A May Brain Dump
Buffalo shooting victim donation information, a tweet thread about beauty, and why I hate diet culture
Hi friends! It’s Wednesday! Here is a brain dump based on everything in my head lately. Yes, my brain is the equivalent of the tiny frenetic ball inside a feminist pinball machine.
**Please note: parts of this newsletter discuss the Buffalo shooting and diet culture which may be distressing to folks. Please proceed how you feel most comfortable.**
Buffalo Shooting
I woke up from a post-Roe protest nap on Saturday to discover a white supremacist terrorist killed ten people and injured three people in Buffalo, NY. Based on actions taken before and during the shooting, it’s clear he intended to kill Black people based on a genocidal theory of Black people “replacing” white people.
I’d like to take a moment to hold space for the victims. You can read more about them here. I encourage you to do so as they were all special people to their friends and family and they should still be alive.
Several accounts posted to donate to Buffalo Community Fridges, but they later posted they have all the money they need. Go Fund Me has now posted several verified accounts that will help the victims and their families as well as others who are now too afraid/can’t go to that grocery store anymore.
Please make no mistake, these deaths were caused by white supremacy. This was not mental health, this was not COVID. This was a violent, genocidal movement that flourished because of an accepted culture of white privilege and supremacy. Ijeoma Oluo summed it up in this Instagram post. For my white readers, we absolutely must stand up and fight against white privilege and supremacy at every turn.
Beauty is Power?
I recently followed Jessica DeFino, a freelance journalist who reports on the beauty industry. I find her takes fascinating and thoughtful. You can read her newsletter here. This recent tweet thread of hers really got me thinking.
Bikini Body Season aka I Hate Diet Culture
It comes every year like clockwork, the advertisements about how to get your summer body in just 6 weeks or how to look great in a bikini. Ugh, I hate them. I’m relatively body neutral, which means my body is just my body. I don’t have to be obsessed with it or hate it, I appreciate it for what it is and what it does for me. Sure, I have my days where I hate the way I look because I’m not immune to the world constantly telling women we need to look pristine to be worthy. But generally, I just don’t stress about it because I am stressed about so many other things (lol, everything is a disaster!!).
The bikini body jargon really burns my gears because I know many of my friends tend to quickly spiral into body shaming and have low self-confidence around their body image. No judgment! We all do it! But, it’s hard to watch and experience because no one wants to see their friends hurting. Here are a couple of things that helped me that might help you.
#1 — Follow fat people on social media! Some of my faves are @historicalfatpeople on Instagram, @Samyra on TikTok, and @Simply_Elsa on TikTok and Instagram.
#2 — Get to reading! I recently read “What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat” by Aubrey Gordon. I’ve also read “Hunger” By Roxane Gay. Both of these provided great perspective and insight. I have “The Body is Not an Apology” by Sonya Renee Taylor on my audiobook shelf and I’ve heard great things.
#3 — Question yourself! Now when I watch TV, see advertisements, or read something, I’m constantly questioning how we talk about fat people. Why is being fat bad? Why do we think being fat means we’re unhealthy? Why is calling a woman “fat” the worst thing you can say in our culture? The Maintenance Phase podcast helped me unpack this in addition to my own research and learning. Once I processed that “fat” is just a word, like blonde or short, it changed my whole perspective.
Alrighty, friends, that’s all for this week! Be back next week with your classic Women Wednesday profile. Until then, stay safe and be well!