Old Navy, Black Hair, and White Ballerinas

The stories I didn't get to this month, plus a Giving Circle update & how to enter the Burnt Toast Book Giveaway.

Hello from the trenches of line editing! The book is written and I’m now doing what one Instagram follower named “Story Surgery.” This is where I print out the whole document, and line edit on paper. With two different colored markers (for “fix this” and “WTF FIX THIS”), plus scissors and tape for when I need to literally cut out paragraphs and put them in different/hopefully better locations. Then all of those edits have to be put into the computer version, and I read and reread and obsess some more. It’s a whole process. 

Yes the length just says “words,” I am not ready to commit to a number.

Which is why you’re not getting a reported longform piece on Burnt Toast this month. But this has not been a slow news month in the anti-diet/fat justice space! Thank goodness other people are doing great work on important stories. (And to be clear, they are usually better positioned than me to do that particular story anyway.) So here are some pieces I’ve been reading and thinking about so much in the past few weeks. 

The Old Navy “clothing for everyone” debacle. SO many of you emailed about this! Here’s the WSJ story that started the whole thing. (TL/DR: Sales have dropped 19 percent since they committed to size inclusivity and of course the fats are to blame.) Here’s Fast Company (and the founders of Universal Standard) on why it didn’t have to be that way. Mia O’Malley has been documenting the whole saga on her Instagram. 

Sharon Hurley Hall on the CROWN Act and why it won’t do enough to protect Black people (especially women) from microaggressions about their hair. 

Ragen Chastain dissects the latest New York Times diet industry propaganda and we love to see it!

When were you taught that your body dictated your worth? Love this by Dacy Gillespie. (She’s sharing a lot of reader responses in her Stories on Insta too.) 

I truly adore everything Lyz Lenz writes but this piece on the subversive joy of single motherhood is a must-read, maybe especially if you’re partnered. 

Sara Louise Petersen and Chloe Angyal on the ways ballet (and Ballerina Farm) reinforces whiteness.

Julia Turshen explained fatphobia to the food industry because she is doing the lord’s work.

Photo by Tara Moore via Getty Images

I had never considered how much diet culture intersects with budget culture, so this piece by Dana Miranda on Culture Study blew my mind. 

Universal Free School Lunch is ending on June 30. This is a horrendous setback in the fight against childhood hunger, but it’s also terrible for all of our kids’ relationship to food. This is a story I will get into soon. (And if you’re tempted to tell me how terrible the food is at your kids’ school, read this first.) 

Gymnastics continues to be a total shit show. (Major CW for child abuse on that link.)

If you liked me and Sara Louise Petersen ranting about gentle parenting back in April, you will definitely love this conversation between Melinda Wenner Moyer and child psychologist Cara Goodwin where they dissect the research on RIE parenting (spoiler: There’s almost none!). 

I am so here for Lizzo’s apology and repair work after she was called out for using an ableist slur in “Grrrls.” Pay attention white men, this is how it’s done!

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Burnt Toast Giving Circle Update! 

We are getting close to our goal of $20,000, but still need your help. And! Through the end of June, The States Projects has donors matching every dollar raised by Giving Circles up to $500,000. Which will mean a million dollars going to flip legislatures blue in states where a progressive state government can make a real difference. Click here to donate and double your impact. We’re a little under $4,000 from our goal but with the match, if we can raise just $2000 more… we’ll be there!

Also! Just because you’re in the Burnt Toast Giving Circle doesn’t mean you can’t start your own. (We’re focusing on Arizona but there are so many important state elections on the table this year!) And you do not need a big email list or social media platform. Here’s how to get started. 

(If you’re like, “what Giving Circle?” Here’s where we explained it all. And here’s who we’re supporting in Arizona!) 

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Talk To Us. If you haven’t done the Burnt Toast Reader Survey yet, we’d still love to hear from you. Everyone who completes it will be entered in the Burnt Toast Book Giveaway! You can also enter the giveaway by purchasing or renewing a paid subscription by June 30. (And yes, if you complete the survey AND get a subscription, you can enter twice!)

PS. If you’ve already done the survey or gotten/renewed a subscription and aren’t sure you entered the giveaway, please fill out this form.