It's always been ours : rewriting the story of Black women's bodies

In the vein of Thick and The Body Is Not An Apology: an essential look at the ways in which Black women are left out of conversations about "diet culture," health, and wellness. Body narratives are as old as the written word; women's bodies have been subjected to the spectrum of praise to policing and shame. Nowhere is this more apparent for Black women. As with other fundamental topics, bodies, health, and wellness all have been deeply influenced by white supremacy--which results in very specific harms done to Black women and femmes. An eating disorder specialist, Jessica Wilson unpacks the ways in which whiteness and capitalism have shaped how we view and treat our bodies, and how the contemporary solutions to this continue to center white thin women and erase others. It's Always Been Ours counters the common idea that eating disorders are about control and thinness, and provide evidence that eating disorders are often about Black women's survival and safety in a culture that does not care about their wellbeing. From a new perspective on diet culture, to how its perceived antidotes (Health at Every Size, Intuitive Eating) actually perpetuate harm to Black women, Wilson explores her own learning and unlearning about nutrition and health, for a critical, insightful, sharp, and compassionate assessment of how we eat food and view our bodies in society. Building on the work of Isabel Wilkerson (Caste), Sabrina Strings (Fearing the Black Body) and Tressie McMillan Cottom (Thick), It's Always Been Ours unpacks how whiteness has made it so difficult for Black women to trust the story their body tells or be able to interpret those stories. It is a tour-de-force and a revelation that addresses not only where we are, but how we got here--and offers a reclamation for all Black women, centering Black women in their own healing and prioritizing them in the movement for body liberation. This “necessary book” (Roxanne Gay, New York Times bestselling author, Bad Feminist and Hunger ) shares an essential look at the ways in which Black women are left out of conversations about “diet culture,” health, and wellness. In It’s Always Been Ours , eating disorder specialist and storyteller Jessica Wilson challenges us to rethink the politics of body liberation by centering the bodies of Black women in our cultural discussions of self-image, food, health, and wellness. Interrogating a status quo that perpetuates white supremacist ideas about who Black women are, how they live in their bodies, and what Black health means, she creates a context for understanding how whiteness and capitalism have shaped the ways we view and treat our bodies, and how even well-intentioned solutions to this problem continue to center thin white women. With an incisive blend of historical documents, the work of popular authors, and the narratives of clients, friends, and celebrities, Wilson examines the ways that ideas about respectability and restriction have harmed Black women. With wit and levity, she challenges what it means to have the “right” body, and helps all women understand that a radical reimagining of body narratives is a prerequisite for vibrant wellbeing. It’s Always Been Ours is a love letter that encourages Black women to find joy in their bodies and their identities. “There simply is no better literary voice for this moment in history than Jessica Wilson.”—Sonya Renee Taylor, New York Times bestselling author, The Body is Not an Apology WE WILL REWRITE THE NARARTIVE OF BLACKNESS THAT CENTERS AND CELEBRATES OUR JOY. In It’s Always Been Ours eating disorder specialist and storyteller Jessica Wilson challenges us to rethink what having a "good" body means in contemporary society. By centering the bodies of Black women in her cultural discussions of body image, food, health, and wellness, Wilson argues that we can interrogate white supremacy’s hold on us and reimagine the ways we think about, discuss, and tend to our bodies. A narrative that spans the year of racial reckoning (that wasn't), It’s Always Been Ours is an incisive blend of historical documents, contemporary writing, and narratives of clients, friends, and celebrities that examines the politics of body liberation. Wilson argues that our culture’s fixation on thin, white women reinscribes racist ideas about Black women's bodies and ways of being in the world as "too much." For Wilson, this white supremacist, capitalist undergirding in wellness movements perpetuates a culture of respectability and restriction that force Black women to perform unhealthy forms of resilience and strength at the expense of their physical and psychological needs. With just the right mix of wit, levity, and wisdom, Wilson shows us how a radical reimagining of body narratives is a prerequisite to well-being. It’s Always Been Ours is a love letter that celebrates Black women’s bodies and shows us a radical and essential path forward to rediscovering their vulnerability and joy. WE WILL REWRITE THE NARRATIVE OF BLACKNESS THATCENTERS AND CELEBRATES OUR JOY.In It’s Always Been Ours eating disorder specialist and storyteller Jessica Wilson challenges us to rethink what having a "good" body means in contemporary society. By centering the bodies of Black women in her cultural discussions of body image, food, health, and wellness, Wilson argues that we can interrogate white supremacy’s hold on us and reimagine the ways we think about, discuss, and tend to our bodies.A narrative that spans the year of racial reckoning (that wasn't), It’s Always Been Ours is an incisive blend of historical documents, contemporary writing, and narratives of clients, friends, and celebrities that examines the politics of body liberation. Wilson argues that our culture’s fixation on thin, white women reinscribes racist ideas about Black women's bodies and ways of being in the world as "toomuch." For Wilson, this white supremacist, capitalist undergirding in wellness movements perpetuates a culture of respectability and restriction that force Black women to perform unhealthy forms of resilience and strength at the expense of their physical and psychological needs.With just the right mix of wit, levity, and wisdom, Wilson shows us how a radical reimagining of body narratives is a prerequisite to well-being. It’s Always Been Ours is a love letter that celebrates Black women’s bodies and shows us a radical and essential path forward to rediscovering their vulnerability and joy. A dietitian, storyteller, and community organizer offers a cultural discussion of body image, food, health and wellness by focusing on the bodies of Black women and how our culture's obsession with thin, white women reinforces racist ideas and ideals