Fat Liberation With Emma Lanza
Photo Credit: Thalie Photographe
Are you all for body positivity, as long as people stay healthy and don’t get too fat? Have you spent the last 3 to 45 years trying to lose 10 to 97 pounds? Welcome to fat liberation with Emma Lanza.
Emma Lanza is another crowd favourite in the Montréal storytelling community. Her stories dive into mental health and hypochondria, obsessions and crushes, body image and fat liberation, and her undying love for musical theatre, especially Stephen Sondheim. Recently, Emma has bestowed herself with the official certification of FAT BABE, and everyone agrees. She is committed to celebrating the beauty and power of fat bodies. And just when you think Emma couldn’t be any cooler, well, guess what? She launched a Fattie Book Club, a fat studies book club that she runs on Instagram. She is also a devoted cat and dog Mom to the adorable Scout and Oscar.
(Oscar the adorable white dog makes a few peeps during the first few minutes of the recording. Then we put him where all dogs belong–on my lap.)
Content Warning: Discussion of Weight Watchers, yo-yo dieting, binge eating disorder, and anti-fat issues. We do not mention specific numbers or calories. For more on eating disorder recovery, check out Erica’s 3-part essay Mammoth Complex.
Emma’s headshot Photo Credit: Thalie Photographe
Riveting Questions from Two Kindred Dorky Bombshells
Is there something about our neurodivergent brains that lead us to stay up all night making scrapbooks about our favourite celebrities?
What is it that is so delicious about having a crush? Is longing here to stay as our drug of choice?
How desolate is the online dating landscape? Is it possible to find a mid-life first queer love story? Can cis-het dudes be life enhancing?
What does a panic attack feel like? Is anxiety a habit? Can ADHD meds help?
Why don’t diets work? Why did Emma finally quit weight watchers? What is fat liberation and how can we sign up? What are some common anti-fat terms you might not even know are offensive?
Listener Question From “Too Ugly for a Fuck Buddy”
Our letter writer blames her appearance on the reason why she only seems to attract creeps on online dating. She’s close to tears and “just can’t anymore.” Erica and Emma can’t fix it–but we have thoughts.
Three cheers for Emma Lanza and her generous sharing. Big love to Oscar for the marvellous cuddle.
Follow Emma’s fat studies book club @fattiebookclub
Check out Emma’s Confabulation stories:
“Zep”, performed at The Volume Knob, May 2023
Episode #48 of Confabulation’s Podcast: Emma’s story about being in the play, Fat Pig
Emma’s Book Rec: The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
Mixing, Ukulele, and Cover Art by Erica J. Schmidt in Montréal, Quebec.
Follow Erica on Facebook or Instagram or check out her website at ericajschmidt.com. You can also make her day by sending her a listener question to any of these places.
The Full Listener Question From “Too Ugly…”
Dear Erica (and Emma),
I’m 28, I’ve been online dating since college, and the only people I match with are creepy or they’re just interested in one night stand/friend with benefit situation.
The reason is almost certainly because I’m unattractive. But I just don’t know what to do—I’m almost 30 and I’ve never had a relationship. I’ve always wanted one… but nobody I’m interested in dating wants anything to do with me. When I was 24, I gave in to some of the creeps and the ONS guys. I just wanted to gain at least some form of romantic experience. But it’s draining, and I can feel they’re not into me physically. They’re just using me as an easy option. I can’t even land a fwb because again, I’m not attractive enough. I put immense amount of effort into my appearance - hygiene, make up, skincare, clothes, losing weight, going to the gym, everything, but I’m just so so so tired. There’s nothing I can do to compete with the other women. How can I survive as an unattractive woman? How can I find someone who genuinely wants me and won’t fall for my friends once they meet them. Someone who isn’t settling for me just because they couldn’t find someone prettier? I’m on the verge of tears and I don’t know what to do anymore. Please, I need advice or success stories because I just can’t anymore.
Love, Too Ugly for a Fuck Buddy
Thank you to Taes Leavitt (darling big sister, Big Heart Journey), Sherwin Tjia (technical and creative advisor, Sherwin’s Quirky Events), and my dearly departed aunt Eileen Gun, whose generous gift helped to fund my new podcast equipment. Thank you so much for listening! Stay tuned for more episodes extra soon. Don’t forget to follow This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life on your favourite podcast platform. And if you enjoyed the episode, I would be immensely grateful if you could share it with a friend and/or leave a kind and enthusiastic rating and review.
This Is Your Strange and Beautiful Life is brought to you by Lil and Bud dog cards, purchasable at ericajschmidt.com/merch. If you would like to sponsor the podcast, I would love to plug your product, service, or project as long as it doesn’t harm any people or their bodies. Please get in touch via my website or Instagram.
