Author Talk: Jessica Wilson & Chrissy King

About the Book:

In It’s Always Been Ours eating disorder specialist and storyteller Jessica Wilson challenges us to rethink what having a "good" body means in contemporary society. By centering the bodies of Black women in her cultural discussions of body image, food, health, and wellness, Wilson argues that we can interrogate white supremacy’s hold on us and reimagine the ways we think about, discuss, and tend to our bodies. A narrative that spans the year of racial reckoning (that wasn't), It’s Always Been Ours is an incisive blend of historical documents, contemporary writing, and narratives of clients, friends, and celebrities that examines the politics of body liberation. Wilson argues that our culture’s fixation on thin, white women reinscribes racist ideas about Black women's bodies and ways of being in the world as "too much." For Wilson, this white supremacist, capitalist undergirding in wellness movements perpetuates a culture of respectability and restriction that force Black women to perform unhealthy forms of resilience and strength at the expense of their physical and psychological needs. With just the right mix of wit, levity, and wisdom, Wilson shows us how a radical reimagining of body narratives is a prerequisite to well-being. It’s Always Been Ours is a love letter that celebrates Black women’s bodies and shows us a radical and essential path forward to rediscovering their vulnerability and joy.

About the Author: 

Jessica Wilson is a dietitian, storyteller, and community organizer whose experiences navigating the dietetic and eating disorder fields as a Black, queer woman have been featured on public radio shows and in print media, including the New York Times. She is the co-creator of Amplify Melanated Voices, a movement to center Black and Brown people in conversations about social justice. Jessica knows the grandeur of Black joy and invites everyone to celebrate it for the magnificence and resistance it is.

About the Book: 

Simply said, diet culture is rooted in white supremacy. The notion that those who fall outside of Eurocentric standards of beauty (think Black, fat, trans, etc.) are less attractive is a message that is transmitted daily from multiple external forces or social institutions (e.g., church, government, business industries, media, and family/peer groups). Body image and beauty standards can only be truly understood within a framework of interlocking systems of “isms” – (e.g., racism, sexism, classism, heterosexism). While it’s challenging for everyone, it’s even more complicated for those living in marginalized bodies. That being said, the solution isn’t body acceptance or even body positivity. Those may be an important part of the journey, but the answer is . . . body liberation, with the recognition that none of us are free unless all of us are free. The Body Liberation Project is about just that. It’s about finding actual freedom in our bodies, through finding strength and the aspects of fitness that work for YOU. It’s about understanding that the goal is not to look at our bodies and love everything that we see. It’s to understand that at our essence we are so much more than our bodies. But it’s also about recognizing the harsh realities that prohibit some people from being able to do that.

About the Author:

Chrissy King is a writer, speaker, strength coach, and educator with a passion for creating a diverse and inclusive wellness industry. She empowers individuals to stop shrinking, start taking up space and use their energy to create their specific magic in the world. With degrees in Social Justice and Sociology from Marquette University, Chrissy merges her passion for Social Justice and her passion for fitness to empower individuals within the fitness and wellness industry to create spaces that allow individuals from all backgrounds to feel seen, welcome, respected and celebrated.