2020 has been a difficult, heartbreaking, and tumultuous year in so many ways. The toll COVID is taking on our communities, especially the most disenfranchised among us (disproportionately poor and working-class people of color), remains heartbreakingly gut-wrenching. Governments across the globe have violated the rights of their people repeatedly, from the ongoing police … [Read more...]
6 Situations Where Weight Loss May Not Make Sense – Even if You Think It Does
This post was originally published by EverydayFeminism under the title "6 Scenarios Where Intentionally Changing Your Weight Doesn't Make Sense -- Even If You Think It Does" and is republished here with permission. Content note: This article contains references to weight loss, dieting, and eating disorders. I met with a new specialist to talk about the osteoporosis I’ve … [Read more...]
5 Ways To Discuss Your HIV Status Without Stigmatizing HIV-Positive People
In queer communities especially, so much effort is made to get tested regularly and know our HIV status. These are important and necessary campaigns so that those who engage in sexual practices can make informed decisions and negotiate potential risks accordingly. There have been great efforts made to normalize STI testing, and I see the effects when my friends post about it on … [Read more...]
10 Excuses People Give To Avoid Using Condoms — And Why That’s Unacceptable
Condoms are imperfect. This is perfectly okay to admit. What is not okay is ignoring the potential consequences of not using them. For most people, condoms are the most effective readily available method of STI and pregnancy prevention. Whether by malice, selfishness, or ignorance, many prefer to not use them, even when they should. They also discourage their partners from … [Read more...]
7 Things I Wish People Knew About Being a Fat Woman
This article originally appeared on SHESAID and has been republished with permission. I used to spend a lot of time wondering if people were polite to my face and rude behind my back, probably because I’ve caught people doing that before. To my face they’d tell me how cute my outfit was. Then I’d turn around and they’d make a comment about how “brave” I was for wearing a skirt … [Read more...]
When Healthy Isn’t an Option: How I Learned To Love My Chronically Ill Body
This article first appeared on Ravishly and is reprinted by permission. Once upon a time, I counted calories, carbs, and fat. I weighed myself every day, and I exercised for hours at the gym. I viewed my body as the enemy, and I beat it into submission through sheer force of will. I lost 100 pounds, and I kept most of it off. But I am not healthy, and I never will be. I'm … [Read more...]
How I Learned To Challenge Fat Discrimination in Healthcare
I have always been proactive about my health. Even when I was more disconnected from my body in the past, I still worked hard to address issues as they arose. I have dealt with a variety of issues over the years and often had to take my health into my own hands. Fat discrimination in the health industry is something I've read and known about, but I really thought I had been … [Read more...]
Exercise Isn’t Just About Weight Loss: 10 Tips To Navigate Radical Self-Love and Exercise Culture
Exercise can be a valuable tool for self love. Through exercise, we can learn about our bodies, we can become stronger and more agile, and we can enjoy myriad physical and mental health benefits. Unfortunately, for many of us, exercise feels more like a tool for self hate than for self love, and I blame this on how strongly exercise is associated with weight loss. I spent most … [Read more...]
4 Ways We Can Make Eating Healthy a Radical Body-Positive Act
I was twenty-eight the first time I ate a zucchini. Vegetables didn’t figure highly in my menus for most of my life. As a kid they tended to be canned with the occasional salad thrown in for good measure. I ate plenty of fresh fruit, but vegetables? No thanks! Mushy vegetables didn’t have much appeal but they were cheap. Growing up poor often meant cheap food such as white … [Read more...]
Mental Illness is not a “White Person Problem”: 4 Reasons Mental Illness is Ignored in the Latinx Community, and Why That Needs to End
The “Angry Black Woman” or “feisty and fiery Latina” narrative- and Black and Brown men who fall under these tropes- stem from powerfully dangerous stereotypes, but are not examined through any further. My question lies with this: Why are Black and Brown communities deemed so angry? Moody? Even Lazy? These are traits that, if they were seen in a white body, would just … [Read more...]
Stop Giving Ourselves Away: 4 Ways We Can Invest in Our Own Brilliance
A couple of years ago, a friend asked if she could stay at my house for a while. I immediately said yes, and she lived with me for about a month. During this time, she paid no rent, did little to help around the house, roped me into her unnecessarily long and stressful decision-making processes, and was visibly shaken when I asked her to buy toilet paper exactly once. I … [Read more...]
