“Amber’s Story” is a very culturally subversive account of weight and body acceptance. Below is an excerpt:
… “People who have known me for years always knew me as the girl who goes to the gym or the girl who doesn’t eat potato chips. My family, all of whom are thin and athletic, do not understand me now and I think it has much more to do with my accepting attitude toward my fat body than anything related to my mental health. My mom and I used to be quite close but my”refusal to be healthy”has strained our relationship. She even organized an intervention for me over Thanksgiving last year. A professional counselor, my brother, my grandparents, my mom, and my step father sat in my parents’ living room and read me letters about my”addiction to food.”They gave me the choice of attending a month-long inpatient treatment program somewhere in California, attending a workshop on gastric bypass surgery (with the intention of having the surgery), or continuing on as I have been but giving up their”support.”Well, with support like that I decided to cut my losses and say good-bye. It was really, really painful. Hearing your little brother tell you he’s embarrassed to have people know you’re his sister hurts a lot. Hearing your mom say that she raised a daughter who cared about her appearance and that I had let her down hurts a lot. Hearing your grandpa say that he expects better from you and that he won’t take your phone calls unless you”get help”hurts a lot.” …
