Aubrey Gordon

Last updated
Aubrey Gordon
Born (1983-11-09) November 9, 1983 (age 42) [1]
Other namesYour Fat Friend
Occupation(s)Author and podcaster
Website yourfatfriend.com

Aubrey Gordon (born 1983), [1] also known as Your Fat Friend, is an author, podcaster, and activist. She writes about fatness, fat acceptance, and anti-fat bias, and her podcast, Maintenance Phase, focuses on the poor science behind health and wellness fads.

Contents

Early life and education

Aubrey Gordon was raised in Portland, Oregon. Growing up, she attended a mix of public and private schools. Gordon studied for two years at Portland State University before transferring to Brown University.

Career

Before beginning her writing career, Gordon was an LGBTQ community organizer. [2]

Gordon wrote an essay series anonymously for five years under the pseudonym "Your Fat Friend" about discrimination and anti-fat bias, starting in 2015. [3] [2] Gordon uses the terms "anti-fatness" and "anti-fat" bias, because the term "fatphobia" is unintentionally placing stigma on mental illness. [4] Her work explores methodology and scientific research around fatness, as well as her own lived experience as a fat person. [5] Gordon advocates for fat acceptance. [3]

Gordon wrote a regular column for Self Magazine, [2] has published essays on Medium, and has written for publications including Vox and The New York Times. [6] [7] [8]

Gordon remained anonymous for five years. In October 2020, just before publishing her first book, she revealed her identity and began including her name in bylines. [2] The following month, she published the book What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat, which focuses on fatness and anti-fat bias. [8] [4]

Since October 2020, Gordon and Michael Hobbes have co-hosted the podcast Maintenance Phase. They use the show to debunk the myths and "junk science" behind health, nutrition, and wellness trends, and have discussed topics including popular diets and diet foods, anti-fat bias, and eating disorders. [9] In 2021, the podcast was ranked #1 in the health and fitness category on Apple podcasts, and reached a million downloads in August of that year. [9]

Gordon's second book, “You Just Need to Lose Weight”: And 19 Other Myths About Fat People, was published on January 10, 2023, by Beacon Press. [5]

A documentary following Gordon's life in 2020 and 2021, Your Fat Friend , directed by Jeanie Finlay, was released in 2023. [3] It premiered at the 2023 Tribeca film festival. [10]

Personal life

Gordon describes herself as "very fat." She identifies as queer. [2] As of September 2021, she lived in Portland, Oregon. Gordon also collects diet books. [9]

Works

References

  1. 1 2 Gordon, Aubrey [@yrfatfriend] (November 9, 2020). "Hey! It's my birthday! ..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Fallik, Dawn (January 22, 2021). "Aubrey Gordon, the writer behind 'Your Fat Friend,' has some thoughts on diets, BMI and the relentless advice of strangers". The Washington Post . Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 Zilko, Christian (10 December 2023). "'Your Fat Friend' Review: Fat Acceptance Doc Blurs the Line Between Empathy and Complacency". IndieWire. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  4. 1 2 Zoller, Charlotte (January 26, 2021). "Aubrey Gordon Is Ready to Change How Society Treats Fat People". Teen Vogue . Archived from the original on 2021-01-26. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Dennett, Carrie (16 January 2023). "What does the book 'You Just Need to Lose Weight' get right? Everything". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
  6. ↑ Gordon, Aubrey (February 17, 2021). "Such a pretty face". Vox . Archived from the original on 2021-02-26. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  7. ↑ Gordon, Aubrey (November 13, 2020). "Opinion | Leave Fat Kids Alone". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-10-02.
  8. 1 2 Gormley, Shannon (November 16, 2020). "A Formerly Anonymous Portland Writer Has Written a New York Times Op-ed Titled "Leave Fat Kids Alone"". Willamette Week . Archived from the original on 2020-11-17. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 Petersen, Victoria (September 9, 2021). "Breaking Down the 'Wellness-Industrial Complex,' an Episode at a Time". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Spotlight Documentary World Premiere: Your Fat Friend". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
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