Hi friend,

 

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“hat is what as fat people, as women or feminine identified people, that’s what we’re taught. We’re taught to shrink. We’re taught to internalize blame. We’re taught to conform and to be decorative, and seeing somebody else reject that empowers you to. 

 

And when I started speaking out and speaking up, I was convinced that I was not only going to torpedo my business by doing so, but that I wasn’t going to have any friends. 

 

And it’s true that some people did self-select out of my social circles because it wasn’t a message they were particularly interested in hearing and are ready to hear and that’s fine, but so many more people have found me. And I’ve gone from shouting into the void with my opinions about bodies, to having thousands of people on my mailing list who respond and they tell me how it’s changing their attitudes and how it’s changing how they see themselves. 

 

So for me, being that person who decided to speak out and take that risk, it was life-changing for me and for all the people who are getting to hear what I’m saying now. It gives them permission to get mad. It gives them permission to say, no, I won’t accept this treatment."

Host: "I think it definitely empowers others as well who may have been shutting down. I think you’ve created a community where people feel comfortable open to express feelings they probably haven’t expressed before because they were too scared or they obviously, like you said, internalize that blame as well. 

 

So I think it’s amazing that you’ve created the community that I feel like it’s very rare for many people to openly share how they’re actually feeling about many different controversial topics. Because I think that, like you said, you’ll lose friends, opportunities and whatnot, but I think it’s important to stand your ground. Definitely express that."

Lindley: "Yeah. And the thing is that I’m always very careful when I talk about this to know that I have a lot of privileges that allow me to do the speaking and to be very loud. 

 

I don’t have a full-time job working for someone else who might fire me if I say the wrong thing on the internet. I have some financial support from my husband, so I am able to grow my business in a way that works for me and not have to suppress my actual beliefs so that I don’t scare away potential clients.

You know, I have the privilege of whiteness, which is particularly notable here in the states in our struggles over the last couple of years politically. But of course, it’s also a factor in Australia as well. It’s a factor everywhere on the planet. And I have the privilege of time. I can develop these thoughts and these messages. 

 

So, I’m always very careful to talk about these privileges because I don’t ever want anyone else to feel inadequate because they’re not being a capital ‘A’ activist or something, you know, just doing what you can within your own life is plenty."

Warmly,
Lindley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quick Resources: Joyful Movement