Joyce Fegan: Fat phobia has been around for centuries and it's nothing to do with health

In combatting diet culture and the thin ideal, individuals are trying to face off centuries of fat phobia on their own, in a society that holds slim as a sacred virtue

Social media feeds this January are awash with weight loss transformation pictures, but also feature superstar Lizzo dancing around in her bikini. Picture: PA

Maybe it’s me, maybe it’s the algorithm or maybe it’s just January, but my social media feed is currently chock-a-block with “before and after” pictures of women who once weighed X pounds and now weigh Y.

Conversely, my feed is also filled with global superstar Lizzo dancing around in a bikini, useful thought experiments that call the bluff on “diet culture”, and tips from experts about how to actually improve your body image.