Thank you for writing this! I don't have lipedema but can see it must be so difficult to navigate. A lot of what you have written was the same for me as well with being obese - I didn't realise it was my genetics and not just a lack of willpower. I'm sure your writing will help others to feel seen and supported.
Thank you so much for this post. I was diagnosed a little over a year ago, and it’s been just the wildest experience to hold the complexity of what this condition means for me. I’m also an eating disorder therapist, and spend a lot of my work trying to dismantle the very myths you’re speaking about. I haven’t yet figured out if and how I want to speak or write publicly about lipedema, and about my experience of it especially while it still feels so fresh, but this really inspires me and I really appreciate how much nuance is here in your perspective.
I was only diagnosed two years ago myself, and it felt like a literal lightbulb. To be honest, I would not have even realized were in not for TikTok which feels insane to say as a woman in my mid-40s. Someone asked me yesterday whether I always wear long pants and long dresses, and I realized that even now, as a more body positive person who is embracing my body as is, that some habits are so hard to break. They’re just ingrained!
I also discovered it on Instagram. Absolutely wild, people are always surprised when I tell them that especially because I’m not naturally a huge social media person. Now I have a really hard time with a lot of social media accounts because of how many of them are trying to sell products (understandable, but not exactly what I’m looking for in terms if trying to connect with others), but I am SO grateful for the information. And totally hear you on the ingrained habits!
I learned about lipedema from Doja Cat of all people, she has it and has had liposuction to manage the symptoms but it’s always nice to have representation, especially from someone who is considered beautiful by societal standards. Thank you for writing this incredibly important piece!
Oh wow, I had no idea. This is fascinating... I refuse to let my mother talk about her body with my kids. We never ever fat shame in my house and I ensure that we speak positively about our bodies. Having said that, my mother definitely did a number on me and my sister (never with malice but it still hurts) telling us that it was just the way it was and all our female relatives had big legs. This blows my mind! Thank you 🥰
Yeah my mother also didn’t mean it in a malicious way, but that’s the thing, isn’t it? Like it’s not thought of as “mean” because it’s just “true” which is kind of how most people think about most of the (actually) mean things that they think about fat people.
I recognize that having a bigger body does not always equal a lack of willpower. Thank you for debunking the myth.
A post is coming out soon about some of the myths around bodies
Thank you for writing this! I don't have lipedema but can see it must be so difficult to navigate. A lot of what you have written was the same for me as well with being obese - I didn't realise it was my genetics and not just a lack of willpower. I'm sure your writing will help others to feel seen and supported.
Thank you! And yes, I hope you see some of my posts and feel validated. If you check “One Fat to Rule them All” it's particularly relevant
Thank you so much for this post. I was diagnosed a little over a year ago, and it’s been just the wildest experience to hold the complexity of what this condition means for me. I’m also an eating disorder therapist, and spend a lot of my work trying to dismantle the very myths you’re speaking about. I haven’t yet figured out if and how I want to speak or write publicly about lipedema, and about my experience of it especially while it still feels so fresh, but this really inspires me and I really appreciate how much nuance is here in your perspective.
I was only diagnosed two years ago myself, and it felt like a literal lightbulb. To be honest, I would not have even realized were in not for TikTok which feels insane to say as a woman in my mid-40s. Someone asked me yesterday whether I always wear long pants and long dresses, and I realized that even now, as a more body positive person who is embracing my body as is, that some habits are so hard to break. They’re just ingrained!
I also discovered it on Instagram. Absolutely wild, people are always surprised when I tell them that especially because I’m not naturally a huge social media person. Now I have a really hard time with a lot of social media accounts because of how many of them are trying to sell products (understandable, but not exactly what I’m looking for in terms if trying to connect with others), but I am SO grateful for the information. And totally hear you on the ingrained habits!
I learned about lipedema from Doja Cat of all people, she has it and has had liposuction to manage the symptoms but it’s always nice to have representation, especially from someone who is considered beautiful by societal standards. Thank you for writing this incredibly important piece!
I saw an article about that! I love that lipedema is getting a celebrity ambassador because gosh does it need it!
Oh wow, I had no idea. This is fascinating... I refuse to let my mother talk about her body with my kids. We never ever fat shame in my house and I ensure that we speak positively about our bodies. Having said that, my mother definitely did a number on me and my sister (never with malice but it still hurts) telling us that it was just the way it was and all our female relatives had big legs. This blows my mind! Thank you 🥰
Yeah my mother also didn’t mean it in a malicious way, but that’s the thing, isn’t it? Like it’s not thought of as “mean” because it’s just “true” which is kind of how most people think about most of the (actually) mean things that they think about fat people.