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  2020-06-07

  Diet culture and Fatphobia are rooted in white supremacy

  It's not a topic people want to talk about, and most people do not even know the history behind diet culture and fatphobia in the United States. Food is a powerful tool that has been used to convey morality and racial supremacy to Americans for more than a century. As Americans have been in lockdown since March, terms like "quarantine-15" and "the covid-19," have become common phrases to shame weight gain due to anxiety, disrupted eating habits, and food scarcity. The current protests and push for the end of racism has many anti-diet culture dieticians and nutritionists speaking up about not only the ugly history of diet culture and fatphobia but the current situation of fat-shaming people for gaining weight during a global pandemic. This meme shared publicly through an Instagram story is one such attempt by nutrition professionals to call attention to the issue of racism, diet culture, and fatphobia. Contributed by Stephanie Berry, a curatorial intern for Arizona State University, HST580.
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  2020-05-31

  "Everyone Is Cooking Right Now. Except Me."

  There are plenty of people who are exploring their culinary prowess for the first time, or maybe it's a life long obsession; either way, people are showing their skills. I'm a baker, I love serving food to others and making food that will be apart of other peoples memories. Flavors are like paints to me, with the right combination you can create a masterpiece. While I'm all for seeing people cooking and baking up a storm while in quarantine, I'm more like Josh Duboff right now. I can cook and I can bake, but am I? Not unless I'm being paid to do so. While people may feel this is the perfect time to work on self-improvement, me included, that work will not look the same for every person. Some people may be working hard just getting out of bed or going to bed in the first place. Food can be a stress release for many, but for others, its a stressor. For Duboff, it's not worth the stress to cook. For me, it's my job, not my hobby. The most I've cooked (unpaid) while in quarantine is irish-oatmeal and the occasional egg sandwich because it's easy, and I can do it while sitting. Yes, the classically trained CIA graduate is not cooking or baking while in quarantine. If it doesn't come from a box or a bag, it's not happening. This is other people's time to shine in the food world; someone else can take my seat while I go get more coffee.