Transformative viewing of the Your Fat Friend film

The film Your Fat Friend is a documentary about fat activist Aubrey Gordon, an author, columnist, and podcaster. Gordon’s books, What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat and You Just Need to Lose Weight and 19 Other Myths About Fat People transformed the conversation about weight and health in moving yet wickedly funny ways. She’s the cohost of the podcast Maintenance Phase, which reaches millions and debunks wellness and weight loss trends with a delightful mix of fact and humor. 

The film shows us an inside look into Gordon’s path from anonymous blogger to NYTimes bestselling author and podcaster with millions of listeners. In addition to a lifetime of experiencing brutal weight stigma, Gordon was enrolled in a diet class in her early teens, which she says contributed to an eating disorder.

In July dietitian Lizzie Briasco and others in North Carolina organized a screening of the film, which provided an opportunity for eating disorder professionals and community members to gather and watch Gordon’s story in a supportive environment. Along with other informative materials, attendees were offered our Please Don’t Weigh Me Cards, which were created to counteract weight stigma at the doctor’s office.

Here’s Lizzie’s inside scoop of the event: 

How many people came?

We had 70 attendees – a full house! The event could not have gone better. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but we surpassed it.

Why do you think people came to the screening? 

People came to the screening because they were curious to learn more about the body liberation movement, find community, and learn more about sizeism/anti-fat bias through this film. 

They were looking for hope, connection, and the opportunity to feel seen, heard, and understood – and it was pretty clear they got that during both the film and our post-film discussion. By the end of the film, the whole room had laughed and cried together. It was magical to see, and very inspirational to hear people’s thoughts and insights afterwards. 

At the end of the day, we all want to feel like we’re a part of something – we don’t want to be alone. But that’s one of the biggest harms of sizeism – making people feel alone and vulnerable when, in reality, there’s a whole lot of other people struggling with similar feelings and lived experiences. To see so many people come together and realize this during this screening was awesome.

What was the vibe in the room?

The general vibe was anticipation, some apprehension, and excitement. We had a lot of resources and some activities for people to participate in which fostered some thought-provoking dialogue around people’s experiences with diet culture and sharing some of their own stories with friends and even some strangers who may have felt safer to talk with because of the atmosphere.

I observed the audience showing rapt attention, relief, grief, anger, surprise, and hope. I saw people laughing together, crying together, and friends rubbing friends’ backs. 

Some expressed frustration and anger at how much Aubrey’s family misses the mark at holiday gatherings by celebrating her work but then immediately makes negative food and body comments. I think the whole room was shocked, disappointed, confused, and hurt when we were watching the scene with the gluten-free, sugar-free birthday cake her dad got her. 

How did people feel after watching the film?

I think people felt gratitude, thoughtfulness, validation, anger, and hope. Everyone had very positive things to say about the film and screening in general. The most meaningful part for a lot of folks was someone finally saying what they have been trying to say their whole lives. 

Other things people highlighted were the very real danger that can come just from existing in a fat body, learning how cyclical (and ineffective) the diet/”wellness” industry is, and finding some relief in knowing that their bodies were never actually the issue–the messages they’ve received about their bodies pretty much their whole lives are.

Event Organizers & Sponsors

• Lizzie Briasco/Transition Nutrition
• Alex Griffin/Big Moves ILM
• Callan Wall/Tula Wellness
• Rachel Hendricks/Honeybee Psychotherapy 
• ERC 
• Monte Nido
• Ginny Jones/More-Love.org