Everything You Ever Wanted

 

The grant supported the creative development of ‘Everything You Ever Wanted’, exploring the science of dieting, weight loss and disordered eating, the project is a deeply personal undertaking into a touchy subject area. After nearly a decade of dieting, a fixation on weight loss and some terrible habits around food and body image, Rachel found herself at a rock bottom seeking professional help for binge eating. The process of recovery introduced her to the work of several dietitians and eating disorder psychologists who position themselves as anti-diet. This work explores research from the Health at Every Size community (HAES), the work of Ellyn Satter (MS, RDN, MSSW) as well as the practice of Intuitive Eating. Drawing on her personal experience, Rachel explored the biology and psychology of dieting and how detrimental it is to our physical and mental health – and how the fear of being fat plays out in our relationships with our bodies and the bodies of others. Joining the voices of the anti-dieters, fat activists and scientists before her, this project aims to examine weight bias and disrupt our relationship with dieting. 

 

Rachel worked to engage young people (with a focus on high school students) and others who have a history of eating disorders through the work, giving them an opportunity to critique the messages they receive about food and self-worth, and critically engage in a conversation about body image.