Come along with us as we dive into what it means to live in a culture that is, in many ways, deeply disordered. We explore the broader sociocultural context of eating disorders—looking beyond individual behaviors to examine the systems, values, and narratives that shape how we relate to our bodies, our health, and our worth.

Join us for the second part of this series in our next episode: Recovering in a Disordered Culture

In this episode we discuss:

- What diet culture really is

- Diet culture’s modern disguise—wellness culture 

- Healthism and why health is far more complex than the oversimplified messages we’re sold

- Our cultural obsession with youth and the impact this has on us as we age

- Hustle/grind culture and the cultural fixation on productivity 

- What these forces have in common—and how they reinforce shame and disconnection from our authentic selves.

- Who this disordered culture benefits, who it harms, and why so many of us feel stuck inside it

- Eating disorders as signals of a disordered culture

- The cultural role of why some eating disorder symptoms are more difficult to see as a problem vs. others

- Reclaiming our power and questioning disordered narratives to find a more authentic way of living 

______________

Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Maintenance Phase Podcast

Body Mass Index 

Is Being Fat Bad for You?

“Excess Deaths Associated With Underweight, Overweight, and Obesity”  Katherine M. Flegal

The Obesity Myth by Paul Campos

Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings 

Journaling Reflection Questions: 

What kind of person do you want to be in the world? What truly matters to you? 

How might what matters to you differ from what the culture places importance on? 

How might you have been impacted by the disordered culture we exist within?

What societal beliefs, messages, and norms may have shaped your ED voice? 

What messages have you received about what it means to be worthy and have value?

Additional Resources:

Books

What We Don’t Talk about When We Talk about Fat by Aubrey Gordon

You Just Need to Lose Weight and 19 other Myths about Fat People by Aubrey Gordon

Anti-Diet by Christy Harrison

The Wellness Trap by Christy Harrison 

Reclaiming Body Trust: A Path to Healing & Liberation by Hilary Kinavey & Dana Sturtevant

Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole-Smith

Laziness Doesn’t Exist by Devon Price

The Body is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor 

It’s Always Been Ours by Jessica Wilson 

The Body Liberation Project by Chrissy King 

Podcasts

Maintenance Phase 

The Full Plate Podcast

The Body Trust Podcast 

Body Justice 

Real Health Radio 

Body Grievers Club

Food Pysch 

Seems like Diet Culture  

Men Unscripted

Presentations

Weight Inclusivity & Rejection of Diet Culture Presentation by Dr. Gaudiani  

Websites

Association of Size Diversity and Health

HAES Health Sheets

HAES Printable Self Advocacy Cards for Medical Visits

Weight Stigma Awareness Week (has lots of resources listed)