Global  |  London  |  New York  |  Buenos Aires  |  São Paulo  |  Ireland  |  Sydney  |  Germany  |  New Zealand  | 
  • BMI
    • BMI
    • BMI Facts
    • In the News
    • Startling Statistics
    • Helpful Books
    • Helpful Web Resources
  • Home
  • About
    • About
    • Who We Are
    • Past Campaigns
    • Our Allies
    • Contact Us
  • Get Involved
    • Get Involved
    • Milestones
    • Make a Donation
    • Host a Speakout
    • Volunteer With Us
  • Body Stories
  • Media
    • Media
    • summit images
    • Big Ideas Winners
  • Blog
  • LYB Store
  • Cookie & Privacy Policy
  • FB

Posted by ·

We live in a culture where health and self-acceptance are synonymous with body size. Losing weight is treated as a life achievement and body bashing or “fat talk” has become a normative way to connect. We have lost sight of the complex stories each individual body holds.

How do we feed, celebrate, criticize, care for, perceive and experience our bodies? Body Stories is an initiative to document and share oral narratives on body experience. These stories shed light on the multiple ways in which we come into a relationship with our bodies -- the ways in which gender, race, sexuality, age, ability, class and ethnicity are central aspects of embodiment. 

Below is a sample of the narratives this project collected. These stories depict a range of body experiences and beliefs. In listening to these stories, you are invited to reflect on your relationship with your body and share your own story. 

 

"My name is Flor Pagan."  

 

 

"If my heart could sing, this is where the songs would come."

 

 

“Am I fat? Am I thin? Am I Beautiful? Do I belong?” -Erica

 

 

“Where my body goes to naturally...” 

 

 

 “If I turned into a bear, would you still love me?” -Deen

 

Want to share your body stories? Send your story to [email protected] by July 1, 2013. Here are some questions to help you get started:

  • What messages have you received around health, weight and beauty throughout your life?
  • How and when did you learn about what constituted a “good” body?
  • Where are you today in your body story? What do you hope for your future?

* Please Note: All stories will be edited for content. Please refrain from using numbers to tell your story (example: I weighed x and then lost x and now weight x). These stories are a safe and inspiring place to help us broaden the dialogue around body experience!

 

Sarah Lewin, LMSW, has been studying body politics and works to create community around size diversity. Now studying with The WTCI, she is pursuing this story project as part of her ongoing interest in the power of narrative and embodiment. Contact her at [email protected]. 

Special thanks to The Women’s Therapy Centre Institute and Endangered Bodies, Athena Villarreal for website design and social media support, and Tarek Fouda for audio editing.


'Like' our page on Facebook!

Add your reaction Share

$   Donate Now!
New York
Twitter
Tweets by @EndgrdBodiesNYC
Love Your Body
Facebook
This site uses Cookies to help us analyse our website traffic. You have the option not to accept these cookies by ignoring this banner. Read more about the use of Cookies in our Privacy Policy
Sign in with  
Facebook
Twitter Email
Created with NationBuilder, theme by Jesse Haff.
© 2011-2021 Endangered Bodies All Rights Reserved.
ThoughtWorks Social Impact Program logo