Rejecting the Diet Industry: An Act of Feminist Resistance
How eating and self-reclamation intersect
No physical appearance is worth not eating pasta for - Matt Haig
My freshman year of high school, I attended our Homecoming Dance in a group of eight—four boys sweating through their suits, four girls pretending to enjoy heels. Prior to the event, we went to dinner at a popular Italian restaurant in the city renowned for homemade pasta. When the waitress arrived, all the boys in our group ordered pasta, and every girl ordered a salad, except me. I was fifteen, hungry, and Fettuccine Alfredo sounded much more appetizing than romaine lettuce. It was delicious, but I remember feeling uncomfortable—increasingly self-conscious of my fullness while surrounded by those who wore hunger like a badge of honor.
I wish my story was one of perpetual defiance to the diet industry, but like nearly every woman I know, I eventually succumbed. When billions of dollars are funneled into propaganda telling girls and women their bodies need fixing, how could any of us escape?
In her …