Why Women Struggle to be Embodied with Dr. Fiona Vera-Gray

Love This Food Thing

Dr Fiona Vera-Gray is one of the UK’S leading feminist academics working on violence against women and girls. She is also the author of Women On Porn, her first book for a mainstream audience.

“There’s research that’s been done about how girls' bodily capacity starts to change at around twelve, it’s not to do with puberty, they start to learn to restrict themselves…

… a fantastic paper Throwing Like a Girl by Iris Marion Young talks about the idea of inhabited intentionality, you get to a point where if you throw a ball at a boy when he’s eleven or twelve, he will reach out to get the ball because he experiences his body as being in the world; it’s safe for him to be in the world, the world and his body is one. If you throw it at a girl she will stand there and wait for the ball to come to her body because she doesn’t have that expansiveness - ‘ontological expansiveness,’ where you feel your being is expansive, you can take up space.”

Fiona speaks with a fluent and light touch and decades of experience combined with her natural warmth and humanity.

We talk about what it is to be in your body, why so many women struggle and crucially the lack of conversation around the effects of sexual violence from the male gaze to rape.

We also talk about porn, our compare and contrast culture and a host of other things.

Disclaimer: This is an essential listen for all of us but best to listen when little people are not in the room.

EPISODE TIMESTAMPS:

• [01:08] - Journey into Feminist Philosophy
• [02:23] - The Rewarding Work in Violence Prevention
• [05:09] - Exploring Relationship with Food
• [07:09] - Impact of Societal Expectations on Body Image
• [20:34] - The Complexities of Eating Disorders
• [30:49] - The Power of Choice in Recovery and Violence
• [31:49] - Societal Attitudes Towards Violence
• [34:08] - Impact of the Internet on Society
• [36:01] - Men's Choices and Masculinity
• [37:17] - Therapist Insights on Domestic Violence
• [37:52] - Fiona's Book: Women on Porn
• [52:08] - The Importance of Discussing Sexuality and Pornography

CONNECT WITH DR FIONA VERA-GRAY:

• Follow Dr Fiona on Instagram
• Follow Dr Fiona on X(Twitter)
• Visit Fiona’s Website

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!

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