In today’s episode of Bite Back with Abbey Sharp, I am chatting with Associate Professor Dr Emily Contois about how women vs men are socialized from a young age on how to “do gender” through food. We will be covering how gendered eating expectations are taught to us from infancy and how media, food and diet industry plays into these expectations.
In today’s episode of Bite Back with Abbey Sharp, I will be talking to Dr Emily Contois, an Associate Professor at the University of Tulsa specializing in how identities are formed at the vital intersection of food, the body, and ideas about health. She is the author of “Diners, Dudes, and Diets: How Gender and Power Collide in Food Media and Culture” and co-editor of “Food Instagram: Identity, Influence, and Negotiation”. Today we will be diving into the intersection of gender norms and food choices. We will discuss how women are socialized to choose light dainty foods like salad whereas men are encouraged to eat hearty meals like steak and potatoes. We will be discussing the sneaky ways that diet culture and the food industry plays to these norms (ie. how foods are marketed to women vs men). We’re gonna talk about the “cool girl” story arc in TV and film (think Sex and the City and Gilmore Girls) and how that can be really damaging to young women’s relationship with food and their body. And I’m going to leave you with some actionable tips on how to reject these gendered food expectations which may specifically come in handy during the holidays when food judgement is at an all time high.
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Check in with today’s amazing guest: Dr Emily Contois, Associate Professor at the University of Tulsa.
Disclaimer: The content in this episode is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is never a substitute for medical advice. If you’re struggling with with your mental or physical health, please work one on one with a health care provider.
If you have heard yourself in our discussion today, and are looking for support, contact the free NEDIC helpline at 1-866-NEDIC-20 or go to eatingdisorderhope.com.