This time of the year you are surrounded by excess diet talk and body judgment after all those visions of sugarplums, turkey and Halloween candy graced your kitchen table. It’s not easy being fat at any time of year in our culture. The skinny folks become uncomfortable as they witness someone of size eating the same amount of gingerbread cookies and lattes as they are. It’s discouraging when our culture expects everyone to maintain the same body thinness, when everyone is so clearly not the same height or body build. The conversation about women’s bodies happens everywhere, never minding your person, potential or accomplishments, they go on ‘mute.’
Signs of a paradigm shift, the culture is changing for the better
Many people of size and thinness are fed up with the weight-biased messaging and the use of BMI Body Mass Index as a proxy for health. The media is beginning to show images of women with more meat on their bones, thanks to Kate Upton, and Disney’s “Fairy Mary” rocked her ice skates off along the side of the skinnier characters.
Thin-obssession
The assault on body image. Pointedly nasty, misogynistic speculations and accusations are what all women and girls endure every day in our culture in the outrageous and the subtle. It is classic sexism, that only values women and men based on their physical appearance. This year don’t make resolutions become resolved.
Adressing Weight-biased Healthcare Project
Medical care free from bias. Association For Size Diversity and Health is sponsoring the project. This project is asking you to speak out about your experiences with personal healthcare professionals and what you would like them to know about how to treat you, no matter what your body size. Submit your 2-3 minute video or written work about what you would ask your healthcare professional to do about the way they treat you according to your body size. Submissions are due by February 15, 2013.
Your story should cover the following:
1. Your story, your personal experience, how did it make you feel and did it keep you from seeking further medical help.
2. The Ask, start your sentence “And so I am asking you…” What would you tell you healthcare professional about that experience if you could bring yourself to do it? If you could tell them one thing about that experience what would it be? What do you wish they would have done differently?
3. What do you resolve to do about it going forward. Start another sentence, “And so I resolve to…” What would you do differently next time your are faced with a similar situation? Tell the healthcare professional? or bring a friend? Etc.
4.Submission process:
- Upload your video to Vimeo. You will need to set up a free basic account.
- Under privacy settings, “Who can watch this video.” Mark it only people I choose and enter resolved2013@gmail.com
- Under “What can people do with this video,” be sure to check off download the video.
- Email the link to your video to resolved2013@gmail.com.
- Written submissions can be emails to resolved2013@gmail.com.
- Deadline February 15, 2013.
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