EPISODE 105: From Rejecting the Body to Finding Female with Victoria Smith

Victoria Smith is a regular contributor to The Critic , writing on women’s issues, parenting, and mental health. Her work has also appeared in The New Statesman, The Independent, and UnHerd. Her book Hags looks at the demonisation of middle-aged women in politics and popular culture.

In this episode, Stella and Sasha chat with Victoria about the depths of body hatred and body loathing. Victoria shares her perceptions about experiences described in the context of gender dysphoria, seeming incredibly relatable to her experience of anorexia and disordered eating when she was younger. The conversation exposes the distress of the burden of acclimating to the maturing female form at a young age manifesting as dysphoric perceptions of reality — a coping mechanism for discomfort.

Another fascinating concept explored in the conversation is how with age, females continue to experience confusion and discomfort with their changing bodies and find themselves in a constant state of reconciling not just their own experiences in relation to their bodies, but society’s reactions to the changes in both their physical presentation as well as their attitudes, expressions, and contributions to society.

Victoria speaks charmingly about the sentiments behind her recently published book, Hags: The Demonisation of Middle-Aged Women; and how society has always fostered a certain lack of respect for the wisdom and discernment women of a certain age contribute to culture and the symbolism behind it. There’s a sort of generational war between young women and older women that has always seemingly existed and yet the journey of experiencing womanhood has a way of bridging the gap between the two.

Links:
● Follow Victoria Smith on Twitter — @glosswitch

Book by Victoria Smith:
● Hags: The Demonisation of Middle-Aged Women
https://geni.us/Hags

Book by Jane Shilling:
● The Stranger in the Mirror: A Memoir of Middle Age
https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Mirro...

● Book by Rachel Hewitt:
In Her Nature: How Women Break Boundaries in the Great Outdoors
https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/43940...

If you liked this episode, more episodes you might find interesting:

● Episode 2 — Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria
   • EPISODE 2 - Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria  

● Episode 4 — Why Do People Seek A New Identity?
   • EPISODE 4 - Why Do People Seek A New Ident...  

● Episode 12 — Identity vs. Role Confusion in Adolescence
   • EPISODE 12 - Identity vs. Role Confusion i...  

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Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Victoria Smith
02:25 Interview begins
03:15 The parallels between gender dysphoria and anorexia
18:07 A tug of war between weak and strong/masculine and feminine
27:52 Are we treating the symptom like it's the cause?
30:57 Recovery and moving between extremes
33:53 Women's bodies are mystifying–and miraculous
46:56 Victoria's book, "Hags: The demonization of middle-aged women"