Navigating menopause can bring unexpected changes to body image, self-esteem, and intimacy, especially for women and AFAB people. This post explores how hormonal shifts can lead to weight gain, the impact of diet culture, and why “eat less, move more” is not the answer. We address the emotional toll, barriers to care like HRT access, and rising eating disorders in this age group. Discover practical, compassionate strategies to nurture self-acceptance, improve relationships, and support wellbeing through a weight-inclusive, sex-positive lens.

As summer approaches, so does the flood of diet culture messaging. Ads and social media posts scream about “getting beach body ready” or “shredding for summer,” promoting the harmful belief that our bodies must look a certain way to be worthy of enjoying the season. Diet culture doesn’t just harm our bodies; it steals our joy, damages our body image, and pulls us away from the things that truly matter in life.

Diet Culture and the Belief that Smaller Bodies Automatically Equal ‘Healthy.’ The Perspective from Someone in a Bigger Body, and as Someone Who Works in the Eating Disorders Field.

We live in a society that values thinness. We strive for it constantly because we are told it is more acceptable, and ‘healthier,’ despite this diet culture narrative, many health professionals ask each other, is this completely true? I would argue, no.