Are We Our Bodies?

With the emergence of the Body Positivity movement onto the global stage via social media in the last 10 years, I’m thinking about our bodies.

More and more (mostly female) public figures are actively celebrating their bodies, or are simply showing up fully with neither explanation nor apology. There is also more and more vocal backlash when they do.

How and why do we identify with our bodies? How much meaning and importance do we place on that identity?

And what are the implications for the lives we live and what we get to do during our short time on this planet?

In This Episode:

• How the stories of our bodies we absorb in our formative years stick with us
• Why BMI is a deeply flawed measure of health and how it came to widespread use
• How the “obesity epidemic” was created
• How collective perceptions of ideal body types have dramatically shifted over time
• An invitation to reconsider how you identify with your body

References:

• What Is Body Positivity?
• Weight stigma study in the US and 5 other nations shows the worldwide problem of such prejudice. - The Washington Post
• Women's idealised bodies have changed dramatically over time – but are standards becoming more unattainable?.
• What celeb trainer Jillian Michaels got wrong about Lizzo and body positivity
• Top 10 Reasons Why The BMI Is Bogus : NPR.
• Adolphe Quetelet and the Evolution of Body Mass Index (BMI) | Psychology Today
• The Bizarre and Racist History of the BMI | by Your Fat Friend | Elemental
• Who's fat? New definition adopted - June 17, 1998
• Five Things You're Getting Wrong About Weight and Weight Loss | TIME.com
• I Weigh with Jameela Jamil podcast on Earwolf

Learn More About Phyllis Wilson:

• Website
• Instagram: @Alright_Podcast