Big Girl by Kelsey Miller with Chelsea Levy

I wish this was a welcome back but I've done the next best thing!  I had a wonderful podcast chat with Kate of the Peach Please! podcast and she was kind enough to allow me to share it with you on my feed.  Enjoy this bonus episode and make sure to show Kate some love on Tik Tok or Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/katieiswinnen/).  If you want to be a part of Season 2 of the Fat Girl Book Club podcast reach out:https://www.instagram.com/fatgirlbookclubpod/[email protected] Reading Everyone!

TRIGGER WARNING: Event dieting, weight gain, sexual trauma, sex and graphic sexual acts, exerciseI cannot believe we have reached episode 80!  After almost three years, a plethora of guests and experiences, and tons of books, we are at the end.  Well, not the end end, just the end for now.  I don't know why I am going on and on about this because I do hope to come back in the new year with a new look and possibly a new format, but for now I just want all of you to know how much it means to me that you listened to and (hopefully) enjoyed this show.  You guys are the best!My last guest is going to knock your socks off so get ready for a really great discussion all around being fat and having sex.  I will admit I'm pretty sexually-inhibited and so I had a hard time getting out what I wanted to say when I was talking to Lala but that did not stop Lala from digging in and giving some great information and really relevant tips.  We talked about a book called (appropriately) Fat Sex so we had a lot of material to work with.  Here are some of the topics we covered:Lala's sex and body positive journeyA discussion of the male gaze and sexualityHow Lala became a sexual educatorAll about Lala's podcast and IG accountThe stories in the book and how Lala related to themMindful sex.Self-esteem and confidence as an attractorDo men like women in larger bodies?How can women get over body image hang ups in the bedroom?Porn - fat porn, regular porn, everything pornIs fatness a fetish?The components of mind blowing sexWomen and orgasmingSexual communicationHow can we make adjustments to sex when dealing with chronic illness or disability?Dating sites and dating app tipsKeep Reading Everyone!Lala's LinksLala's websiteLala's InstagramLala's Bedtime Tales PodcastFat Girl Book Club Podcast LinksFat Girl Book Club InstagramFat Girl Book Club Email: [email protected] Plus Size LingerieTorridShienAmazonFredericks of HollywoodLove HoneyEpisode LinksSex with Emily PodcastSex with Emily InstagramLala's article about positions for larger bodiesDipseaLala's Book RecommendationsYour Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee TaylorPussy: A reclamation by Regina ThomashauerGirl Boner by August McLaughlinCome As You Are by Emily Nagoski

TRIGGER WARNING: Use of the O-words All good things must come to an end my friends.  This podcast has saved me in a multitude of ways.  The books I've read for the show, the people I've met have changed my life.  I am a different, a better person because I did this show.  I am also a more confident speaker and connector to others because I had a podcast. I just feel so grateful for the opportunity to run a show about something I love and connect to you, the listeners.  I am so, so grateful you listened, subscribed and enjoyed.  But life has taken me in a different direction and so (at least for now) after episode 80 (stick around for that one!) the show will be on a break.  I really do hope to come back in the new year but until then, maybe you wan't to check out my guest's podcast! Amanda Levitt is the host of a podcast called Fat Theory Book Club so not only does she read body liberation books but she also talks to readers and authors alike about the ideas in them.  It is worth your time to check it out BUT FIRST (lol), check out my chat with Amanda where we talk about Fat-Talk Nation by Susan Greenhalgh.  We cover:Amanda's journey to activismBaby steps for baby activistsWhy Amanda picked this bookThe research in this book and how that compares to fat liberation classic readsThe concept of biocitizenshipWas there a difference between the Obese and the Overweight chapters in terms of experiences and Greenhalgh's analysisHow the War on Obesity's capitalist agenda affects Ivy League universities and their researchDiscussing the thin experienceHave there been changes since this book?Some medical devices for weight loss that you've never heard of!    🤯Keep Reading Everyone!Amanda's LinksFat Theory Book Club PodcastWhimsical Femme on IGFat Body Politics on TwitterFat Body Politics on Tik Tok Fat Girl Book Club LinksDiscord groupInstagramAmanda's Book RecommendationsUnbearable Weight by Susan BordoThe Embodiment of Disobedience by Andrea Elizabeth ShawCan't Buy My Love by Jean KilbourneEpisode LinksBig Fat BlogFat Body Politics BlogAbundant BodiesMaintenance Phase PodcastFat Activism by Charlotte CooperKiller Fat by Natalie BoeroNHANES SurveyKatherine Flegal StudyFearing the Black Body by Sabrina StringsFat in the Fire ArticleThis is Thin Privilege BlogBody of Truth by Harriet BrownAll About Love by bell hooksIn Transit by Dianna E. Anderson

List of a few of the podcasts I really like for you to check out during the break:Friend recommendationsGoing Beyond the Food ShowSkate DateFat Like MeMore Than Tracy TurnbaldFat Chicks on TopFat Girl Book Club Guests and PodcastersFat Theory Book ClubFierce FattieEmbodiment for the Rest of UsTherapy HomeworkFat. So?Peach PleaseRadlove RadioMotivation Made EasyTough Cookie TalksBody Liberation for AllThe Gaslit FattieLala's Bedtime TalesPopular Podcasts to Check OutMaintenance PhaseRebel Eaters ClubSwipe FatThe Fat Doctor PodcastThe Fat Lip

I've had a lot of chats on this podcast with people who've become friends after the show but rarely do I get to chat to a friend I had before getting them on the show (see my chat with Chavonne about Fierce Fattie or with Pascale about The Fat Lady Sings to see a couple I have done), but this episode is with a friend.  I met Haz Cady when my podcast was very new and we've had some great chats ever since (almost three years worth of chatting about books!).  This episode is basically an opportunity for you listeners to sit in with us as we talk about Fat on Film by Barbara Plotz.  I know you're going to love the relaxed vibe.  We talk about a lot of things, including:Haz's journey to fat acceptance (in three parts...like a book...get it?)Haz's eating disorder and what food means nowMelissa McCarthy and Rebel Wilson as our only fat representation (...and Queen Latifah but we talk about how her representation is different than the other two)Masculinity in film or how men have to walk a body image line tooFemininity in film or how femininity always comes back to menThe lines fat actors have to walkThe use of a larger body as an inherently funny body in comedyThe way the camera angles, the sound effects, the choreography allow for the audience to laugh at the actor's bodyIs there any attempt to soften the fat phobia in film?The trope of the fat person eatingA discussion about Harry PotterFat people as outsiders and deviations from the normFat, people of color in filmThe way this book has changed our film watching experiences FOREVER!Difference between film and theatre representationKeep Reading Everyone!Haz's LinksHaz's TwitterArchive of our Own PageFat Girl Book Club Podcast LinksFearless PodcastingFat Girl Book Club on IGEmail: [email protected] RecommendationsFattily Ever After by Stephanie YeboahYou Have the Right to Remain Fat by Virgie TovarEpisode LinksSadie Collins articleYou Should See the Other Guy PodcastUndead Girl Gang by Lily AndersonFat Girl on a Plane by Kelly DeVos

I had Big Girl by Kelsey Miller on my TBR pile for a really long time.  I even sent out a note a few years (yes YEARS!) ago on social media looking for someone to read it with me, but I didn't get any takers so when Chelsea Levy mentioned this book as being a really important part of her journey to body liberation during an IG live a few months ago, I had to invite her on to discuss it with me and boy am I glad I did!  This book is so good.  I don't think there is a better memoir that covers intuitive eating out there (correct me if you have another title).  Hear all about it in my discussion available for download tomorrow.  Here are some of the topics Chelsea and I cover:Chelsea's journey with intuitive eating and body liberationBeing on an intuitive eating journey while pursuing a dietetics certificationWhy Big Girl was important to Chelsea's journey and how Kelsey Miller's experience overlaps with Chelsea's lifeDefining intuitive eatingWhat parts of intuitive eating is Chelsea working on now?The difference in the way that Kelsey approached food versus exerciseA discussion around "reasonable" dietingThe similarities between new diet and new loveDoes our body size have meaning?Mindfulness as a tool for distractionThe ending that wasn't really an endingWhat this book was missing (please write another book Kelsey!!!!)Keep Reading Everyone!Chelsea's LinksWebsiteInstagramFat Girl Book Club LinksPatreonInstagramFearless PodcastingEpisode Book RecommendationsThings No One Will Tell Fat Girls by Jes BakerThe Fat Lady Sings by Cheryl Fuller

I don't think I knew when Angel Austin of Sacred Space for Black Bodies asked to read Fat Girls in Black Bodies by Dr Joy Cox that it would be such a perfect match, but Angel and this book go hand-in-hand.  A big theme of this book is building community and Angel has incredible community building projects on the go, including mutual aid resources, a fat resource directory and sacred space, which is a vision of such proportions that you will have to listen to Angel's own words to understand how incredible it truly is.  Other topics we covered in our chat include:• How Angel got into fat liberation• The creation of Sacred Space for Fat Bodies• Dealing with trolls on the internet• Weight stigma around health• How this book connects to Angel's life• Community - what it is and how we create itKeep Reading Everyone!Angel's LinksI will put a kickstarter link when the campaign starts but in the meantime stay connected with Angel using any of these links:IG: @Sacredspaceforfatbodies (https://instagram.com/sacredspaceforfatbodies?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=)   Facebook: Sacred Space for Fat Bodies (https://www.facebook.com/sacredspaceforfatbodies/)Twitter: @SSforFB (https://twitter.com/SSforFB?t=N2omoHRx3nsYDWO3e7CtaQ&s=09)Tiktok: @Sacredspaceforfatbodies (https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTdotm366/)Discord: Sacred Space for Fat Bodies (https://discord.com/invite/HudYxm7PC2)Website: Sacredspaceforfatbodies.org Email: [email protected] Angel’s work directly by subscribing to her Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/Sacredspaceforfatbodies) or sending a tip via Paypal to: [email protected] Girl Book Club Podcast LinksPatreon pageIGEmail: [email protected] Other Episode LinksFat Lip AshSaucy West

This is the second of two episodes on Gendered Bodies and Public Scrutiny by Victoria Kannen.  This time though I chatted with Layla Cameron, a fat activist based close to my hometown in Vancouver, BC, Canada.  You definitely do not have to listen to the first episode to get something out of this conversation but the first conversation provides a framework of the book and of this discussion.  We cover a lot of ground including:Layla's journey to becoming a fat activistChanges Layla has seen in VancouverDifferences between Vancouver and TorontoClothing for fat people and the fat taxThe concept of the third eyeThe elimination of fatness from the discussion in the bookThe fat spectrumFat stigma as the "last" acceptable form of discriminationWhat is a body story and how does that interact with your identityHow body positivity has been made palatable to the massesThe Well Meaning StrangerLet your freak flag fly!!!Staring and the gazeWhat resistance means to LaylaFat Joy and body movementThe ultimate radical actLayla's LinksLayla's WebsiteStay Fat WebsiteLayla's workFat in YVR podcastFat Girl Book Club LinksPatreon pageFearless PodcastingFat Girl Book Club IGEpisode LinksGendered Bodies and Public Scrutiny by Victoria KannenBodies by Susie OrbachExile in Pride by Eli ClaireThickening Fat: Fat bodies, intersectionality and social justice edited by May Friedman, Carla Rice, Jen RinaldiBig: Stories about life in plus-sized bodies edited by Christina MyersFat Girls Hiking IGFat Girls Hiking Documentary

This week on the pod we are doing another round of a book deep dive.  In the episode released tomorrow I will be chatting to Victoria Kannen about her book called Gendered Bodies and Public Scrutiny.  In two weeks, I'll be chatting to a fat activist about the same book for extra insights and powerful takeaways.  In this discussion Victoria and I set up the framework of how our body stories are constructed.  Here are some of the highlights of our discussion:Who is Victoria Kannen and what is her body story?How different Victoria's experience has been to her sister's experience even though they are close to the same heightBeing awed and oddBlending The way the book combines art, theory and stories Covid and how it could have impacted the interviewsThe meaning of a stareThe Well-Meaning StrangerQuiet ResistanceHow this framework can apply to fat bodiesKeep Reading Everyone!Victoria's LinksGendered Bodies and Public ScrutinyVictoria's TwitterVictoria's IGFat Girl Book Club LinksPatreon LinkIG LinkEmail address: [email protected] Podcasting

I am so excited for you to listen to this week's episode.  I stumbled across Katie Winnen's podcast by chance and heard a genuine joyfulness in her voice.  I invited her on my pod and was so happy to find out that she is authentically joyful.  I mean, I really wish I lived closer to her because I have a feeling I would be trying to hang out on patios constantly with this woman.  She is just real and authentic.  It was an absolute pleasure getting to know her.  Here are some of the highlights of our discussion:How Katie found body liberationThe value and importance of communityKatie's trip to Armenia and her encounters with fatphobia while thereHow Katie knew about Brittany GibbonsWhat Katie related to in this bookBody image constructionFeeling sexy in larger bodiesDoes creating social media content help with confidence?Revenge eating and our relationships with foodPeople's comments on our bodiesWhat it means to be a doerKeep Reading Everyone!Katie's LinksPeach Please! PodcastKatie's IGFat Girl Book Club Podcast LinksFearless PodcastingFat Girl Book Club PatreonEmail Address: [email protected] LinksGirls Girls podcastKelly Belly Ohio IGTik Tok accounts to follow:HannahtalksbodiesJustmeandmymirror