Jessica Wilson Takes on The AAP, Diet Culture, and Racism
Jessica Wilson, MS., RD, is a dietitian, accomplished author, and dedicated community organizer.
As a Black, queer woman, she championed much-needed conversations about racial inequities in the Health At Every Size® and Intuitive Eating communities.
Jessica takes a stand against the American Academy of Pediatrics new guidelines on kids’ weight. She engages in a compelling discussion about the intricate connections between racism and diet culture.
Special Guest Jessica Wilson MS., RD,
When Jessica first became a dietitian in 2006, the focus was calories in and calories out.
Over the next five years, she embarked on a journey of unlearning and self-discovery, eventually finding her place in the Health At Every Size® (HAES) community.
Through this newfound connection, Jessica helped to write the first principles around social justice and inclusivity within the HAES movement!
She says, “It’s white supremacy, not diet culture, that makes us feel the way we do about our bodies.”
In 2016 she took a needed break.
By 2019, she was thrust back into the intersection of diet culture and white supremacy at an eating disorder conference. A moment she talks about in her book, It’s Always Been Ours: Rewriting the Story of Black Women’s Bodies.
Her book, which came out in 2023, delves into stories surrounding Black women’s bodies, shedding light on how whiteness influences their narratives. She uncovers the deep connection between diet culture and racism. And exposes the damaging effects of these combined forces on the lives and well-being of Black individuals.
Jessica emphasizes that dismantling diet culture alone isn’t enough to ensure the safety and well-being of Black and trans people.
American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) New Guidelines
Jessica Wilson’s voice joined many enraged when the AAP created guidelines surrounding kids and weight in 2023.
People in the eating disorder field and concerned parents frantically took to social media to share their opinions.
These guidelines include early proactive treatment for children as young as two. In addition, weight loss drugs can be prescribed for kids 12 and older, and weight loss surgery for kids 13 and up.
Shockingly there is no strong evidence to back the APP’s guidelines that kids as young as two should have early lifestyle interventions.
For Jessica, this all came back to the pursuit of thinness and its ties to the pursuit of whiteness!
Dive deeper into this needed conversation during episode 203 of the Plus Mommy Podcast.
Recording & Show Notes: Plus Mommy Podcast Episode 203
Transcript happily provided upon request.
Resources Mentioned On The Show
Jessica Wilson(she/her) is a clinical dietitian, consultant, and author. In 2020 she co-created the viral Amplify Melanated Voices challenge. Since then she has been featured on ABC Prime Time News, public radio shows, podcasts, and in print media. Her book It’s Always Been Ours; Rewriting the Story of Black Women’s Bodies, was published in 2023 in the US and UK. She is an eating disorder expert and widely recognized for her work on addressing weight stigma in the care of queer and trans patients.
