That's so true. It's unspoken things like this that contribute so much to the issue.It's simple. Where are all the stores with the freshest produce? Where all all the stores with the freshest cuts of meats? They are in the suburban and upper class neighborhoods and there is a premium price. In the neighborhoods where you are most likely to find Black women, yo find stores with processed foods or bargain retail chains e.g. dollar tree that sell nothing but processed meats/frozen foods but then produce near expiration. The system is set up for these outcomes, why is there malt liquor 10 for $10 in the 7-11 by my apartment but not in the rich white part of town?
![]()
I will be honest, it didn’t hit me hard until I saw an article about it and looked into it more. I thought more about it myself because I work at a clinic. I see more black women with this issue than white women and more women in general as compared to men. They say your risk of diabetes increases when your stomach or waist measurement is over 35 inches (for men it is 40). I know in general, the US is filled with people who weigh too damn much but this puts black women at the highest risk of diabetes!
Why in the hell then are these "body positive" movements using black women? Like if you are a big girl and you are happy, you do your thing but this is just contributing to a big problem no one seems to be talking about. This is not just going to affect the lives of these ladies but it will impact the health of any children they have. Why are we not having discussions about this?
I like the body positivity movement, I think you should be happy with who you are. But I do think there are limits. I think there should be focus on body positivity but I think as much focus should be on living healthy too. Body positivity is great when you're a little chunky but if you start getting to where you're putting yourself at risk for things like diabetes, you need to put some focus in that area too.