Dances With Fat

Health comes in all shapes and sizes - including mine. Join me as I debunk the misinformation about the unhealthiness of fat and the stereotypes about fat people. Stand up with me as I push back against a culture that has sidelined my body and disenfranchised me for inhabiting it. Let's work together to bring an end to discrimination - in whatever forms it rears its head. This work is syndicated here with permission and can be found at Dances With Fat.

This Self-Esteem Thing
by danceswithfat | May 16, 2013

I received quite a few questions about the meaning of “intrinsic self-esteem” after posting my last blog, so in this blog I go into more detail about the meanings of both intrinsic and extrensic self-esteem. I discuss an important example (from my own experience) to illustrate how these terms apply, and how important it is for each of us to separate the two types in our minds.

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Back Off My Fat Body
by danceswithfat | May 15, 2013

Do you ever just get fed up with the negative messages about fat bodies that are found everywhere we turn in our culture? Even worse, maybe, are the personal words of people in your life, who think they are helping you by expressing how concerned they are about how your fatness is affecting your health. I have plenty to say about this, and I’m not mincing words here.

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Suspension of Disbelief
by danceswithfat | May 15, 2013

Should we truly believe that dieting will work for us in the long term, if we just do it right? Does the evidence support that belief? Check out my answers, and the reasons behind them.

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What Do We Tell Our Girls?
by danceswithfat | May 13, 2013

It’s critically important to help young girls see themselves as the valuable, powerful human beings they truly ARE, regardless of whether or not they meet the current cultural stereotype of beauty.

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I Screwed Up
by danceswithfat | May 13, 2013

Have you ever changed your behavior in an attempt to avoid the kind of criticism you may have received in the past? I found that this was true for me, with my last blog. This blog is an apology and a correction for that mistake. Although constructive criticism deserves to be heard, and is often helpful, I explain here how my fear of such criticism could have decreased the effectiveness of my message were it not for my wonderful pro-active readers.

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No Mani for You Fatty
by danceswithfat | May 11, 2013

Something is seriously wrong when a “salon owner/health care provider” implies that a fat woman doesn’t really have a right to get a manicure! Pa-leez!!! You KNOW that I have plenty to say about this, right?

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If I Can Do It, Anybody Can’t
by danceswithfat | May 09, 2013

Do you assume that what works for you will work for others? Do you assume that others will feel the same way as you when they do the same physical activity that you do? I’ve been thinking about how we need to be careful with the assumptions we make when we compare others to ourselves.

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Athletic Privilege and Me
by danceswithfat | May 08, 2013

What is athletic privilege? One of my previous blogs mentioned this term, and I decided to write more about it because many readers asked what it meant.

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If My Life Were a Movie
by danceswithfat | May 07, 2013

How can we combat fat stigma, fat stereotyping, and fat oppression? One way is by not hesitating to be FIP. Do you know what that means?

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Weight of the Nation for Kids – Oh No
by danceswithfat | May 06, 2013

Why does HBO want to focus on the weight of kids? If the goal is to improve public health, shouldn’t the focus be on increasing healthy behaviors for all ages and all sizes, without stigmatizing fat kids?

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