Hi Virginia, this was definitely intriguing and made me interested in purchasing the book, but I'm feeling a little... unsure... about how you centered this chapter on Anamarie Regino, despite the fact that she didn't respond to requests for interviews. I know you're someone who thinks deeply about ethics in reporting. Can you comment on how you decided it was appropriate to tell Anamarie's story, even though it's something that she might not appreciate being brought up in a public manner at this point in her life?
I so appreciate this thoughtful question. It is something I wrestled with a lot. I only used elements of Anamarie's story which are already public and part of the historical record, which is a standard journalistic practice (though of course one that can cause harm). And her family's experience is such an important case study and piece of the myth making that surrounds the rhetoric of the "childhood obesity epidemic." The avalanche of media attention it received at the time really did help kickstart our "war on childhood obesity" discourse in ways that are important to look back on and understand, especially because the abuse they experienced is still happening—parents today are still in danger of losing custody of children based on body size. And unless we talk about how harmful that practice is, it will never change.
I'm super late to this but I listened to it on Friday and it's so good!! I have the audiobook on pre-order and my appetite for the whole thing is now whetted. I'm so glad you decided to be the reader/narrator! Can't wait for this book to be out in the world and, I very much hope, open some people's perspectives. p.s. I mentioned your work at a legal conference this weekend and the woman I was talking to had *just* read the piece about you and your work in The Cut, which was cool.
I love this first glimpse of the book! I have ordered three copies, one for my sons middle school as well. Some of the research I knew about and some of it is new. I couldn't remember the Michelle Obama campaign very well so I looked back at the coverage and her statements. Some made me physically flinch...and wonder how Obama feels about her words now, or how Melia herself feels about them. We are all so steeped in this culture that I feel it will be so many years before we look back and see change. When we know better, we do better, right?
I also flinched a bit (just a bit, as I'm used to mothers being raked over the coals about this) at the statement about every person with an eating disorder you spoke with recalling body shaming from their mothers. I would say that correlation doesn't always imply causation... with so many women living in the ocean of diet culture, many people will likely have parents who contributed harmful statements, but not all. There is so much misinformation about ED in general but many amazing providers and organizations working hard to correct this. We had no diet culture, food rules in our household but yet my daughter developed anorexia. Biological and genetic factors are at play as well as society and usually a trigger (in our case, the pandemic). My daughters ED therapist group recommends your site to all their families. I'm so thankful to find a community of people who understand more than the general population. And thankful for your writing and your work Virginia. If anyone would like to read more or thinks they or a loved one need help, these sites are of great support.
Thank you Shannon! So appreciate this comment. And yes — the book makes VERY clear that moms do not cause eating disorders, and I’ll be excited to hear your thoughts about chapter 8, which dives much deeper into the phenomenon of mother shame that I sketch out here.
I just finished listening and chapter 1 is amazing! I’m not sure I’ve ever read such a clear overview of how we got here with regard to “childhood obesity.” Before becoming a mother, I would have been horrified by Anamarie’s (autocorrect really wants to put two N’s in her name, and as a single N name, I take this personally) story. As a mother, I almost couldn’t get through it. I’m feeling very much like radical capitalism makes everything in our lives worse and I don’t know how we disentangle from it. I’m going to listen to some fluff to let my brain recover now (but that’s a compliment--I love that you stretched my thinking so far!).
Absolutely love this. Already teared up within the first chapter. Can't wait to read the entire book! So appreciate you doing this important work.
Thank you so much!
Hi Virginia, this was definitely intriguing and made me interested in purchasing the book, but I'm feeling a little... unsure... about how you centered this chapter on Anamarie Regino, despite the fact that she didn't respond to requests for interviews. I know you're someone who thinks deeply about ethics in reporting. Can you comment on how you decided it was appropriate to tell Anamarie's story, even though it's something that she might not appreciate being brought up in a public manner at this point in her life?
I so appreciate this thoughtful question. It is something I wrestled with a lot. I only used elements of Anamarie's story which are already public and part of the historical record, which is a standard journalistic practice (though of course one that can cause harm). And her family's experience is such an important case study and piece of the myth making that surrounds the rhetoric of the "childhood obesity epidemic." The avalanche of media attention it received at the time really did help kickstart our "war on childhood obesity" discourse in ways that are important to look back on and understand, especially because the abuse they experienced is still happening—parents today are still in danger of losing custody of children based on body size. And unless we talk about how harmful that practice is, it will never change.
I've only listened to part of the episode so far, and it is SO GOOD. I can't wait to read the book!
Thank you!!
I'm super late to this but I listened to it on Friday and it's so good!! I have the audiobook on pre-order and my appetite for the whole thing is now whetted. I'm so glad you decided to be the reader/narrator! Can't wait for this book to be out in the world and, I very much hope, open some people's perspectives. p.s. I mentioned your work at a legal conference this weekend and the woman I was talking to had *just* read the piece about you and your work in The Cut, which was cool.
I love this first glimpse of the book! I have ordered three copies, one for my sons middle school as well. Some of the research I knew about and some of it is new. I couldn't remember the Michelle Obama campaign very well so I looked back at the coverage and her statements. Some made me physically flinch...and wonder how Obama feels about her words now, or how Melia herself feels about them. We are all so steeped in this culture that I feel it will be so many years before we look back and see change. When we know better, we do better, right?
I also flinched a bit (just a bit, as I'm used to mothers being raked over the coals about this) at the statement about every person with an eating disorder you spoke with recalling body shaming from their mothers. I would say that correlation doesn't always imply causation... with so many women living in the ocean of diet culture, many people will likely have parents who contributed harmful statements, but not all. There is so much misinformation about ED in general but many amazing providers and organizations working hard to correct this. We had no diet culture, food rules in our household but yet my daughter developed anorexia. Biological and genetic factors are at play as well as society and usually a trigger (in our case, the pandemic). My daughters ED therapist group recommends your site to all their families. I'm so thankful to find a community of people who understand more than the general population. And thankful for your writing and your work Virginia. If anyone would like to read more or thinks they or a loved one need help, these sites are of great support.
https://www.feast-ed.org
https://equip.health/blog/
Thank you Shannon! So appreciate this comment. And yes — the book makes VERY clear that moms do not cause eating disorders, and I’ll be excited to hear your thoughts about chapter 8, which dives much deeper into the phenomenon of mother shame that I sketch out here.
I just finished listening and chapter 1 is amazing! I’m not sure I’ve ever read such a clear overview of how we got here with regard to “childhood obesity.” Before becoming a mother, I would have been horrified by Anamarie’s (autocorrect really wants to put two N’s in her name, and as a single N name, I take this personally) story. As a mother, I almost couldn’t get through it. I’m feeling very much like radical capitalism makes everything in our lives worse and I don’t know how we disentangle from it. I’m going to listen to some fluff to let my brain recover now (but that’s a compliment--I love that you stretched my thinking so far!).
Thank you, I appreciate this all so much!!
Can’t wait for the book. Thank you for sharing your important research
Thank you!