Boomer women and diet culture
Happy summer, everyone. I hope you all have some travel plans (even short trips) this summer that allow you to take a break from the daily grind, or just give you an excuse to unplug from the onslaught of bad news all the time.
I was at a 3-day yoga retreat this past weekend in Mendocino, which gave me a much-needed technology break and let me do some communing with nature. I was the youngest participant of the (small) group and I couldn’t help but notice that despite being immersed in the ideology and language of self-care, the Boomer women around me couldn’t help engaging in diet talk/speaking about food in moral terms as “good” or “bad.” They seemed to understand the concept of being gentle with oneself, but also despise their own bodies. I know old habits die hard - I am continually working on my own body acceptance - but the paradox was striking. I also happened to start reading an amazing book called The Body Is Not An Apology, by Sonia Renee Taylor, which I certainly should’ve already read by now. I just wanted to share this quote:
“Hating your body is like a finding a person you despise and then choosing to spend the rest of your life with them while loathing every moment of the partnership.”
Quite an insight, isn’t it?
Anyway, I’m brainstorming a piece on this topic. I don’t think I had the terms to speak about it in this way until recently, but my own mom was a disordered eater her entire life. I believe it contributed to her death last year, as she was very malnourished when she went into the hospital with pneumonia. She was actually pre-Boomer by a few years, but I just think this constellation of fatphobic beliefs - hating your own body, moralizing about each and every food choice, constantly being on a diet (whether counting calories, low sugar, paleo, or whatever other trend that involves restricting yourself when it comes to food, even with no medical reason to do so) - is deeply engrained among this generation of women. This is not to say there aren’t women in all generations that hate their bodies - there definitely are! - but many fellow Gen X women and Millennials are noticing this trend among their mothers.
I know some of you are Boomers, and I’d be interested in speaking with you about this topic if you’re willing. (Of course I have to get a media outlet to accept my pitch first, which is increasingly difficult in this truly awful moment for journalism). I promise there will be no shaming/blaming involved - I honestly just want to delve more deeply into this trend.
In podcast news, I released my 10th episode today: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2158804/13126715
It’s a mini-milestone, but gaining new listeners is a slow process, and sometimes I feel like the promotion I’m doing is falling on deaf ears. I know my podcast is niche and nerdy, but it’s hard to know how it’s being received.
I’d love any feedback you have - such as, whether you prefer the solo episodes or the interview-centered episodes, and whether you have other suggestions for how to reach more people. And if you haven’t listened yet, why not give it a try?
Finally, if you’re an Ozomatli fan, check out the 25th anniversary tribute I wrote recently for one of my favorite albums, Ozomatli’s self-titled debut. It was a lot of fun digging back into the album.
https://www.grammy.com/news/ozomatli-debut-album-new-generation-of-latin-fusion-25th-anniversary
And here’s my latest pop culture recommendation: “Jury Duty” on Amazon Prime.