I’m incredibly honored to get to contribute to the Be Nourished Blog.  Here’s a link to the post and an excerpt below my photo.

My Body is Not a Billboard: Weight Loss Talk in Eating Disorder Treatment Marketing

photo credit: Vivienne McMaster

“When I hear how an organization that is supposedly on my side of the battle is continuing to use the mental image of my body and bodies like mine as a cautionary billboard, to convince people to give you their money, it makes me shudder with anger. You are perpetuating the idea that if their bodies don’t look like mine already, then the idea of their bodies becoming like mine is a valid and motivating fear. The use of my body as an image to be used to ‘motivate’ people to seek care feels shitty. If you or your organization is using weight loss language to sell your programs, you are not safe to me, regardless of whether you call your program HAES-based or not. You are not safe to me and you are not safe to other fat people. We, who live in a world that constantly reminds us that we are not welcome unless we are at least “trying” to change our bodies day in and day out. If you are using weight loss language to sell your programs, you are not on my side. You are not my ally. You are capitalizing on weight stigma, you are doing harm, and I am asking you to stop.”