I'm sure you've seen this story by now. It's one I want to remember so I'm bringing here.
To me, this story is one of many recent pieces of evidence that tell me that Diet Culture is under threat, even if just a little bit.
Diet culture is a system of societal beliefs, norms and customs that promotes thinness or fitness as worth.
Diet Culture is a set of lies, propaganda and bullshit we’ve been fed for 100s of years.
Diet Culture hijacks our joy, pleasure, time and impact.
Diet Culture is perpetuated by a bajillion dollar industry; an industry that produced plates with body-shaming messaging.
Diet Culture is what then makes buyers at Macy's see these plates as highly marketable.
That is, until @alieward’s Tweet caught on.
Now, these plates are banned from Macy’s.
Will some people seek out how to buy these plates anyway? YES.
Do some think a ban is an over-reaction; that 49.6K people are just too sensitive? YES.
Will this ban stop body-shaming yet? NO.
Will this ban prevent eating disorders overnight? NO.
This ban DOES illustrate a hell of a lot of people are fed up with being fed lies –
lies that harm,
lies that contribute to eating disorders and
lies that perpetuate body dissatisfaction plaguing most adults, regardless of gender, race or age.
This ban DOES tell me is that little by little, tweet by tweet, voice by voice, stand by stand, people are taking their minds, bodies and souls back from Diet Culture.
THAT action and attitude will stop body-shaming.
THAT action and attitude will prevent eating disorders.
THAT action and attitude will reverse body dissatisfaction.
What this movement, that started from a 38-character Tweet from one cool chick, tells me is, Diet Culture is vulnerable, finally.
xoxo
Elysa
note: these blog posts were originally posted between 2018 - 2020 on a different website of mine.