#231: “I Refuse to Be Good”: The Politics of Thinness and the Cost of Obedience with Savala Nolan, Author of “Good Woman: A Reckoning” (Rerun)
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it means to be a good woman.
Particularly in light of what’s been happening at Cornell, the actions of this administration, and the ways we’re watching people and institutions respond to injustice, violence, and abuses of power.
And I keep coming back to this conversation with Savala Nolan.
Savala Nolan is an essayist, speaker, and teacher whose work explores race, gender, power, and the body. She is the author of Good Woman: A Reckoning, which is the book at the center of our conversation. It’s a beautiful, challenging examination of what it means to be raised to be “good” in a culture that has very specific ideas about what goodness looks like for women.
Tune in for more on:
* The myth that being “good” (thin, quiet, agreeable) will keep women safe
* The connection between dieting, thinness, patriarchy, and social control
* Why the endless pursuit of body improvement can keep us from fully participating in our own lives.
* What happens when we stop performing the familiar rituals of body shame and food guilt.
* The discomfort and freedom of becoming a woman who no longer follows the expected rules.
* Raising girls who feel empowered to question authority and resist harmful expectations.
* Race, white supremacy, and the particular ways white women are rewarded for maintaining the status quo.
* Midlife as rupture: dieting, divorce, and the unraveling of social conditioning
* Body liberation as a daily practice — especially in the age of GLP-1s
* What it means to become “illegible” to misogynistic culture
* Savala's powerful question: Where am I being asked not to bear witness?
This conversation is about so much more than food or body image. It's about the price of belonging, what we're taught to ignore in order to remain acceptable, and the difference between being perceived as good and actually living according to our values.
Whether you're hearing it for the first time or revisiting it with me, I hope it gives you something to think about long after the episode ends.
Find Savala on IG: https://www.instagram.com/savalanolan/
Order "Good Woman" here: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/good-woman-savala-nolan?variant=43871718604834
Savala's Substack: https://savala.substack.com/
Support the Show:
Enjoying this podcast? Please support the show on Substack for bonus episodes, community engagement, and access to "Ask Abbie" at abbieattwoodwellness.substack.com/subscribe
Group program:
Looking for more support and concrete steps to take to heal your relationship with food and your body? Apply for Abbie's next 10-week group program: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/group-coaching
Already been at this anti-diet culture thing for a while, but want community and continued learning? Apply for Abbie's monthly membership, which meets every other week: https://www.abbieattwoodwellness.com/circle-monthly-group
Social media:
Find the show on Instagram: @fullplate.podcast
Find Abbie on Instagram: @abbieattwoodwellness
Podcast Cover Photography by Anya McInroy
Podcast Administrative Support by Alexis Glaubach
Podcast Editing by Brian Walters
This podcast is ad-free and support comes from our Patrons on Patreon: Patreon.com/fullplate