I’ve lived in an overweight body for 17+ years, which has completely shaped how I see the world. You’ve been following me because like it or not, this is the real journey I’ve been on nearly my whole life. My body is the reason I’ve been able to put on a show for everyone, why I’ve always had a larger than life personality, and why I am the way I am. It’s a journey that millions of girls + women navigate everyday, and I hope to help normalize bodies of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

Changing things up a bit this week! I sat down with my FAVORITE former Gender Studies professor from Indiana University, Jen Maher. I graduated with a degree in Gender from IU, and Jen was one of those teachers who really opened up my mind and helped me look at the world more critically. I asked Jen to chat and have a conversation about the gendered ways in which our bodies take up space in the world. Fatness and body size is so tied to femininity specifically and she walks us through that. Through our conversation, you’ll hear about the particular ways in which femininity is coded in taking up a very particular amount of space that is generally supposed to be smaller. Jen gives the example of, “men go to the gym to get bigger, and women go to the gym to get smaller,” which says an enormous amount about proprioception (the awareness of your body in space). Please enjoy this very informative conversation with the brilliant and colorful, Jen Maher.

You can read more from Jen on her website, at www.jenniferelizabethmaher.com