Virgie Tovar | |
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 Tovar at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival | |
| Born | May 19, 1982 San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Author and podcaster |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Website | www |
Virgie Tovar, (born May 19, 1982) is an American author, lecturer and weight-based discrimination speaker. She writes about fat acceptance, anti-fat bias, and diet culture. [1] She was the host of The Virgie Show on CBS Radio [2] [3] and the podcast, Rebel Eaters Club (produced by Transmitter Media). [4]
Tovar is of Mexican descent. [5] [ better source needed ] She has struggled with weight issues since childhood. [6] In middle school she struggled with an eating disorder. [6]
Tovar received her bachelor's degree in political science from University of California, Berkeley in 2005 [7] [2] and her Master of Arts in Human Sexuality Studies from San Francisco State University. [7] [3]
In 2013 Tovar criticized the American Medical Association for classifying obesity as a disease. [8] She began the #LoseHateNotWeight campaign to highlight the impacts of diet culture and educate people about the importance of ending weight-based discrimination. [6] Tovar has advocated for legal protection against weight discrimination. [9] Tovar has been accused of downplaying the negative effects of obesity. [10] [ better source needed ] [11] [12]
Tovar is an ongoing contributor for Forbes. [13] and has authored several books and articles. In 2014, Tovar appeared in the documentary Fattitude . [14] [15] She has been profiled in the New York Times [16] and the San Francisco Chronicle [17] and has appeared on NPR [18] and BBC Mundo. [19] Tovar was also the host of the Webby Award-nominated podcast, Rebel Eaters Club, produced by Transmitter Media for three seasons. [17] [20]
Tovar has received Yale's Poynter Fellowship in Journalism, [21] the Anne G. Locascio Memorial Scholarship from the Mendocino Coast Writers Conference, [22] the Inspire Award from Project HEAL, [23] and three individual artist commissions from the San Francisco Arts Commission. [24]
In December 2024, Tovar was hired for six months as a consultant on "weight stigma and weight neutrality" by the San Francisco Department of Public Health. [1]
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