How Are Eating Disorders Embedded In Our Culture?

Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

If you’ve ever seen a “What I Eat In A Day” video, glanced at a tabloid in the checkout lane, or even turned on the TV, you’re likely familiar with the problematic and often toxic messaging about food and our relationship with it. JVN and Emmeline Clein delve into the complexities of eating disorders, shedding light on their often misunderstood and stigmatized nature and how they’re deeply embedded in our culture. Emmeline, both in this episode and in her book Dead Weight, advocates for a more holistic and compassionate approach to the subject.

Note: This episode covers topics related to eating disorders, including disordered eating behaviors, body image, and related struggles. These subjects are sensitive, so please take care when listening.

Emmeline Clein’s writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Yale Review, The Nation, Smithsonian, Berlin Quarterly, VICE, BuzzFeed, Catapult and Antigravity, among other publications. Her chapbook Toxic was published by Choo Choo Press in 2022. She received her MFA from Columbia University’s School of the Arts and she lives in New York. Her first book, Dead Weight, is out now.

You can follow Emmeline on Instagram @emmelc or on X @emmelclein.

Follow us on Instagram @CuriousWithJVN to join the conversation. Jonathan is on Instagram @JVN.

Transcripts for each episode are available at JonathanVanNess.com.

Find books from Getting Curious guests at bookshop.org/shop/curiouswithjvn.

Our senior producer is Chris McClure. Our editor & engineer is Nathanael McClure. Production support from Anne Currie, and Chad Hall.

Our theme music is “Freak” by QUIÑ; for more, head to TheQuinCat.com.

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