Weight and Wisdom: Reflections on Decades of Working for Body Liberation

Over the last 50 years in the United States, the medical establishment, the beauty industry, and the mainstream media have relentlessly forwarded the belief that fat is unattractive and unhealthy. While many believe that anti-fat ideas went unchallenged until the rise of body positivity, there have always been resistors. In the worlds of eating disorders treatment, Health at Every Size(R) advocacy, and fat activism, challengers to our cultural narratives have championed another way for decades.

In this collection, 34 of those trailblazing rebels against body oppression voice the history of challenging the status quo and working to create a world where all bodies are valued. The result is a multifaceted compilation of stories from researchers, legal experts, clinicians, scholars, and activists who pushed back against weight bias and all its various harmful practices and outcomes. Through interviews and personal essays, Weight and Wisdom documents untold stories, reflects on shortcomings and successes, and invites readers to continue cross-generational dialogues to ensure body liberation.

Contributors: Francie Berg, MS; Gayle Brooks, PhD; Harriet Brown, MFA; Barbara Altman Bruno, PhD, DCSW; Deb/Debby Burgard, PhD, FAED; Ragen Chastain, MEd, BCPA; Carmen Cool, MA, LPC; Carolyn Costin, MA, MEd, MFT, FAED, CEDS; Rev. E-K Daufin, PhD; Amy Baker Dennis, PhD, FAED, FACT; Peggy Elam, PhD; Bill Fabrey BSEE; Peggy A. Howell, RMT, CMT; Dalia Kinsey, RD, LD; Michael P. Levine, PhD; Caleb Luna, PhD; Pat Lyons, RN, MA; Margo Maine, PhD; FAED, CEDS; Judith Matz, LCSW, ACSW; Allegra O'Hara, BA; Lily O'Hara, PhD, MPH; Tigress Osborn, MFA; Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDS-S, FIAEDP, FADA, FAND; Jon Robison, PhD, MS, MA, Certified Intrinsic Coach(R); Esther Rothblum, Ph.D.; Dana Schuster, MS; Brandie Solovay, BA, JD; Sondra Solovay, JD; Carol Squires, BS; Lisa Tealer, BS; Pattie Thomas, PhD; Marilyn Wann, MA; Rosie Young, MSW.