body image

Whole Person: Lindy West Reflects on the Fat Positive Legacy of “Shrill”

Lindy West, a fat white woman with blond hair, poses against a brown background in a flowered shirt
by Rebecca Bodenheimer
May 13, 2021 at 4:33pm
“It was important to me to tell especially young fat women that romantic love will not save you.”
Aidy Bryant plays Annie, a plus-size white woman with short brown hair who is smiling while holding her phone, in Shrill

Body and Soul: In Its Final Season, “Shrill” Explores the Fear of Being Seen

by Jourdain Searles
May 7, 2021 at 9:32am
We’ve seen Annie face off against the world; now it’s time for her to face herself. Read more »
Randa Jarrar, an Arab American woman with short brown hair, holds her hand up to her face as she looks away from the camera

“Love Is an Ex-Country” Triumphantly Prioritizes the Power of Joy

by Madhuri Sastry
March 23, 2021 at 11:00am
Joy is a way to heal people and to move forward in a world that’s constantly throwing ridiculous things at us. Read more »
a purple, pink, and yellow mixed-media portrait of Queen Latifah, a fat Black woman, with painted strokes and symbols featuring a black and white photo by Al Pereira. She wears a tall weaved headdress, matching jacket, and her finger by her mouth

Her House: Queen Latifah Recreated the Rom-Com in Her Image

by Cate Young
March 17, 2021 at 9:00am
Queen Latifah’s oeuvre demonstrates that satisfying Black rom-coms for fat women are possible, even if Hollywood is resistant to making them. Read more »
Lizzo, a plus-size Black woman musician, holds her arms open on stage as she performs in Australia

No One Can Escape Diet Culture—Even Lizzo

by Evette Dionne
December 18, 2020 at 12:40pm
Bodies detox themselves, and no amount of supplements, smoothies, or apple cider vinegar do more than our own bodies naturally do to regulate us. Read more »
Playwright Josefina López smiles. Her hair is dark and curled, and she wears red lipstick and blue eyeshadow.

Enduring Legacy: Playwright Josefina Lopez Reflects on “Real Women Have Curves”

by Karen Fischer
December 14, 2020 at 9:01am
Both the play and the film had a massive impact. Read more »
Billie Eilish, a white young woman, has black-dyed hair and is very pale. She leans out of a trailer and wears an oversized, pastel-colored outfit.

Billie Eilish’s Body Is Not Ours to Claim

by Rachel Charlene Lewis
October 15, 2020 at 2:33pm
“I feel you watching, always. And nothing I do goes unseen.” Read more »
Kate Stayman-London, a white woman with short, brown hair, looks at the camera over her shoulder

A New Fairy Tale: “One to Watch” Imagines a Fat Bachelorette

by Evette Dionne
August 7, 2020 at 9:00am
Kate Stayman-London beautifully pulls back the curtain on what fat women in particular endure, not only when attempting to find love, but also in simply existing. Read more »
Summer Walker, a Black woman R&B singer with long black hair, poses against a colorful purple background

Leave Summer Walker (And Her Nose) Alone

by Evette Dionne
May 18, 2020 at 12:42pm
Instead of condemning Black women, like Summer Walker, who choose to alter their bodies, we should interrogate how the world made their existence in their inherited bodies hostile. Read more »
Adele, a white woman with short, red hair, bends over and belts into a microphone

Our Response to Adele’s Weight Loss Says More about Us Than Her

by Evette Dionne
May 6, 2020 at 2:50pm
The body-positive movement limits its scope to individual people’s always evolving bodies rather than the systems that turn weight loss into headline-making news. Read more »
image of model with long, bright orange hair with a pixelated-looking face

The Lie That Feeds Our Ugly Fascination with Makeover Shows

by Dara Mathis
February 19, 2020 at 9:00am
How do you produce a show that purports to make women more beautiful—presenting them as undesirable as is—and still manage to preach self-love? Read more »

Pages