Dietland

Dietland made me think about so many issues: my own attitudes toward weight, my issues with my own weight, society’s very narrow definition of what is beautiful, how these attitudes and ideas seem to be disproportionately aimed at women, and the billion-dollar weight loss industry.

In roaming around the Internet reading on these topics, I found a few worth sharing:

The Plus Side: Full-figured Fashion Gets a New Look. This article from the New Yorker magazine takes an in-depth look at a full-figured fashion show and visits the history (and future) of Lane Bryant.

On the Runway at Full Figured Fashion Week. This video (2:24) accompanies the New Yorker article mentioned above. It contains abbreviated commentary from the article, but more importantly shows the models and fashions the article describes.

Understanding Obesity Stigma: This brochure (PDF) from The Obesity Action Coalition lists the biases people face as a result of their weight in the areas of employment, education, and healthcare as well as the consequences of those biases.

Obviously, the book covered a number of other issues. I’m looking forward to our discussion tonight!