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Aubrey Gordon

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Not to be confused with Audrey Gordon.
Aubrey Gordon
Born (1983-11-09) November 9, 1983 (age 41)[1][2]
Other namesYour Fat Friend
Occupation(s)Author and podcaster
Websiteyourfatfriend.com

Aubrey Gordon (born 1983),[1][2] 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.[3]

Career

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Before beginning her writing career, Gordon was an LGBTQ community organizer.[4]

After an argument with a friend about the differences between thin and fat people's relationships with their own bodies, Gordon wrote a letter to the friend to try to convey her thoughts. She shared it to a different friend to get feedback on whether the letter came off as rude, and her friend asked her to post it online so he could share it. Gordon, who was concerned about her professional reputation after beginning a new job, shared the letter anonymously with the name "Your Fat Friend." The letter was widely read, and Gordon decided to keep writing and posting essays about fatness, and hate and discrimination directed toward fat people.[1]

Gordon writes a regular column for Self magazine.[4][5] She also publishes 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.[4] 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][9]

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.[3]

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.[10]

A documentary following Gordon's life in 2020 and 2021, Your Fat Friend, directed by Jeanie Finlay, was released in 2023.[11] It premiered at the 2023 Tribeca film festival.[12]

Personal life

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Gordon describes herself as "very fat." She identifies as queer.[4] As of September 2021, she lived in Portland, Oregon.[3]

Works

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  • Gordon, Aubrey (2020). What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat. Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN 9780807041307.
  • Gordon, Aubrey (2023). "You Just Need to Lose Weight": And 19 Other Myths About Fat People. Boston: Beacon Press. ISBN 9780807006474.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Gordon, Aubrey (December 11, 2020). "After Years of Writing Anonymously About Fatness, I'm Telling the World Who I Am". Self. Archived from the original on 2020-12-12. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Gordon, Aubrey [@yrfatfriend] (November 9, 2020). "Hey! It's my birthday! ..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ a b c 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.
  4. ^ a b c d 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.
  5. ^ Avari, Daniel; Gordon, Aubrey (May 25, 2021). "That Orson Welles Feeling". Big Mood, Little Mood (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  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. ^ a b 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. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Zilko, Christian (10 December 2023). "'Your Fat Friend' Review: Fat Acceptance Doc Blurs the Line Between Empathy and Complacency". IndieWire. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  12. ^ "Spotlight Documentary World Premiere: Your Fat Friend". Tribeca Film Festival. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
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