Body Acceptance Challenges Diet Culture and Societal Conditioning - Episode Hero Image

Body Acceptance Challenges Diet Culture and Societal Conditioning

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Original Title:

TL;DR

  • The modern health and wellness industry's co-option by diet culture prevents genuine body acceptance, forcing individuals to believe they must change their bodies to be "good" or worthy.
  • Yoga studios often alienate potential practitioners by catering to a narrow demographic, creating an intimidating environment that reinforces societal beauty standards.
  • Body acceptance is a prerequisite for self-acceptance and enjoying life, enabling individuals to care for their bodies and "ride the waves" of life's challenges.
  • Childhood bullying, while traumatic, can foster resilience and a "thick skin" crucial for navigating adult life and professional criticism, including online trolling.
  • Societal conditioning, reinforced by media, dictates preferences for certain body types, obscuring genuine personal desires and limiting acceptance of diverse bodies.
  • The experience of becoming "new fat" later in life can be more challenging than being "forever fat" due to the identity shift and societal expectations.
  • Capitalism thrives on individuals believing they are not good enough, making self-acceptance a radical act that counters the constant pressure to consume.

Deep Dive

The discussion opens with a reflection on the personal challenge of being fat, framing it as a significant, ongoing endeavor that occupies a considerable amount of mental energy. This involves constant consideration of food intake and the effort required for physical activities, even those deemed beneficial. The speaker notes the irony of discussing this on a podcast, which inherently demands continuous thought about the topic.

Next, the conversation turns to astrology, specifically inquiring about the guest's zodiac sign. Upon learning the guest is an Aquarius, the host suggests that this sign's tendency to live in the mind would make any perceived misalignment with reality, such as struggles with weight, particularly troubling.

The podcast then introduces Jessamyn Stanley, a yoga practitioner, founder of The Underbelly yoga app, and author. The host shares a personal anecdote about being touched by Stanley's positive mention of the podcast on Instagram, highlighting the impact of her large following. The host also expresses a common trepidation about attending yoga classes due to the perceived prevalence of thin, flexible, and toned individuals, admitting to a personal delay in participating until a significant weight loss goal is met.

Stanley confirms her role as a yoga instructor and practitioner, acknowledging the initial intimidation she felt when starting yoga. She recounts her early negative experiences with Bikram yoga, initially attributing her dislike to the class's difficulty and heat, but later recognizing her discomfort stemmed from being the "fattest person in the room" and the practice's emphasis on self-observation in mirrors. This mirrors a broader societal issue identified by Stanley, where the yoga world can be exclusive, often featuring thin, white, cisgender, heterosexual, and affluent individuals, a demographic she did not initially see herself in.

The conversation delves into the common experience of "mirrorphobia," where seeing oneself in a mirror can be a deeply triggering and "world-ending" event if the reflection does not match one's internal self-image. This phenomenon is presented not just as a struggle for those who are overweight, but as a fundamental human experience that can impede individuals from pursuing their dreams if they perceive a disconnect between their aspirations and their current reality. Stanley shares that her self-image has historically been about 50 pounds lighter than her actual body, illustrating how this internal discrepancy can lead to feelings of inadequacy.

Stanley then discusses her relationship with the body positivity and fat acceptance movements, stating that while she understands and aligns with their principles, she does not wish to be confined to a platform of any single movement. She explains that her journey into yoga was not initially driven by a desire for weight loss or health, but rather by a period of deep depression. Through yoga, she found a way to navigate life's challenges, accepting that difficulties are inevitable and that the ultimate victory is simply continuing to live. This process led her to body acceptance, which she defines not as striving for a conventional feminine ideal, but as the ability to accept oneself as one is, which in turn fosters a desire to care for one's body. She criticizes how health and wellness have been co-opted by diet culture, which profits from the belief that individuals are not good enough.

The host expresses that Stanley's perspective on body acceptance feels distinct from others he has encountered. He admits to struggling with self-fat-shaming and the fear of projecting that onto others, acknowledging that personal acceptance is key to getting on with life regardless of one's body size. Stanley agrees, emphasizing that her approach to body acceptance is about personal acceptance as a human being, not solely about weight. She also asserts that she can find beautiful clothes for her "big fat black body," a statement the host finds notably confident for an American white man of his age and lifestyle.

The discussion shifts to the concept of "forever fat" versus "new fat" individuals, distinguishing between those who have always been fat and those who have gained weight later in life. Stanley identifies herself as "new fat," suggesting this transition can be emotionally challenging as it involves a sense of not being who one used to be. She contrasts this with "forever fat" individuals who may have always known their body size. Stanley recounts her own experience of severe bullying in middle school, which she credits with developing a "thick skin" necessary for navigating the world, including the online harassment she has faced from figures like Donald Trump Jr. and Piers Morgan. She views bullying as a reflection of the bully's own internal struggles and finds compassion for them.

Stanley expresses her core message: that everyone matters, regardless of their appearance or others' opinions. The host acknowledges enjoying meeting the guests, finding it a fulfilling aspect of hosting the show.

The conversation then explores the complexities of attraction and societal conditioning, particularly regarding men's preferences for women's bodies. Stanley posits that men often love fat women because it evokes a primal connection to their mothers, an idea she believes is suppressed by a society that profits from promoting thinness. She suggests that societal imprinting, through media portrayals of thin women, influences men's perceived preferences. The host questions whether men who are attracted to fat women might still prefer those with a more traditionally feminine shape, a notion Stanley disputes, suggesting many men are controlled by societal dictates rather than their genuine desires.

Finally, Stanley details how she makes yoga more accessible through her app, The Underbelly. She encourages students to be their authentic selves in class, allowing for bodily functions like farting and emotional expression like crying, framing these as integral parts of the yoga experience that facilitate self-discovery. She critiques the "precious" and overly spiritualized demeanor of some yoga instructors, contrasting it with her own approach that embraces the full spectrum of human experience, including annoyance with an instructor, as a valid part of the practice.

Action Items

  • Create yoga class framework: Define 5 inclusive elements (e.g., prop use, emotional space, no judgment) to reduce intimidation for new practitioners.
  • Audit 10 yoga class descriptions: Ensure language actively discourages body shame and promotes self-acceptance, not just physical outcomes.
  • Develop 3-5 guided meditations: Focus on self-compassion and acceptance, addressing the societal profit motive of inadequacy.
  • Track 5-10 student feedback points: Measure the impact of inclusive language and practices on perceived comfort and engagement.

Related Episodes

Key Quotes

"Let me tell you something alan all people love fat people and even more than that all men love fat women all of them every single fucking one and i'm gonna tell you why okay welcome to the podcast i'm alan being fat has been the great behind the scenes challenge of my life and i'm not hiding from it anymore no that's not true that's a big lie i'm still hiding from it but i'm also dealing with it and wanting to talk about it because they called me the fat man because i weigh 200 pounds all of them they love me because i know my way around i have a lot of feelings and thoughts and complaints and happiness and like whatever all these emotions and you know they come out in due time each of them maybe every day and one of the things that comes up is kind of like fuck it's a lot of work being fat or at least it's a lot of work this trying not to be fat um it's not just a lot of work the dieting and the thinking about what you're eating and the you know right now being fat is my only profession"

Alan Zweig, the host, introduces the central theme of his personal struggle with weight and his decision to confront it more openly. Zweig asserts a provocative claim that "all men love fat women," suggesting a societal conditioning that masks this inherent attraction. He frames his current existence as being defined by his weight, highlighting the significant mental and physical effort involved in managing it.

"i was showing up to class like i was able to go on a groupon first of all i did not have the money to be practicing in yoga studios i'm fat i'm black i'm queer there was no representation of me in the room at all and i'm extremely self conscious of my body or at least i was at that point and in bikram yoga in particular you practice it looking into the mirror and you watch yourself the whole time and for me that was probably the most triggering part of it because i can tell you that there are whole years of my life where i don't have any photos of myself because i was so afraid to be photographed to see myself to any degree so the idea of looking at myself in a mirror was traumatizing and triggering"

Jessamyn Stanley describes her initial intimidating experiences with yoga, emphasizing the lack of representation for individuals who are fat, Black, and queer. Stanley highlights the financial barriers and the psychological impact of practicing in environments where she felt self-conscious and unseen. The practice of looking into a mirror during Bikram yoga is identified as a particularly triggering element due to her past fear of being photographed.

"i think that the most common thing that i hear from people is that they're like i know i should practice yoga but and then dot dot dot insert whatever the thing is and i'm just always like totally i feel you i felt the exact same way there really should be a word for us who have mirrorphobia there probably should it's a beautiful latin word there's got to be somebody has put this yeah i'm thinking i'm trying i don't want to go there of kind of like what is the thing that i most want to do in the world now once upon a time i was a man a young man maybe that was sex so let's say i was a young man and would have sex anytime a drop of a hat and let's say oh yeah you know the most beautiful woman let's say michelle pfeiffer was in the room and go in there michelle pfeiffer is your most beautiful woman in the world ever okay well i just believe she's beautiful okay anyway man she's beautiful okay please okay she's beautiful i mean i could think about monica lewinsky she was anyway she's also very beautiful anyway yeah they're in the room you can go in there you can have sex with her i can't believe i'm giving such a juvenile example but i just want to make it clear if i walk in that room and it's all mirrors it's like fuck this there's no way i'm fucking anybody in this room on the off chance that i'll glance over and see my and see myself my belly bumping up against them and it's like no that's not worth it oh how devastating and then you don't get to have sex with monica lewinsky if i achieve the erection the erection will go away the minute i see myself in the mirror fucking michelle pfeiffer anyway i'm am i allowed to say this totally but you know i'm just saying i fucking hate mirrors"

Alan Zweig illustrates the common human aversion to mirrors, framing it as a widespread "mirrorphobia" that prevents people from engaging in desired activities, such as intimacy. Zweig uses a vivid, albeit crude, analogy involving Michelle Pfeiffer and Monica Lewinsky to underscore how self-consciousness about one's appearance in a mirror can be a significant deterrent. He suggests that this aversion is not limited to individuals struggling with weight but is a broader human experience.

"the reality is that there's no way that you can come home to yourself and be okay with the world that we live in if you can't accept yourself exactly as you are and that starts with your physical body so for me body acceptance was less of like a because i think that when you talk about body acceptance it's so ensconced in like the idea of femininity and looking pretty and i want to be happy it becomes about all of these like very binary broad ideas of like if you're if you accept your body then you're going to be good you're going to love yourself and i just don't even care about any of that the reality is that i want to keep living i want to enjoy my life i want to be happy every single day and that means that i need to accept my body as it is right now and the magic of body acceptance is that what it allows you to do is actually give a fuck about your body and that means that you want to take care of your body"

Jessamyn Stanley defines body acceptance as a prerequisite for self-acceptance and for navigating the world, emphasizing that it begins with accepting one's physical form. Stanley distinguishes her perspective from common interpretations of body acceptance, which she feels are often tied to notions of femininity and conventional attractiveness. She asserts that true body acceptance enables individuals to care for their bodies, not out of a desire to conform to ideals, but to genuinely engage with and enjoy life.

"i think that because we don't talk about it people are like oh my god i had no idea they felt that like literally i told you all this stuff about myself like how i've always been self conscious blah blah blah and i have all my friends from high school who were like you were so confident in high school and like i just always saw you were so and i'm like bitch who are you talking about and like it's important to talk about this experience can i uh i got the feeling from your little post on instagram when you mentioned my name which was very nice are you adjacent to the body positivity movement or are you an

Resources

External Resources

Books

  • "Everybody Yoga" by Jessamyn Stanley - Mentioned as a book written by the guest.
  • "Yoke" by Jessamyn Stanley - Mentioned as a book written by the guest.

Videos & Documentaries

  • Hot and Deadly (ID) - Mentioned as a true crime podcast recommendation.

Articles & Papers

  • "The Fat Man" by Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew - Mentioned as the theme song for the podcast.

People

  • Jessamyn Stanley - Guest, yoga practitioner, founder of The Underbelly yoga app, and author.
  • Alan Zweig - Host of the podcast "Tubby".
  • Donald Trump Jr. - Mentioned as someone who has criticized Jessamyn Stanley.
  • Piers Morgan - Mentioned as someone who has criticized Jessamyn Stanley.
  • Fats Domino - Performer of the podcast's theme song.
  • Dave Bartholomew - Writer of the podcast's theme song.
  • Brett Lamb - Illustrator of the podcast's artwork.
  • Michael Zweig - Composer of the podcast's original scoring.
  • Alan Black - Executive Producer of the podcast.
  • Steve Burns - Host of the podcast "Alive with Steve Burns".
  • Jamie Lee Curtis - Mentioned as a guest on "Alive with Steve Burns".
  • Bill Nye - Mentioned as a guest on "Alive with Steve Burns".

Organizations & Institutions

  • The Underbelly - Mentioned as Jessamyn Stanley's yoga app for body acceptance.
  • Mint Mobile - Mentioned as a sponsor offering wireless plans.
  • Acast - Mentioned as a platform that powers podcasts.
  • Left of Dial Media - Production company for the podcast "Tubby".
  • Lemonada Media - Producer of the podcast "Alive with Steve Burns".

Websites & Online Resources

  • www.theunderbelly.com - Website for Jessamyn Stanley's yoga app.
  • tubby@leftofdialmedia.com - Email address for listener feedback for the podcast "Tubby".
  • https://www.speakpipe.com/Tubby - Link for leaving voicemails for the podcast "Tubby".
  • https://acast.com/privacy - Link for Acast privacy information.
  • brettlamb.com - Website for the podcast's illustrator.
  • mintmobile.com - Website for Mint Mobile.

Podcasts & Audio

  • Tubby - The podcast being discussed.
  • Hot and Deadly - Mentioned as a true crime podcast recommendation.
  • Heavyweight - Mentioned as a podcast hosted by Jonathan Goldstein.
  • Alive with Steve Burns - Mentioned as a podcast hosted by Steve Burns.

Other Resources

  • Aquarius - Mentioned as Alan Zweig's astrological sign.
  • Cancer Stellium - Mentioned as Jessamyn Stanley's astrological configuration.
  • Body Acceptance - A concept discussed extensively in relation to Jessamyn Stanley's views.
  • Fat Acceptance - Mentioned as the precursor to body positivity.
  • Diet Culture - Discussed as a co-opting force in the health and wellness industry.
  • Mirrorphobia - A term considered for the fear of looking at oneself in a mirror.
  • Capitalism - Discussed as a system that profits from people believing they are not good enough.
  • Forever Fat - A term used to describe individuals who have always been fat.
  • New Fat - A term used to describe individuals who became fat later in life.

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