Leading Large Women
I’m a large woman, and I committed to discharging on large women’s oppression many years ago when Diane Shisk [Alternate International Reference Person for the RC Communities] introduced some of us to that work. It was exciting and unusual to see a woman stand up for us and say that what looked and felt like personal failure was about oppression.
Many women, both large and not large, get excited about doing this work. We know that our experiences of sexism and internalized sexism are at the core of how we feel about our bodies. And we think about other women’s bodies so much that it affects our integrity in female relationships. We know that we shouldn’t value ourselves and each other based on how we look—but we do. And it’s not our fault.
I was one of eight females in a Catholic, mixed-class raised-poor family of ten. We grew up, and mostly remain, large. Out of love for my mother and sisters, I decided to take leadership. Over many years I organised a large women’s topic group at every RC workshop I attended. We would sit together with our uncomfortable feelings about our bodies and want desperately to support each other.
I now lead a large women’s group twice a month that women from all over Australia attend. This work allows me to keep going against feelings that I’m not able to do much. Leading means I keep coming back to myself for the next steps instead of unawarely following weight-loss or self-help programs (that may or may not be helpful).
Granville, New South Wales, Australia
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion list for leaders of women
(Present Time 206, January 2022)