Have you been oppressed to the point of being portly? Do you consume countless calories 'cause of Columbus? Has a septic society sinisterly thickened your thighs? Or has generational injustice un-junked your trunk and prevented you from being your plus-sized self? If any are true, you may have a taste for an upcoming school seminar.
On March 12th, Santa Monica College (SMC) will host a symposium aimed at melting away the spare tire of tyranny. Inches of oppression, prepare to be pinched -- and in the end, replaced by resplendent rolls of resistance:
Historical Trauma and Eating Disorders with Gloria Lucas
This workshop, led by Gloria Lucas from Nalgona Positivity Pride, explores the roots of anti-fatness, the impact of colonialism on food systems, and how diet culture is intertwined with systemic oppression. Learn how historical trauma influences body image and relationships with food, and gain a deeper understanding of why traditional [eating disorder] frameworks often fail marginalized communities.
The event is sponsored by SMC's Student Equity Center, which -- per its webpage -- is devoted to "empowering diverse voices" and encouraging enrollees to celebrate themselves.
Are you a whale of a wokester wallowing in a sea of self-doubt? Affirmation ahoy:
The Student Equity Center is [an]...inclusive space consisting of four centers: Gender Equity, Racial Justice, Pride and Dream Resource Center. The Student Equity Center empowers students to explore, affirm, and celebrate their individual and intersectional identities and define success for themselves.
As for Mexican-American activist Gloria Lucas, get a load of her at NalgonaPositivity.com:
Gloria's upbringing in a strictly religious and cultured household took a toll on her mental health, leading her to battle an...eating disorder. She found it challenging to find any resources or representation that acknowledged her struggles, leaving her to grapple with the disorder alone. ... As she distanced herself from the [Jehovah's Witnesses] church, Gloria found solace in feminist organizing...
...
Gloria's passion for social justice and eating disorders led her to host talks and discussions in communities of color on eating disorder harm reduction and historical trauma.
Fast-forward to the founding of Nalgona Positivity Pride (NPP), which "quickly became a hub for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) representation..." The group's Facebook page deems it a “Xicana-indigenous body-positive organization" for nonwhites "who are struggling with troubled eating."
Driving home the message of marginalization, NPP's website sells shirts declaring "Eating Disorders Are a Social Justice Issue" and "Eating Disorder Advocacy Must Center Anti-Racist Work."
You may recall that antiracism -- as defined by UCLA law professor Kimberle Crenshaw -- is "the active dismantling of systems, privileges, and everyday practices that reinforce and normalize the contemporary dimensions of white dominance." Such a feat requires "a critical understanding of the history of whiteness in America.”
Gloria and Santa Monica College are whipping that whiteness so gloriously, it might be called a Miracle Whip. Along the way, they're attacking eating disorders -- which often make people fat. Additionally, they're trumpeting the triumph of ordered colossal consumption -- which likewise makes people fat. Obesity, it would seem, is an enemy if Aryan-induced; otherwise, it's a punch-back at pale peoples.
More slogans from anti-anti-fat Nalgona Positivity Pride (featured on garments sized up to 5XL):
- Big Booty
- Eating Disorder Harm Reductionist
- Fat Artists Rule!
- I Am All Sex Appeal and Desire
- Support the Dreams of Young Girls of Color
- Never Learn Your Ancestral Ways From Those That Benefit From Your Ancestors' Pain
- Abolish Private Healthcare and Profit-Driven Eating Disorder Centers
- Nalgonas Against the Police Industrial Complex
- Indigenous Women Resisting Colonialism and Patriarchy -- Since 1492
- Eating Disorders Are a Natural Response to Intergenerational Wounds, Gender Violence and Racial Trauma
- Harm Reduction Did Not Originate in Public Health. Indigenous Peoples, Black Radical Groups, & Transgender Sex Workers Birthed Harm Reduction.
Back to Santa Monica College, the Historical Trauma and Eating Disorders workshop is "part of the five-part Women/Femmes of Color Collective series." Peach participants should keep their experiences to themselves:
This workshop...is designed for Women/Femmes of Color to come together in community -- to show up authentically, share experiences, and feel seen and heard.
Amid the pro-pounds, Caucasian-caused-calorie-cutting promotion, maybe attendees will learn about Middle Eastern affairs. NalgonaPositivity.com has something to say on the subject:
Professionals in the field of eating disorders...stand united in expressing our steadfast solidarity with Palestine. ... [W]e mourn the loss of lives since October 7th, resulting from the Israeli government's extreme colonial actions that prioritize power and land acquisition over the well-being of civilians... At a time when many in our profession opt for silence or lend their support to the genocidal actions of the Israeli state, we firmly uphold our unwavering position.
Among our era's identified evil ideas, colonialism is ostensibly the alpha; patriarchy perhaps places second. If I properly understand Nalgona Positivity Pride, neither existed in North America before 1492. The pair has expanded to epic proportions -- not unlike an uncontrolled waistline either due to or in spite of white supremacy. Presently, a fierce feminist force is battling the bloat. At Santa Monica College, those affected by eating disorders will soon trounce their trauma and embrace "big booty" boldness. All hail the scales of justice; systemic oppression will shortly get squashed. For any who are mammoth yet not marginalized by their melanin, the symposium may not be a perfect fit. But for beleaguered BIPOCs hungry for racial justice, March 12th will see Fabulous Fatness make the menu.
-ALEX
See more content from me:
Size Matters: Philly Will Welcome Tons of Attendees to Its First 'FatCon'
Tackle the Trauma of Valentine's Day: University Celebrates Students Repulsed by Romance
How Gay Are Gables? Ivy League School's Architecture Program Goes 'Trans*'
Find all my RedState work here.
Thank you for reading! Please sound off in the Comments section below.