Autumn: A Conversation with My (Thin) Body: Going Up?
My body speaks to me in the voice of Mo, my late grandmother. My husband Jerry rarely nags me about my weight, insisting that he loves me at whatever weight, but it must be frustrating to watch me grow bigger and unhealthier, time and time again, and then start the cycle all over again – Around and around. He has simply outsourced all nagging to the dead. More than 30 years after her death, Mo’s voice is as crisp and pointed as ever, except now, my body owns it. Sometimes, I just wish she or it would shut off the conduit and leave me the fuck alone and allow me to grow fat in peace. But, no… BODY: No, you cannot have any more popcorn. ME: ( Tossing a kernel into my mouth. ) What? BODY: You heard me. ME: Go away. BODY: If you want anything else, there’s celery and carrots in the fridge. ME: UGH! BODY: Remember, you sliced them in a rare moment of resolve. And Jerry won’t eat them. ME: He’ll eat the carrots. BODY: Not the celery. If you don’t eat it, you...