unlearning diet culture
LET'S BE REAL. WE'RE MISUSING THE ACTUAL MEANING OF DIET.
ACCORDING TO THE MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY, THE FIRST DEFINITION OF THE TERM IS "FOOD AND DRINK REGULARLY PROVIDED OR CONSUMED" ("DIET," N.D.). SO WHATEVER YOU USUALLY EAT IS YOUR DIET, WHETHER IT'S A SALAD OR FAST FOOD. HOWEVER, WE OFTEN SEE IT AS ITS LAST DEFINITION: "A REGIMEN OF EATING AND DRINKING SPARINGLY TO REDUCE ONE'S WEIGHT" (N.D.). THAT'S THE FIRST FORM OF OPPRESSION ASSOCIATED WITH DIET CULTURE. I UNPACK THIS IN MY UNPACKING THE INTERSECTION RACE & DIET CULTURE REPLAY, AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO LISTEN TO THIS DISCUSSION NEXT. THINK ABOUT IT…. WHEN HAS BEING INCONSISTENT EVER WORKED IN ANY OTHER AREA OF YOUR LIFE? YEAH, SO LET'S BE CONSISTENT WITH OUR BODIES AND UNLEARN UNREALISTIC STANDARDS FOR OUR HEALTH. LET'S PURSUE BODY POSITIVITY.
Unlearn Media-Dictated Health Standards
ONE SIZE FITS ALL DOESN'T WORK FOR CLOTHES, SO WHY DON'T WE APPLY THAT SAME LOGIC TO HEALTH? LEARN THAT HEALTH IS RELATIVE, AND IT VARIES FROM BODY TO BODY. HAVING ONE HEALTH STANDARD SEEMS UNREASONABLE WITH HOW MUCH DIVERSITY THERE IS IN BODY TYPES. FOR EXAMPLE, IF THERE WAS AN ALL-DAIRY DIET AND YOU WERE LACTOSE INTOLERANT, WOULD YOU TRY IT? OF COURSE NOT! YOU WOULD KNOW BETTER THAN TO DO THAT BECAUSE YOU'RE AWARE OF HOW DAIRY DISRESPECTS YOUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM. UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE BEEN BRAINWASHED TO THINK THAT NUMBERS CAN DICTATE OUR WHOLE HEALTH. WEIGHT. SIZE. AND WHATEVER BMI IS SUPPOSED TO MEAN. EVEN YOUR SUGAR LEVELS AND PH BALANCE TELL MORE ABOUT YOUR HEALTH THAN YOUR SIZE AND WEIGHT. WE NEED TO EDUCATE OURSELVES ABOUT HEALTH AND HOW OUR BODY PERSONALLY RESPONDS TO MOVEMENT AND WHAT WE CONSUME.
IN HIGH SCHOOL, I HAD A REVELATION ABOUT MY BODY. MY SCIENCE CLASS TAUGHT ME ABOUT BONE DENSITY. MY JOURNEY TO BODY POSITIVITY BEGAN HERE. THAT WAS WHEN I REALIZED THAT JUST MY SKELETON MADE UP A GOOD PORTION OF MY WEIGHT, AND THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO ABOUT IT. I COULD LOSE FAT, BUT I'M UNWILLING TO LOSE ANY BONE MASS. SO MY DOCTORS WILL HAVE TO EXCUSE ME FROM REFUSING TO GIVE MY WEIGHT OR BE WEIGHED. I REFUSE TO BE SUPERFICIALLY JUDGED BY ONE NUMBER WITHOUT EVALUATING ALL THE OTHER FACTORS OF MY MIND AND BODY.
“The Thinner And Less Black, The Better.
Be Aware of the Racial Injustice
BLACK WOMEN ARE THE ONES WHO STARTED THE ANTI-DIET MOVEMENT, BUT THEY ARE CONSTANTLY EXCLUDED FROM THE CONSIDERATIONS AND SOLUTIONS. THE OTHER IS RACISM. THE IDEAL BODY COMES FROM EUROCENTRIC VALUES, THE THINNER AND LESS BLACK, THE BETTER. TO TOP IT ALL OFF, DIET AND HEALTH STANDARDS ARE WORSE FOR WOMEN THAN FOR MEN. THE WORST OF THE WORST RESULTS IN MISOGYNOIR; THIS IS "THE SPECIFIC HATRED, DISLIKE, DISTRUST, AND PREJUDICE DIRECTED TOWARD BLACK WOMEN" ("MISOGYNOIR," N.D.). ULTIMATELY, THIS TOXIC CULTURE IS ROOTED IN ANTI-BLACKNESS. IT DEEPLY AFFECTS BLACK WOMEN OF SIZE. IT'S NOT LIKE WE CAN DETACH OUR BODY PARTS AND SHOW UP TO WORK ACCORDING TO THEIR IDEAS. LISTENING TO THE NAYSAYERS IS HOW TO BLOCK YOURSELF FROM BODY POSITIVITY.
IN THE FASHION AND BUSINESS WORLD, BLACK WOMEN AND WOMEN OF SIZE ARE SHAMED FOR THEIR NATURAL BUILD. EVEN WHEN PROFESSIONALLY COVERED, THEY ARE ACCUSED OF SHOWING TOO MUCH AND BEING PROVOCATIVE. SEVERAL BLACK FEMALE TEACHERS HAVE BEEN SHAMED ON THE INTERNET FOR HAVING CURVES UNDER THEIR WORK ATTIRE. THE CRITICS CLAIMED THAT ALTHOUGH THE TEACHERS WERE DRESSED APPROPRIATELY, YOUNG BOYS WOULD BE DISTRACTED TO GET A BETTER PEAK OF HER SHAPE. FIRST, THEY ARE SEXUALIZING THEIR BODIES AND PROJECTING THEIR LUST ONTO HER STUDENTS. SECOND, IT'S BULLYING WHEN YOU SHAME PEOPLE FOR SOMETHING THEY CAN'T CHANGE. WE HAVE TO STOP LETTING OTHERS DEFINE BODIES THEY'RE NOT IN.
Make Peace with Your Body
EXTERNAL VALIDATION IS NEVER PERMANENT OR FULFILLING. INSTEAD, LEARN WHAT YOUR BODY'S VERSION OF HEALTHY IS. TAKE THE TIME TO RESEARCH WHAT RESOURCES ARE ACCESSIBLE TO YOU AND WHAT ASSESSMENTS YOU CAN TAKE TO DEFINE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU. LOVING YOUR BODY IS THE FIRST STEP TO BODY POSITIVITY. ONCE YOU LOVE THE BODY YOU'RE IN, THEN CARING FOR YOURSELF WILL COME EASILY. IF YOU CONTINUE LIVING IN SELF-HATE, FOLLOWING THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS, AND HEALTH STANDARDS ROOTED IN EUROCENTRISM, THEY WILL DISCOURAGE AND DISTRACT YOU FROM DISCOVERING YOUR BODY'S NATURAL RHYTHM AND RESPONSES.
THE NEXT STEP PEACE AND POSITIVITY IS TO OPEN YOUR MIND TO ALL MOVEMENT THAT INCREASES JOY. EXERCISING SHOULD NOT BE DONE TO PUNISH YOURSELF OR AS A METHOD TO PAY A TOLL, BUT INSTEAD VIEWED AS A METHOD TO BRING YOUR BODY JOY. IN FACT, IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THAT IS WHY IT HAS TAKEN SO MANY FORMS IN RECENT YEARS. IF SKATING, DANCING, AND SPORTS ARE EXERCISES, THEN INCLUDE EVERY FORM OF MOVEMENT AS EXERCISE. ANY ACTIVITY THAT HAS YOU WORKING UP A SWEAT IS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. ACCORDING TO MIKSTAS (2021, 05 NOVEMBER), "VACUUMING FOR 30 MINUTES ZAPS 99 CALORIES IF YOU'RE 120 POUNDS, 124 CALORIES IF YOU'RE 150 POUNDS, AND 166 CALORIES IF YOU'RE 200 POUNDS." START COUNTING THE LITTLE THINGS AND GIVE YOURSELF CREDIT, OR EVEN BETTER, STOP COUNTING EVERYTHING AND JUST FLOW AS YOU FEEL. DON'T LET NEGATIVE THOUGHTS LIVE IN YOUR HEAD RENT-FREE. REFRAIN FROM VIEWING MOVEMENT AS JUST EXERCISE OR A WEIGHT-LOSS METHOD. DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY, FEEL GOOD, AND FREE IN YOUR HUMANITY.
ONCE I REALIZED HOW MY BODY WORKS AND WHAT MAKES ME FEEL HAPPY, I WAS ABLE TO KICK DIETING TO THE CURB. I WANT TO HELP YOU REACH THIS LIBERATION TOO. SO JOIN MY F*CK DIET CULTURE PROGRAM, AND LET'S WEEN OFF NEGATIVITY TODAY!
RESOURCES LISTED IN THIS BLOG:
"DIET." (N.D.). MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY. HTTPS://WWW.MERRIAM-WEBSTER.COM/DICTIONARY/DIET
"MISOGYNOIR." (N.D.). DICTIONARY.COM. HTTPS://WWW.DICTIONARY.COM/BROWSE/MISOGYNOIR
MISTAKAS, C. (05 NOVEMBER 2021). CALORIES BURNED BY HOUSEHOLD CHORES. WEB MD. RETRIEVED
FROM HTTPS://WWW.WEBMD.COM/FITNESS-EXERCISE/SS/SLIDESHOW-CALORIES-BURNED-BY-HOUSEHOLD-CHORES