Size diversity, body liberation and inclusivity is for everyone.

The #DitchingDietCultureAtSchool digital library is a collection of curated resources for teachers, students and communities looking to learn more about how to dismantle diet culture and thin-centered ideals. 

My hope is that it helps folks unpack the systems, internalized/externalized biases, and knowledge gaps we all have in a society and culture and world that emphasizes and overvalues thinness and the 'ideal' body--small, white, cisgender, heteronormative, neuro 'typical' and abled. The focus of this work is body liberation  -- not body accepting or body positive or even "size diverse" -- because all these things rely on waiting for other people, usually those with the most resources and who are closest to normative identities (straight, white, abled, neurotypical, cis, thin) -- to see those in the margins and accept us. Liberation does not need permission, it gives and accepts radical self-permission (Brown & Taylor). 

This resource was birthed out of my own eating disorder experience, and the (ongoing!) journey to body liberation that followed. The library, like my own journey, approaches bodies from a fat positive, anti-racist, anti-ableist, non-heteronormative lens that aims to be as intersectional as possible. The library is a growing list of developmentally appropriate books, podcasts, articles, poems and  more. The hope is that these tools and texts will help deconstruct fatphobia and dieting culture not only at school, but at home, in your practice, and in our daily lives. 

This library will be updated as new resources become available, and if there's something missing, reach out and it can be added! The curation process is living, breathing, and takes a village. 

I hope the resources you find here help make your school, community, and self a more free and just place for all bodies. The library, the lessons, and the words you see here were created with love. Use them well and THANK YOU for doing this challenging, important, critical work. 

Like what you read and saw here? Leave a tip on Ko-Fi.

Want to start the work? Book with me on Ko-Fi.

In solidarity, 

Cait O'Connor 

Ditching Diet Culture at School Founder

English Language Arts Teacher, NY 

Certified Peer Specialist, NY 

@JustTeachingELA (Twitter/Threads/Instagram)