Summary

Elizabeth Banks' podcast "My Body, My Podcast" explores body positivity, neutrality, and liberation, challenging societal norms and encouraging women to focus beyond appearances.

Abstract

"My Body, My Podcast" by Elizabeth Banks delves into the complexities of body image through interviews with diverse voices, including Jameela Jamil, Laverne Cox, and Lindy West. The podcast emphasizes the importance of comprehensive sex education and the impact of societal standards on self-perception. It critiques the co-opting of the body positivity movement by those not traditionally marginalized and advocates for a shift towards body neutrality and liberation. The discussions highlight the need for societal change, empowerment through education, and the celebration of diverse body types, while also acknowledging the systemic issues that contribute to the marginalization of certain groups.

Opinions

Elizabeth Banks believes that effective sex education can transform lives and society by empowering individuals with knowledge about their bodies.
Jameela Jamil criticizes the appropriation of the body positivity movement by predominantly light-skinned, slender, non-disabled women, stating it was originally for those medically and societally discriminated against due to their size.
Laverne Cox emphasizes that bodies are not neutral and are subject to politicization and historical context, advocating for the celebration of diverse bodies, including fat bodies.
Lindy West argues that body positivity can be an unrealistic expectation and suggests that body liberation is a more inclusive goal, addressing systemic issues like healthcare bias against fat people.
The podcast suggests that societal focus on appearance detracts from women's potential and that embracing body neutrality or liberation could lead to a more fulfilling life.
Elizabeth Banks points out that the patriarchy perpetuates the preoccupation with women's bodies, distracting them from more significant issues and rights that previous generations have already fought for.

Elizabeth Banks’ Podcast Changed My Life

Body positivity, body neutrality, and body liberation demystified

“Elizabeth Banks 2012 ” by david_shankbone is marked with CC PDM 1.0

If you haven’t listened to My Body, My Podcast by Elizabeth Banks yet, you’re in for a treat. I haven’t stopped quoting it since. I’ve only listened to the first one of the seven episodes, but I am hooked. And did I mention, I’ve listened to Episode One five times? There’s gold in that there pond, women. And when I say gold, I mean wise women.

The mission behind her podcast is that sex education done well can not only change lives but change society itself. I believe her. Sex education has always been the butt of the joke of Middle Schoolers when it should be taught as survival.

Good sex education can empower, protect and inform our children about their bodies, classmates' bodies, society's bodies. When our children only learn about sex ed from locker rooms and porn, it’s like taking them to a church and burning the church down before the sermon.

In Banks’ first episode, BODY, she interviews friends and acquaintances who discuss body image. She tells the listener her relationship and history with her own body, which like many of us, is fraught with judgment and self-loathing. Even this tiny blond with a Hollywood career who’s seen as beautiful and thin has a history of hating her body. It’s perception, women — not reality.

Her friends tack on their own experiences(they are not tiny blonds), which adds to the richness and fullness of the content. It’s enlightening.

Elizabeth Banks introduces three movements: Body Positivity; Body Neutrality, and Body Liberation through these interviews.

Jameela Jamil (English actress, presenter, and activist)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jameela_Jamil

On Body Positivity:

“It’s a movement that has been taken over by slender women. Dominantly light-skinned, slender women who are non-disabled. It was originally a movement for people with disabilities or people who were larger than society’s average who were being medically discriminated against, societally discriminated against. They couldn’t get a date. They couldn’t get a job. It was a movement to have to actively love something that society actively hated. And so this is not a movement for thin women, who’ve taken it over.”

I could never have this sort of success more sleep better sex life general happiness…better friend…better worker…more ideas..better friend… I’m a CEO. I would never have had space for all this if I was thinking about my body all the time”

Jameela Jamil says “I want those twenty years of my life back that I cared about all that shit.”

Laverne Cox (American actress and LGBT advocate)

“Laverne Cox” by WEBN-TV is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

How I perceive and frame my own experience…and I can change my behavior, but those are the only things I can control…Bodies are not neutral. My body is not neutral in the world. It’s politicized. It’s historical. It’s a site of contexation. My body is not neutral. I want to celebrate diverse bodies. I want to celebrate fat bodies.

Lindy West (American writer, comedian, and activist)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindy_West

On Body Liberation:

People want to punish marginalized people for not loving through the world in a way they think they should. Body positivity can be an unreasonable ask. It’s just another thing for peopel to fail at…if you don’t like your body enough

Body positivity can be an unreasonable ask. It’s just another thing for epopel to fail at….Body liberation addresses the fact that people are not free because of race, gender, fatness — making sure fat people have quality in health care — that we’re edicating anti-fat byist from medical professional— the data on this contributes to poor health outcomes for fat people. It can literally kill fat people. Fat people are not diagnosed because the doctor just says Oh you should lose some weight. And that’s really dangerous.

One of my takeaways from this podcast is that we, as women, are wasting our time focusing on our appearances. That seems like an obvious conclusion, but how many years have you wasted trying to love yourself by changing your appearance? How much money have you spent on face creams, hair dyes, waxing, manicures, pedicures, diets?

In this one beautiful life, we should learn to accept who we are. Whether through body positivity, body neutrality, or body liberation, there has to be a better way — at the very least, a more efficient, less time-sucking way.

The patriarchy steals our time more than anything … In all of the fighting that I do for women reproductive freedom and women rights and body neutrality. at the end of the day, what I’m really thinking about is why am I still talking about this? My moms generation fought this battle….and you just realize they’re just keeping us busy(Elizabeth Banks)

Good luck, women! Let’s go love, revolutionalize, and ignore our bodies together!

https://www.audible.com/pd/My-Body-My-Podcast-Podcast/B096WB3D5H