Click here for a transcript of this episode!
In this episode, we’re talking with Editor in Chief of Bitch Media, Evette Dionne about loving middle grade novels, fat body politics, and the publishing industry.
Bookclub
Fearing the Black Body / Black Owned Bookstores / bookclub webpage
From Laila: This chapter really got me thinking about how we’re still being told being fat is a result of diet and lack of exercise, instead of acknowledging the research which tells us time and again it’s actually more-so due to social and environmental factors (and even genetic differences between races such as higher muscle mass and bone mineral density in Black women!). By keeping the emphasis on individual behaviours we blame people for their fatness, deem them irresponsible for their own health (as if thinness was a marker of good health?!) and demote them in our minds. The blatant ignoring of scientific research for the benefit of insurance companies makes me feel sad for how much self-blaming fat people put themselves through for simply existing, and especially for failing to “lose the weight”. And at what sacrifice to our mental health? At what cost to ourselves do we strive to attain a “thin” body? Isn’t our mind part of our body, and shouldn’t we value it’s health?
From Lynn: I have questions about how police and politicians excuse the murders of Black individuals by blaming “pre-existing conditions” and How medical malpractice against fat folks, especially fat Black women, is excused by framing fatness as a “pre-existing condition.”
From Yeli: This chapter really encouraged me to question the “scientists” and authors of studies before buying in or believing in what’s being said, especially if it’s being used to cause harm. The fact that Keys was able to publish all sorts of studies legitimately and “repurpose” the BMI without any criticism at the time is absurd, given that he was open about his fatphobic beliefs. Sometimes people really love to believe that science can exist in an unbiased, completely objective manner, which is impossible because humans conducting the science are still flawed and racist/fatphobic/all the isms/phobias.
Fatmily, this is the last full chapter of Fearing the Black Body! If you haven’t caught up yet, no worries, we’re gonna give everyone the next few weeks to catch up — you can follow along with our Book Club Questions and Exercises on our website.
Read the epilogue for next week.
Patreon Drive:
Join Team Paisley Mumu in the next month to be part of our BABYSITTERS CLUB. That means weekly lives with Sophie giggling at a chapter, special shoutout next episode, group crafts, and maybe even more :) Make sure to tune in this Sunday, August 16th to read some Babysitters club with Sophie on Instagram live — every week after this one, it’ll be a special stream for our patrons!
The Meat of It:
Evette Dionne / @freeblackgirl / Bitch Media / Lifting As We Climb / bookshop.org / Renee Watson / Ibi Zoboi / Julie Murphy / George M. Johnson / All Boys Aren’t Blue / Laura Goode / the literary world may never recover from #publishingpaidme / Donate to Bitch / Evette's piece on One to Watch
Read more of Evette’s writing on Bitch here.
CALL TO ACTION: Listen to the podcast Housing Justice LA
Housing Justice LA is a monthly pod started this year in January featuring “personal stories from people who have experienced homelessness and conversations with experts on the front lines of LA’s housing crisis.”
Recommended Episodes: Why Housing Justice / Othering, NIMBYism, and Criminalization
Look into your local tenants union — there’s a ton of activism going on right now in correlation with the Black Lives Matter movement — because Housing Justice is Racial Justice — and it’s a really good time to get involved. Whether you’re a renter or a homeowner or someone experiencing homelessness, there’s a space for you to help and get help.
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