This is such an interesting look into your process, Virginia! Thanks for sharing. Re paid subscriptions: for me, I pay for subscriptions for people like you (and Lyz Lenz and Anne Helen Petersen, to give just a couple examples!) who are doing really valuable, unique content, and for whom that's really a big chunk of their business. I think you've done a really good job articulating why your work is important and is harder to publish or faces editorial interference in legacy media channels. So it's quality of the overall work that leads me to a paid subscription, not *stuff,* if that makes sense.
Dec 20, 2022Liked by Virginia Sole-Smith, Corinne Fay
Ok I'm just here for a newsletter suggestion based on something that made me rage last night: A big thing on TikTok of PET WEIGHT LOSS POSTS. like look at this poor cat, she came into the shelter she's so big, how could her owners abuse her this way, we're gonna put her on a diet and help her, TAKE HER AS YOUR INSPIRATION! These posts have everything, look this poor dog can't play, her weight is a form of abuse. Look at this dog/cat working so hard, they are so GOOD. Look at their progress! I've seen it for cats and dogs. Holding out for some chonky snek to make the rounds.
When I saw "let this be in inspo for your 2023 journey" I literally screamed in rage. Now I can't even look at a CAT?!
I’m so excited to hear this! I was going to suggest pet weight loss. We live with a wonderful cat in a bigger body. I recently took her to the vet with my 4yo and realized I needed to prep him for the possibility of hearing weight loss/diet talk he had never heard before. Luckily, the new vet didn’t raise the issue, but it made me think about the things kids hear us say about pets. Kids are so invested in their pets that I can imagine a vet’s words having a big impact.
This is something I’ve been thinking about too. When we adopted our cat, she was a little over a year old (they estimate) and had been living outside. She was six pounds. The vet said she was the perfect weight. When I see pictures of her now from when we first got her, she looks starved, her fur is thin, and her eyes take up most of her head. Not to mention that at that “perfect weight,” she was too anxious to eat much.
The recent podcast on home care absolutely blew my mind. I’ve spent many years in lefty and anti-diet circles and wowee wow wow, no one has ever unlinked cleaning with morality before. Still turning that conversation over in my brain.
I subscribe to put my $$ towards products I want more of in this world. I shop sustainable, buy from brands with causes I’m aligned with for the same reason I have a paid subscription here. Energy goes where attention (and $) flows, and this is the kind of media / conversation I hope lasts during this great media shakeup year/s.
I’d love to see more course-style content. Maybe scripts, how to be an ally in a moment of need, maybe more ways to take action for the cause (although being here and getting the framework for this convo is activism in itself). This is a goal of mine for 2023, to arrange some of my topics into a map for changing the cultural narrative, specific to body image formation. And just to write more timely, even if it’s not long.
Question for you from a fellow writer, what do you see podcasts as adding to our craft? I love writing bc I can be as clear as possible. I hate being misunderstood, which happens a lot through my experience with spoken word, especially when exploring a new topic. I also think the content is harder to consume for our audience. And, I don’t love interviews, but I enjoy conversation between two hosts exploring a topic, like your episode about conquering anti-fat bias. I love them for the authenticity and closeness they bring to the community but wrestling with wondering if I’m forcing the medium on myself since it’s the cool thing to do. Thoughts?
Happy holidays, enjoy the magic of family and thanks for all your hard work this year 💕
Definitely don’t force the medium on yourself if it’s not creatively satisfying bc podcasts are a TON of work. But I do think they make me a better writer in lots of ways. Namely, editing audio forces you to distill and find through lines in ways that are different from written work but really instructive. Agreed they work best when the two conversation partners have rapport.
You're one of only two paid substack subscriptions I have (also Culture Study (bc AHP is brilllliant) and both are worth every penny. Honestly I subscribed bc I wanted to listen to the subscriber only podcast episodes. Your pod is like hanging with my friends and I love it.
Like several people, I subscribed to support the mission and content as a whole - your call to action to “support independent anti-diet journalism” really spoke to the idealistic former student journalist in me! I don’t think it was a specific piece that converted me, but just hearing that message enough times and it coinciding with whatever in my life made it the right time to hit subscribe is what did it.
On interviews, I’ve cohosted a (very small) podcast for about 4 years with my best friend of 20 years, and even though we’re not experts or anything special, our just-us episodes consistently outperform interviews, even when we’ve interviewed big fancy people with platforms who’ve promoted it. We think it has to do with the (not gross) parasocial experience? Like how people want to pretend they’re listening in to a conversation with friends? It’s a mystery for sure, but wanted to share and say it’s probably not you or your guests or anything to think a lot about.
And as for more recent things underperforming, it’s the end of the year and I know I’ve scaled way back on all content consumption - another way to say it’s not you, it’s me!
I wonder if this is also a factor in the amazing success of Normal Gossip, which is of course smart and funny, but the host does such a good job of keeping the tone conversational and it gives that idea that you're overhearing drama in the booth next to you at a restaurant.
I think so - and think it’s part of Maintenance Phase’s secret sauce, too. And an interview can have the same vibe but it’s harder and more overtly structured, and doesn’t have the extras of running gags and those things that make listeners feel a part of the conversation. All this is not to say I don’t love an interview format, though!
For me, book clubs are tough because the only time I remember enough about the book I just read to have a cogent discussion is immediately after finishing, and the odds that that moment is going to line up with when other people are ready to discuss are very, very small. I remember Cup of Jo talking about doing an article club, where they read and discussed articles. Would something like that be more manageable, since people can read the article day of and participate? I guess it's kind of what happens already when you respond to pop culture articles?
My impression is that sometimes your posts end with a specific prompt that invites conversation or input, and sometimes they're written more as a standalone article. Do you see differences in engagement based on that? I wonder if people are more likely to comment if there's an obvious jumping off point. I think I'm more likely to write something if I feel like the author is inviting the interaction because it feels rude? entitled? unnecessary? to comment otherwise. Just curious if you see a trend that way - I'm not sure if comments are the type of engagement you're looking for or not!
I really like the podcasts/interviews (though I only read the transcripts), especially when you've talked to people who are from some adjacent sphere about how body stuff interacts with their day job.
The book club threads are at the wrong time for me. I’m working and I just don’t have time to follow the discussion mid-day. Although, as I type this I’m not sure an evening thread would work better. I think it’s hard to have a real time discussion via chat comments.
This! I love reading but I wouldn't necessarily have finished a book in time for an appointment, whereas if you suggest a book, then write about what you take away from it or interview the author (which I realize is real work for you), then we comment on that, you can engage both people who read the whole thing and people who just got that bit you created. I simply can't log on at a specific time; that's not how my blog reading works within my life, which is why I *like* asynchronous threads that keep growing.
I adore all of the podcast episodes. I think it’s a great mix of guest interviews, Ask Us Anything with Corinne, and your solo hot takes. Even though I completely understand why debunking diets gets tedious, your POV is absolutely hilarious. I also really appreciated you revisiting the subject of school lunches because it was particularly relevant to me and my son. I became a paid subscriber several months ago and I can’t recall why I joined when I did. I just knew it was long overdue. Thank you so much for all of your research and hard work. Your voice is so needed. I can’t wait to read your book!
Jan 14, 2023·edited Jan 14, 2023Liked by Virginia Sole-Smith
I'm getting to this super late, so I don't know if you or Corrine will even see my comment here--but end of/beginning of the year overwhelm is always a lot for me--newsletters and emails pile up at transition times. I'm an academic (blech, I hate saying that, but it is also true) and so I have lots of those each year it seems.
I'm trying to find a good balance between supporting all of the things I want to support and actually reading most of the things that come into my inbox. right now, I read nearly all of your stuff, and I often comment here because the community isn't too overwhelming (I love ahp & culture study!--but I feel lost in the community, and I've been reading and responding to ahp since way back in the hairpin days. this is not a slam on ahp or those folks, who are great, it is just my reality).
I also want to throw out that I really like your book research round up pieces. they "show" your work, they share your process--both of which help me to think about my own work and process--and they expose me to things that, let's be honest, I'm just never going to read myself. I know that I'm in the minority, and they wouldn't be at the top of my list if I had to make one, but I do like them and thought I'd share
Thank you for all of the hard work you put into writing the newsletter and creating the podcast. Also, I appreciate you being so thoughtful about what the Burnt Toast community wants and needs!
Thanks for this post. I really like your balance of podcasting, interviews, Ask Us Anything and longer essays. You hit a perfect balance for me. I haven't participated in book clubs because I just have a mental block about book clubs in general. I love the way you tie diet culture to so many other cultural phenomenon.
I just thought of something so this is a little unformed. I have been finding the generational differences in things like the workplace incredibly interesting lately. How about that in the context of diet culture? Your essay on baby boomers was so meaningful to me.
My favorite things from your substack this year: the concept of British Tea (which is now a staple meal in my house) and reckoning with healthism in what I cook/eat. This is a larger, ongoing thing for me but I've found that your work has really helped me pause and look at some diet culture things that I never fully saw before. So now we have a few pasta dishes without many vegetables/meat and we love them because they're delicious and eating an amazing plate of pasta is a joyous experience that I had to learn to permit myself to do. Thanks for that <3s
I'm sure others have noted about your 'least' performances you mentioned, but just in case: in terms of subscribers not signing up from last week maybe it's just that time of year? My pocketbook is empty right now and so many things to buy for xmas!....and in terms of the piece you did on the FDA 'healthy' I think it should be noted that Maintenance Phase talked about this on their podcast around then, and so when I saw your topic I felt like I already 'got' it - and it's depressing so I was not looking to deep dive anymore. Hope this makes sense, maybe it's just timing!
This is such an interesting look into your process, Virginia! Thanks for sharing. Re paid subscriptions: for me, I pay for subscriptions for people like you (and Lyz Lenz and Anne Helen Petersen, to give just a couple examples!) who are doing really valuable, unique content, and for whom that's really a big chunk of their business. I think you've done a really good job articulating why your work is important and is harder to publish or faces editorial interference in legacy media channels. So it's quality of the overall work that leads me to a paid subscription, not *stuff,* if that makes sense.
Thank you Nancy! I so appreciate this.
Ok I'm just here for a newsletter suggestion based on something that made me rage last night: A big thing on TikTok of PET WEIGHT LOSS POSTS. like look at this poor cat, she came into the shelter she's so big, how could her owners abuse her this way, we're gonna put her on a diet and help her, TAKE HER AS YOUR INSPIRATION! These posts have everything, look this poor dog can't play, her weight is a form of abuse. Look at this dog/cat working so hard, they are so GOOD. Look at their progress! I've seen it for cats and dogs. Holding out for some chonky snek to make the rounds.
When I saw "let this be in inspo for your 2023 journey" I literally screamed in rage. Now I can't even look at a CAT?!
Pet weight loss is SUCH a strange weird topic!! I’m dying for someone to do a deep dive on it.
This is on our list! Corinne has been doing recon. Hopefully in early 2023…
I’m so excited to hear this! I was going to suggest pet weight loss. We live with a wonderful cat in a bigger body. I recently took her to the vet with my 4yo and realized I needed to prep him for the possibility of hearing weight loss/diet talk he had never heard before. Luckily, the new vet didn’t raise the issue, but it made me think about the things kids hear us say about pets. Kids are so invested in their pets that I can imagine a vet’s words having a big impact.
This is something I’ve been thinking about too. When we adopted our cat, she was a little over a year old (they estimate) and had been living outside. She was six pounds. The vet said she was the perfect weight. When I see pictures of her now from when we first got her, she looks starved, her fur is thin, and her eyes take up most of her head. Not to mention that at that “perfect weight,” she was too anxious to eat much.
I love you but I hate book clubs! it’s nothing personal! The moment a book is ~mandated~ I lose all interest in reading it. (Thanks, ADHD!)
LOL completely valid!
The recent podcast on home care absolutely blew my mind. I’ve spent many years in lefty and anti-diet circles and wowee wow wow, no one has ever unlinked cleaning with morality before. Still turning that conversation over in my brain.
I subscribe to put my $$ towards products I want more of in this world. I shop sustainable, buy from brands with causes I’m aligned with for the same reason I have a paid subscription here. Energy goes where attention (and $) flows, and this is the kind of media / conversation I hope lasts during this great media shakeup year/s.
I’d love to see more course-style content. Maybe scripts, how to be an ally in a moment of need, maybe more ways to take action for the cause (although being here and getting the framework for this convo is activism in itself). This is a goal of mine for 2023, to arrange some of my topics into a map for changing the cultural narrative, specific to body image formation. And just to write more timely, even if it’s not long.
Question for you from a fellow writer, what do you see podcasts as adding to our craft? I love writing bc I can be as clear as possible. I hate being misunderstood, which happens a lot through my experience with spoken word, especially when exploring a new topic. I also think the content is harder to consume for our audience. And, I don’t love interviews, but I enjoy conversation between two hosts exploring a topic, like your episode about conquering anti-fat bias. I love them for the authenticity and closeness they bring to the community but wrestling with wondering if I’m forcing the medium on myself since it’s the cool thing to do. Thoughts?
Happy holidays, enjoy the magic of family and thanks for all your hard work this year 💕
Definitely don’t force the medium on yourself if it’s not creatively satisfying bc podcasts are a TON of work. But I do think they make me a better writer in lots of ways. Namely, editing audio forces you to distill and find through lines in ways that are different from written work but really instructive. Agreed they work best when the two conversation partners have rapport.
You're one of only two paid substack subscriptions I have (also Culture Study (bc AHP is brilllliant) and both are worth every penny. Honestly I subscribed bc I wanted to listen to the subscriber only podcast episodes. Your pod is like hanging with my friends and I love it.
Love this!!
Like several people, I subscribed to support the mission and content as a whole - your call to action to “support independent anti-diet journalism” really spoke to the idealistic former student journalist in me! I don’t think it was a specific piece that converted me, but just hearing that message enough times and it coinciding with whatever in my life made it the right time to hit subscribe is what did it.
On interviews, I’ve cohosted a (very small) podcast for about 4 years with my best friend of 20 years, and even though we’re not experts or anything special, our just-us episodes consistently outperform interviews, even when we’ve interviewed big fancy people with platforms who’ve promoted it. We think it has to do with the (not gross) parasocial experience? Like how people want to pretend they’re listening in to a conversation with friends? It’s a mystery for sure, but wanted to share and say it’s probably not you or your guests or anything to think a lot about.
And as for more recent things underperforming, it’s the end of the year and I know I’ve scaled way back on all content consumption - another way to say it’s not you, it’s me!
I wonder if this is also a factor in the amazing success of Normal Gossip, which is of course smart and funny, but the host does such a good job of keeping the tone conversational and it gives that idea that you're overhearing drama in the booth next to you at a restaurant.
I think so - and think it’s part of Maintenance Phase’s secret sauce, too. And an interview can have the same vibe but it’s harder and more overtly structured, and doesn’t have the extras of running gags and those things that make listeners feel a part of the conversation. All this is not to say I don’t love an interview format, though!
For me, book clubs are tough because the only time I remember enough about the book I just read to have a cogent discussion is immediately after finishing, and the odds that that moment is going to line up with when other people are ready to discuss are very, very small. I remember Cup of Jo talking about doing an article club, where they read and discussed articles. Would something like that be more manageable, since people can read the article day of and participate? I guess it's kind of what happens already when you respond to pop culture articles?
My impression is that sometimes your posts end with a specific prompt that invites conversation or input, and sometimes they're written more as a standalone article. Do you see differences in engagement based on that? I wonder if people are more likely to comment if there's an obvious jumping off point. I think I'm more likely to write something if I feel like the author is inviting the interaction because it feels rude? entitled? unnecessary? to comment otherwise. Just curious if you see a trend that way - I'm not sure if comments are the type of engagement you're looking for or not!
I really like the podcasts/interviews (though I only read the transcripts), especially when you've talked to people who are from some adjacent sphere about how body stuff interacts with their day job.
This is a really smart note. Thank you!
The book club threads are at the wrong time for me. I’m working and I just don’t have time to follow the discussion mid-day. Although, as I type this I’m not sure an evening thread would work better. I think it’s hard to have a real time discussion via chat comments.
That totally makes sense. It’s also hard bc everyone is in different time zones!!
This! I love reading but I wouldn't necessarily have finished a book in time for an appointment, whereas if you suggest a book, then write about what you take away from it or interview the author (which I realize is real work for you), then we comment on that, you can engage both people who read the whole thing and people who just got that bit you created. I simply can't log on at a specific time; that's not how my blog reading works within my life, which is why I *like* asynchronous threads that keep growing.
I adore all of the podcast episodes. I think it’s a great mix of guest interviews, Ask Us Anything with Corinne, and your solo hot takes. Even though I completely understand why debunking diets gets tedious, your POV is absolutely hilarious. I also really appreciated you revisiting the subject of school lunches because it was particularly relevant to me and my son. I became a paid subscriber several months ago and I can’t recall why I joined when I did. I just knew it was long overdue. Thank you so much for all of your research and hard work. Your voice is so needed. I can’t wait to read your book!
Thank you Holly! This means so much.
I'm getting to this super late, so I don't know if you or Corrine will even see my comment here--but end of/beginning of the year overwhelm is always a lot for me--newsletters and emails pile up at transition times. I'm an academic (blech, I hate saying that, but it is also true) and so I have lots of those each year it seems.
I'm trying to find a good balance between supporting all of the things I want to support and actually reading most of the things that come into my inbox. right now, I read nearly all of your stuff, and I often comment here because the community isn't too overwhelming (I love ahp & culture study!--but I feel lost in the community, and I've been reading and responding to ahp since way back in the hairpin days. this is not a slam on ahp or those folks, who are great, it is just my reality).
I also want to throw out that I really like your book research round up pieces. they "show" your work, they share your process--both of which help me to think about my own work and process--and they expose me to things that, let's be honest, I'm just never going to read myself. I know that I'm in the minority, and they wouldn't be at the top of my list if I had to make one, but I do like them and thought I'd share
I so appreciate that! And I feel you on the pile up during transition times. It's rough!
Thank you for all of the hard work you put into writing the newsletter and creating the podcast. Also, I appreciate you being so thoughtful about what the Burnt Toast community wants and needs!
Thank you so much for being here!
Thanks for this post. I really like your balance of podcasting, interviews, Ask Us Anything and longer essays. You hit a perfect balance for me. I haven't participated in book clubs because I just have a mental block about book clubs in general. I love the way you tie diet culture to so many other cultural phenomenon.
I just thought of something so this is a little unformed. I have been finding the generational differences in things like the workplace incredibly interesting lately. How about that in the context of diet culture? Your essay on baby boomers was so meaningful to me.
My favorite things from your substack this year: the concept of British Tea (which is now a staple meal in my house) and reckoning with healthism in what I cook/eat. This is a larger, ongoing thing for me but I've found that your work has really helped me pause and look at some diet culture things that I never fully saw before. So now we have a few pasta dishes without many vegetables/meat and we love them because they're delicious and eating an amazing plate of pasta is a joyous experience that I had to learn to permit myself to do. Thanks for that <3s
Yesss to pasta and British tea!
I'm sure others have noted about your 'least' performances you mentioned, but just in case: in terms of subscribers not signing up from last week maybe it's just that time of year? My pocketbook is empty right now and so many things to buy for xmas!....and in terms of the piece you did on the FDA 'healthy' I think it should be noted that Maintenance Phase talked about this on their podcast around then, and so when I saw your topic I felt like I already 'got' it - and it's depressing so I was not looking to deep dive anymore. Hope this makes sense, maybe it's just timing!
Ha yes, MP and I should really exchange calendars. We’ve done this to each other a few times…
I've really enjoyed being here this year! Thank you. For more bonus content, I'd like to see more stuff with Corinne about clothing!
Oooh YES