The Culture Of It All!

In last week's episode, I shared that fatphobia has always stemmed from the belief that weight is mostly controlled by diet and exercise. It’s why we’ve been subjected to decades of diet programs, products and books focused on calories in and calories out. It has also perpetuated the narrative that if you “try hard enough” you can also be thin, or manage your weight.

With the rise in use of GLP-1s for weight loss, and the ease at wh...

Fatphobia is on the rise, so today, we’re going to talk about it.

Fatphobia, or anti-fatness, is the often socially acceptable form of discrimination and negative attitudes towards folks in fat bodies. This includes stereotypes and misconceptions that fat folks are less disciplined or lack self-control compared to their smaller bodied peers. Fatphobia is not just name calling or bullying someone for their size, it’s rooted in racism...

Back in episode 01 we took a look at diet culture, but to be honest, my experience of diet culture, the diet industry, and understanding of how the two work together has evolved in the last year.

I’ve learned a lot more. I've experienced a lot more. And I feel a helluva lot more confident in talking about it with you today.

So in this episode, I'm going to be answering the questions:

What is diet culture?

How is it different from the...

Welcome to season 4 of The Culture Of It All!

I know, I left you hanging… for a flipping month no less 🫣 but I’m back, somewhat refreshed and more fired up than I have been in months. Two months of being fat and loud about it on TikTok, well, let’s just say: there are good, bad and unhinged stories to share.

A quick note before I get into the episode…

You might notice a few little changes. I spruced up my artwork, updated the podcast...

Trying something new, or at least new for this format — video! You’ll have to go ahead and let me know in the poll below what you think of having a video option for each episode…

This special bonus episode is a casual fat chat about the past week - fat shaming, a viral TikTok video and my new hair - and I’m reading you a blog post I wrote back in January as an introduction to Confessions Of A Fat Girl, and why this is so important.

T...

This weeks bonus episode is a little different, I’m releasing it on all platforms, and I’m pulling up my microphone to read you the blog I wrote a couple months back. When I wrote it, we were just a few weeks into this new administration, shit was already going as expected and as I had predicted anti fatness has only gotten worse since. Below is the written version, and I recorded video for the first time — so enjoy!

These are not c...

Content warning: this episode will contain conversations around my binge eating disorder, body image, anti-fat stereotypes, socioeconomics, and how these impact folks in larger bodies, specifically within the clothing industry.

I’m finishing up this season of the show with a conversation that started in the comments of some of my TikTok videos. In one video I said: I’m sure we can all agree that the solution to a lack of sizing is n...

Content Warning: In this episode I will be referencing the COVID-19 pandemic, and a specific weight loss related conversation that led me to ditch dieting and pursue intuitive eating.

I recently made a TikTok video in which I said that the solution to more accessibility within clothing isn’t weight loss. In fact I said “I think we can all agree that the solution to more accessibility within clothing isn’t weight loss.”

No surprise t...

In this episode…

I’m exploring the multifaceted nature of spirituality, sharing my personal journey and how it intersects with fat liberation. I’ll be discussing the evolution of my spiritual practices, particularly during the pandemic, and the challenges of reconciling these practices within spiritual spaces often permeated by diet culture.

I’d like to note that these practices are often individual and interpersonal, and I recognise...

In this episode, we’re exploring slow living and its significance in today's fast-paced world. I’ll be sharing my personal journey towards embracing a slower lifestyle, the challenges I’ve faced, and the intersection of slow living with diet culture. We’ll be discussing the importance of self-care, and how rest is an act of rebellion against societal expectations that dictate our worth based on productivity and appearance.

Through p...

My friend Hilary encouraged me to share this story with you. Whilst part of this story is about how I found myself taking part in a topless - just my undies - photo shoot in Wales… it’s really about the way our perspective of past experiences can shift once we divest from diet culture and start to heal our body image.

This retreat happened in 2021, about five months before I had a defining anti diet moment and decided I wanted to he...

Welcome to a new season of The Culture Of It All, and our first episode of 2025!

You may have guessed, I’m still fat, and I’m choosing to stay fat 🥰

No need to sugar coat it, this first month of 2025 has felt like a metric fuck ton of hot garbage. Like so many of you, most days I’ve struggled to find the fuzzy line between staying well informed and falling into a spiral of sadness, empathy and anger at the state of the world.

Yes, I ...

Welcome pals, to our final episode of 2024!! In this reflective episode, I’m sharing my journey over the past eight months of podcasting, discussing 8 lessons learned, personal growth, positive shifts in my body image, and the importance of having my own back.

Takeaways

The journey of podcasting has been transformative and fulfilling.

Reflection is essential before setting intentions or goals.

Contentment is a valuable state of being,...

Last week I was chatting with the hosts of ‘Fat & Fucked’ and they asked me about how I’d got ‘here’, and what led me to starting a fat liberation podcast.

The truth is that a lot of moments that led here…

* Being fat my whole life

* Losing a parent as a teen

* Losing myself amongst the waves of grief

* Feeling even less like myself when I spent pockets of time existing in a smaller body

* Working in the fitness industry, and starting my...

Weight stigma has become a socially acceptable form of discrimination. People who seem to be horrified by other discriminatory stereotypes, behaviours and jokes, will still find humour in a fat joke, or openly pass judgement on someone's change in body size without considering for a moment that their fat friends and family can hear or see their comments.

And I understand that many people, myself included, have spent a majority of th...

Following on from our wonderful conversation with Naomi Katz in episode 16, I’m going deeper into my own Intuitive Eating practice. Prior to starting this practice, I felt very anxious about hunger and fullness, and truly believed that I was just broken. The feeling of ‘fullness’ completely eluded me, I wasn’t sure what it felt like or if it was supposed to be uncomfortable.

I’ll always remember when Naomi gave me a little ‘sneak pe...

We’re kicking off November talking about food and intuitive eating with our very first guest, Naomi Katz from Happy Shapes Coaching. We’re exploring the complexities of intuitive eating, particularly during the holiday season, but as you’ll learn, these hot takes are not just for the holidays!!

It’s not what you’re doing, it’s why you’re doing it.

- Naomi Katz

We discuss the emotional responses to food, the importance of autonomy in ...

In this episode, we’ll be exploring the cycle of fear and blame the diet industry has created and how this impacts our body image and relationship to food. We’ll also look at some of the nuances, including the erasure of fat folks from history, and why it appears to be socially acceptable to discriminate against someone based on their body size/weight. We’ll also take a look at how the diet industry uses fear based marketing practi...

In this episode, Melanie discusses the themes of food, body positivity, and the impact of diet culture, particularly during Halloween. She emphasises the importance of food neutrality and intuitive eating, sharing personal experiences and insights on how to navigate societal pressures around food. The conversation challenges fear-based messaging and promotes self-acceptance, encouraging listeners to find joy in their food choices w...