Eating body and weight through an intersectional lens

This workshop considers eating, body and weight through the experience of a person who may encounter alienation, oppression or prejudice because of their shape and size.

It recognises that the body – its shape and size – can become the first thing others see, while also intersecting with other differences and identities. The session offers a starting point for practitioners to reflect on stigma, microaggressions and the complexity of each person’s social location.

What we will explore:

• Intersectionality as a way of considering multiple, connected experiences of difference and intersectionality;
• How shape and body size may affect how a person is seen and treated;
• Alienation, oppression, prejudice and their possible relationship to shame;
• The ways gender, culture and other aspects of identity can shape experiences of eating, body and weight;
• The ‘petals on a flower’ image for considering distinct areas of difference in a person’s life;
• Types of microaggressions and their impact in wider settings and therapeutic work;
• Reflective, respectful practice that resists reducing a person to a body, diagnosis or identity.