How To Survive Fatphobic Comments Over the Holidays

Insights from a psychology expert

I’m an eating disorder specialist, and I typically spend a few weeks ahead of the holidays preparing my clients. Planning to be around food, planning to be around family, and planning for the inevitable comments around weight and shape. This year can pose added struggles for people attending virtual celebrations, who are more exposed to their appearance when they’re on video calls.

Most of us have friends and family who have fallen prey to diet culture. These people can be found talking about their new diet, commenting on what you’re eating (or not eating), differentiating between “good” and “bad” foods, making comments about your weight, making comments about others' weight, making comments about their weight — the list goes on. These comments can seem innocuous enough. And sometimes the comments are so subtle that we barely have time to register that they are fatphobic, like “are you really going back for seconds?” But they still sting and they can hinder our progress in healing our relationship with food and our body.

Here are some quick tips for coping with fatphobic comments over the holidays, straight from a psychology professional and eating disorders specialist.

Other people are not mind-readers. Your family may have no idea that discussing weight, shape, or food is problematic. It is our job to…

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