her to the fat acceptance movement. But before Megan became a fat-positive activist, she was a 9-year-old girl doing Weight Watchers. Megan shares her whole backstory, including how she put in the work to not just feel neutral, but positive about herself. Throughout the episode they touch on it all: eating around others, how to get through bad body days (Megan’s pro tip: dress up and go to Target), the Ella Halikas and Alexa Jay club incident, and the use of the word fat. Megan wraps up by detailing her experiences traveling as a fat person, unpacking how pretty privilege affects how she’s treated, and overall sharing how yes, she is a fat person and yes, she’s living her life.Check out our latest promo codes here: https://betches.com/promos Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices