Tag: body image

We’re back in the New Year and we’re here to talk about dieting. Darryl and Kelly discuss their own experience with diets, the bold choice to take up space, and the different ways it affects men and women.

We also got the chance to talk with our friend Leslie Cuyjet a Louisville KY native and professional dancer based in New York City. We discuss Leslie’s work, relationship to diets, and how things are changing in the world of dance as the BLM movement continues. Leslie brings her perspective on body image as a black woman whose own body is a main component of their work.

On a personal note, I wanted to include this picture of Darryl and me that we had taken when we were making the website. When I reviewed the pictures, I felt devastated. To me, I looked bigger than I felt and didn’t like the way my stomach pushed out over my jeans. But since then (this may be surprising) I have stopped trying to lose weight. I have put my scale away, stopped counting calories, and also threw away those jeans. Not only were these all things that were not serving my health, I’ve realized that the way I look at my own body is a practice in fat phobia, and I was approaching my wellness in a way that looked at my own body as evil.

This is all to say that it takes time and patience to move beyond the cultural ideas that fat is bad and dieting for weight loss is good. Be kind to yourself, send love to those parts of your body that you often hate, and maybe go outside for some fresh air. Treat yourself with love and kindness as we move into this New Year. Cheers!