The Culture Of It All
The Culture Of It All is a weekly podcast where we don’t just talk about ditching diet culture, we unlearn together, heal our body image, and fight for fat acceptance and true size inclusivity.
Your host, Melanie Knights [she/they] — is an unapologetically fat, fashion content creator, storyteller, introverted Aquarius with a fondness for all things fat and spooky.
This is a space where the fat community is seen, heard, and celebrated. It's where you can come to unlearn, heal, and find connection — and where everyone, in every body, is invited to listen, learn, and actively advocate for change.
Together, we'll challenge weight stigma, confront fat stereotypes, and dive deep into how diet culture impacts every part of our lives.
The Culture Of It All
Flattering, Femininity & Fitting In
Welcome to episode 12, today we are chatting about 3 connected f-words that have negatively impacted my body image, confidence, and love of fashion.
Flattering.
Femininity.
Fitting-in.
In particular, we will be focusing on the impact these words have had on folks growing up in larger bodies, and the ways in which I’ve found my way back to myself BEFORE the world told me I was too much.
Content warning: at 23:15, loss of a parent, and my personal experience of grief as a teenager. Whilst I will not be discussing what happened, it’s an important part of my story. Please take care of your mental health, and either skip forward 60 seconds or miss this episode.
Takeaways
We cannot heal our relationship with clothes sizes if brands are just NOT making the sizes.
There are many small businesses and brands doing the work, making the effort – which proves that it’s not about cost, big clothing brands do not care about fat people.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines ‘flattering’ as: “making someone look or seem better or more attractive than usual”
The relationship we have with our body size, and our intention when dressing our bodies is often a result of how society has told us we SHOULD look or behave.
Get curious about colours, silhouettes and the clothes we wear, especially if you feel your clothes don’t reflect who you are or how you feel.
Challenge the stereotypes that impact the way you show up in the world, especially if they hold you back from self expression.
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You'll find episode content on Instagram stories.
Looking for more conversations around the politics of fashion? Join me on TikTok
Support the show over on Substack! You'll find regular episodes along with monthly bonus episodes in our wonderful fat positive community.