Queers Against Diet Culture

Body hair has been framed as a personal choice for so long that most of us never stop to question it. But the way we groom ourselves isn’t as neutral as it feels. In this episode, we’re unpacking the history, politics, and power structures behind body hair, from early 1900s razor ads to the way hairlessness became tied to cleanliness and morality. We also explore how these expectations show up differently across identities, especially within queer and trans experiences, and how body hair can become a site of both pressure and reclamation. This isn’t about telling you whether to shave or not, it’s about helping you understand where your choices come from so you can decide what actually feels like you. ✨ Tarot pull of the week: Three of Swords Reversed ✨ Journal prompt: Do my grooming choices come from a desire to feel comfortable in my body or from a desire to be accepted by others? What would it look like to prioritize my own comfort? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riahspivey/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581527639476 Interested in being a guest on this podcast? Fill out this form here: https://forms.gle/MMZ4vZSfmm8j4bV5A Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll

If you’ve ever felt disconnected from your body, second-guessed your hunger, ignored your intuition, or felt afraid to listen to yourself, this episode is for you. In this episode, we unpack how diet culture trains us to distrust our bodies, why that distrust can feel even deeper for queer folks, and what “trusting your body” actually looks like in real life (spoiler: it’s not perfect intuition or constant confidence). We talk about why trust feels so scary, how rebuilding it is a practice, and gentle tools you can start using without forcing yourself into “body trust” before you’re ready. ✨ Tarot pull of the week: The Moon ✨ Journal prompts: In what small ways does my body already try to communicate with me? What happens inside me when I ignore a bodily signal versus when I listen to one? Where am I confusing control with safety? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riahspivey/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581527639476 Interested in being a guest on this podcast? Fill out this form here: https://forms.gle/MMZ4vZSfmm8j4bV5A Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll

Mainstream beauty standards weren’t created with queer bodies, identities, or lives in mind, yet many of us spend years trying to mold ourselves to fit them anyway. In this episode, we unpack where cis-hetero beauty ideals come from, how they harm queer and trans folks specifically, and why so much of what we’ve been taught to call “beauty” is actually about control, conformity, and survival. This isn’t about creating a new standard to live up to, but about loosening the grip beauty rules have on us. If you’ve ever felt like your body, your gender, or your self-expression was “wrong” simply because it didn’t align with what you were shown growing up, this episode is an invitation to see things more clearly and to start defining beauty in ways that actually support your life. ✨ Tarot pull of the week: Ace of Swords ✨ Journal prompts: When did I first learn what was considered “beautiful” and who did I learn it from? Which beauty standards have I been trying to meet that were never designed for my body or my identity? When do I feel the most like myself? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riahspivey/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581527639476 Interested in being a guest on this podcast? Fill out this form here: https://forms.gle/MMZ4vZSfmm8j4bV5A Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll Chapters (00:00:07) - Queers Against Diet Culture(00:02:30) - A Tarot Card for This Episode(00:05:43) - The CIS hetero Beauty Standard(00:11:09) - What does heteronormativity look like in queer communities?(00:13:43) - Why Unlearning Beauty Standards Feels So Hard(00:16:04) - How to Reclaim Your Beauty

Emotional eating has been framed as a failure of willpower for far too long, but what if it’s actually your body trying to communicate, not a behavior that needs to be controlled? In this episode, we unpack why emotional eating isn’t the villain diet culture makes it out to be, how restriction and shame often make it worse, and why food has become one of the only “allowed” coping tools for so many people. We explore emotional eating as a signal, and talk about what healing can look like when the goal isn’t to stop eating emotionally, but to listen more closely to what your body and emotions are asking for. We also look at emotional eating through a queer lens, discuss how diet culture intensifies emotional coping cycles, and offer practical tools to expand your emotional toolbox. This episode is for anyone who has ever felt broken for eating emotionally, and is ready to replace shame with understanding and curiosity. ✨ Tarot pull of the week: The Sun ✨ Journal prompts: What messages did I learn about emotional eating growing up? What does my body need in moments of overwhelm besides food? What do I want to remember the next time emotional eating shows up? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riahspivey/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581527639476 Interested in being a guest on this podcast? Fill out this form here: https://forms.gle/MMZ4vZSfmm8j4bV5A Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll Chapters (00:00:07) - Queers Against Diet Culture(00:03:20) - Tarot(00:05:55) - What is Emotional Eating?(00:08:42) - Why Emotional Eating Is So Distressing(00:13:19) - How diet culture makes emotional eating harder for queer people(00:20:43) - What Real Healing Looks Like(00:21:42) - 5 Tools to Cope With Emotional Eating

In this episode, we explore queer hunger, not just the hunger for food, but the hunger for safety, belonging, desire, pleasure, and the freedom to take up space. We look at how queer folks learn to shrink themselves to survive and how that survival mode impacts our relationship with food, our bodies, our nervous systems, and our sense of worth. Together, we unpack the many forms of silenced hunger, the way queerness is already rooted in abundance, and the lifelong work of reclaiming our fullness. We talk about masking, perfectionism, sensory needs, people-pleasing, internalized shame, and the ways the world teaches queer people to make themselves smaller to stay safe. ✨ Tarot pull of the week: Eight of Pentacles  ✨ Journal prompts: Where in your life were you first told you were “too much”? Who benefits from you staying small? What does my body do when my needs feel “dangerous”? (Shut down? Get smaller? Get louder? Mask?) What are the earliest cues my body gives me when I’m hungry that I tend to miss or overlook? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riahspivey/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581527639476 Interested in being a guest on this podcast? Fill out this form here: https://forms.gle/MMZ4vZSfmm8j4bV5A Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll Chapters (00:00:07) - Queer Hunger(00:02:01) - Reversed 8 of Pentacles(00:21:33) - How to Reclaim Your Hunger(00:27:55) - How to Reclaim Hunger

The holidays can be beautiful… and brutal. Especially if you’re navigating diet culture, complicated family dynamics, identity stress, sensory overwhelm, or a history of being dismissed, criticized, or misunderstood. In this episode, we dive deep into why holiday gatherings feel so hard, and how to protect your peace, your body, and your energy during a season that can bring up a lot. ✨ Tarot pull of the week: Queen of Wands Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riahspivey/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581527639476 Interested in being a guest on this podcast? Fill out this form here: https://forms.gle/MMZ4vZSfmm8j4bV5A Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll Chapters (00:00:07) - Queers Against Diet Culture(00:00:29) - How to Navigate the Holidays(00:02:40) - The Queen of Wands(00:05:10) - Why Holidays Are So Hard(00:14:18) - What Are Boundaries?(00:15:16) - How to Build Boundaries During the Holidays(00:21:31) - How to Cope During the Holidays (with Boundaries!)(00:30:48) - What Happens When Your Family Doesn't Feel Safe(00:32:31) - What It Means to Not Feel Safe

In this episode, we’re breaking down where our food rules really came from, and surprise, it’s not your lack of willpower. Diet culture has roots in racism, colonialism, patriarchy, capitalism, and centuries of body control. When you understand that history, it becomes so much easier to see why these rules feel so ingrained… and why none of it was ever personal. We talk about how thinness became tied to “morality,” how body ideals were used to uphold white supremacy, how queer folks have been shaped by these rules, and how the wellness world is basically diet culture in new branding.  If you’re ready to unlearn the rules you never asked for, this one’s for you. ✨ Tarot pull of the week: Queen of Wands ✨ Journal prompts: What food rules have I enforced on myself throughout my life and where did I learn them from? What would food freedom truly look like to me? How can I let my light shine and embrace the Queen of Wands energy in my healing journey? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riahspivey/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581527639476 Interested in being a guest on this podcast? Fill out this form here: https://forms.gle/MMZ4vZSfmm8j4bV5A Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll Chapters (00:00:07) - Queers Against Diet Culture(00:01:02) - Tarot Card: The Queen of Wands(00:02:01) - What are Food Rules?

Sometimes, feeding ourselves feels like just another task, something we have to do, not something we want to. In this episode, we’re unpacking why eating can start to feel like a chore, from decision fatigue and mental health struggles to the way diet culture and capitalism disconnect us from our needs. We’ll explore how exhaustion, isolation, and shame show up around food, and how we can gently move toward curiosity, care, and reconnection. ✨ Tarot pull of the week: The Hermit Reversed ✨ Journal prompts: What makes eating feel hard or draining right now? How can I make nourishing myself feel more accessible? What does my body ask for when I slow down enough to listen? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riahspivey/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581527639476   Interested in being a guest on this podcast? Fill out this form here: https://forms.gle/MMZ4vZSfmm8j4bV5A   Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll Chapters (00:00:07) - When Eating Feels Like a Chaotic Process(00:04:44) - Why Eating Can Feels Like a chore(00:08:04) - Tips for Removing the Emotional Weight From Eating(00:13:41) - The Hermit in Reverse

Fatphobia isn’t just a “body image issue,” it’s a system rooted in control, shame, and exclusion. In this episode, Riah breaks down how fatphobia operates both inside and outside the queer community, how it mirrors other systems of oppression, and how it keeps us disconnected from our bodies and each other. We’ll explore what liberation and fat queer joy actually look like, and how each of us can start dismantling internalized bias, in ourselves, our communities, and the spaces we create. ✨ Tarot pull of the week: Two of Wands ✨ Journal prompts: What parts of my body story am I still holding onto, even if they no longer serve me? What boundaries do I need to protect my body image from harmful spaces or conversations? Imagine your future self has already stepped into full body acceptance and joy. What choices did they make to get there? How did they unlearn the old stories? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riahspivey/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581527639476   Interested in being a guest on this podcast? Fill out this form here: https://forms.gle/MMZ4vZSfmm8j4bV5A   Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll

In this episode, we’re unpacking what body neutrality really means, especially through a queer lens. Instead of forcing body love or getting stuck in body hate, we’re exploring the middle ground: seeing your body as something that deserves care and respect, no matter how you feel about it on any given day. We’ll talk about how diet culture makes neutrality nearly impossible, how queer folks can begin to reclaim it, and why neutrality isn’t apathy, it’s freedom. You’ll also get some real-world ways to start practicing neutrality in your own life. Whether you’re struggling with body image, learning to unlearn old beliefs, or just curious about finding more peace in your skin, this one’s for you.   ✨ Tarot pull of the week: Death Reversed ✨ Journal prompts: How do I usually talk to myself about my body and what tone does that voice use? In what ways have I tried to “fit in” with body norms, even within queer spaces? Where in my life am I resisting change and what small step could I take toward loosening my grip? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riahspivey/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581527639476   Interested in being a guest on this podcast? Fill out this form here: https://forms.gle/MMZ4vZSfmm8j4bV5A   Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll Chapters (00:00:07) - Queers Against Diet Culture(00:00:57) - Tarot Card in Reverse: The Death Card(00:02:00) - What is Body Neutrality?(00:06:42) - Body Neutrality and Queer Liberation(00:13:53) - 7 Ways to Start Realizing Body Neutrality(00:17:51) - Body Neutrality Tips for Queer People(00:23:33) - Queers Against Diet Culture

Welcome to the very first episode of Queers Against Diet Culture! In this kickoff conversation, we dig into why diet culture isn’t just about food or health, it’s a systemic issue that deeply impacts queer communities. We’ll talk about: How diet culture disguises itself as “wellness” How “ideal” bodies are shaped by heteronormativity The ways it connects to capitalism and white supremacy The unique pressures LGBTQIA2S+ folks face around body image and health How body autonomy is central to queer liberation By the end of this episode, you’ll see how rejecting diet culture is more than just personal healing — it’s queer liberation. ✨ Tarot pull of the week: Seven of Wands ✨ Journal prompts: Where do I feel diet culture’s voice in my head — and what does my own voice sound like instead?  What kind of relationship with food would feel truly free to me? If joy is rebellion, what’s one joyful way I can connect with my body this week? Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riahspivey/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581527639476   Interested in being a guest on this podcast? Fill out this form here: https://forms.gle/MMZ4vZSfmm8j4bV5A   Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll Chapters (00:00:07) - Queers Against Diet Culture

In this intro episode, I’ll share a little about who I am, why I started this podcast, and what you can expect in the episodes ahead. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/riahspivey/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581527639476   Interested in being a guest on this podcast? Fill out this form here: https://forms.gle/MMZ4vZSfmm8j4bV5A   Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/let-good-times-roll Chapters (00:00:21) - Queers Against Diet Culture