Hi friend,
It's an excerpt week!
First, a little hand update: I'm seeing some minor improvements in my De Quervain's tendonitis after having a steroid shot in the wrist a few weeks ago. I'm still being cautious with booking photography clients, but I have a few people booked starting in mid-April and that should be okay.
Hmm. I should write something about being a photographer – a very physical job – while also having chronic illnesses. Making a note on that.
Next, here's an excerpt from my latest piece on Patreon, Weight-loss surgery, person-first fatness and a new narrative:
Companies plunge huge amounts of money into marketing because it works. In the last 20 years, WLS has become the new "right thing to do and buy" and as we're increasingly surrounded by slick marketing and fact-free success stories, the more pressure we feel to succumb.
(And as commenters on the original post noted, other surgeries and procedures are increasingly being held hostage as doctors require that patients undergo WLS before having the surgery they actually need, especially joint-related and gender-affirming procedures.)
That means that when people do undergo WLS, fat activists are often the only people they see speaking out against this type of surgery. It feels like a personal attack, a rejection of the choices that person has made, and an attempt to steal their hope away.
And a piece for everyone, my latest guest appearance on the Mindful Miri podcast:
In this week's episode, we discuss issues of #race, #weight, and systems of #oppression with Lindley Ashline.
Other themes:
- Embracing our true selves
- #bodypositivity for larger bodies
- How systems are not built for all sizes
- #weightstigma as an offshoot of #racism
