“Angelina Mazza spends a lot of time looking at her body. And yet, she explains, she’s never truly seen it.”
Body Image
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, our editors recommend stories by Bushra Seddique, Simon van Zuylen-Wood, Laura Mauldin, Kathryn Miles, and Lucas Mann.
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week, our editors recommend notable features and essays by Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Justin Heckert, Gloria Liu, Sharon Levy, and Mychal Denzel Smith.
No Health, No Care
“Fatphobia is medicine’s status quo.” This essential read in Pipe Wrench’s Fat Issue explores the history of medical fatphobia. When you see a fat person, you associate them with ob*sity. What you believe about ob*sity and have internalized from health authorities—its causes, symptoms, consequences, treatment, and more—then guide your interaction with that fat person. You […]
I’ve Always Struggled With My Weight. Losing It Didn’t Mean Winning.
“What is the human relationship to the body? Is it like a roommate? A pet? A twin? A teammate? A rival? A parasite? A host?” In a frank and funny essay, Sam Anderson reflects on losing the weight he gained during the pandemic with the help of Noom and examines the relationship with his own […]
Dear IU, Our Bodies Are Fine
“I knew my body wasn’t ‘right’; it didn’t look like the bodies of the K-pop idols and Korean actresses I grew up admiring.”
There She Goes: How to ‘Feminize’ a Face
How a trans woman found the surgery that could restore her sense of self.
Body of Lies
Deenie Hartzog-Mislock confronts a lifetime of body image trauma when her marriage turns south and sexless.
The Hate Is Coming From Inside the House
The claws of diet culture dig in early, and they dig in deep.
What’s Happening to My Body?
Devorah Heitner reflects on the ways she is reclaiming her relationship to her own body while grappling with the legacy of her mother’s poor body image and early death.