Glennon Doyle and her book "Untamed" have been such an integral part of my mental health journey over the past year or two, and because of this, I use a lot of the concepts she brings to the forefront with my clients.
In the book, she shares her personal story of growth and what she came to learn through her own "untaming" process, which in essence means breaking out of the cultural expectations we've all (or, many of us, at least) been taught to fit into from a young age. Her book focuses largely on females norms, but validates that there are 100% harmful cultural expectations perpetuated on males as well!
North American female norms: be thin, quiet, polite, emotional but not too emotional, etc...
North American male norms: be strong, brave, outspoken, and non-emotional, etc...
She touches a lot on expectations surrounding religion and sexuality as well, which I think are hugely important for people to be aware of. But, in an effort to stick within my scope of practice as a mental health dietitian, I focus primarily on how the norms have shaped the relationships with our bodies, food, and self-worth.
Using Glennon's work in Untamed, I try and get my clients to understand that their worth is inherent and that they are deserving - no questions asked. We talk about how diet culture has shifted the perception of where our value comes from, and then try to re-write the narrative around it. We spend time rectifying the fact that, as humans and as women, we deserve to show up in our most authentic way possible - which has nothing to do with stereotypical, heteronormative, or cultural norms.
My goal with ALL clients, not just females, is to allow them the space to find and own their genuine worth - and to let the stories that say "fitting in with the norm is a pre-requisite for happiness" burn. If anything, we should know by now that it is the exact opposite. Living our life with the goal of fitting into a norm (whatever that may be) is more like a direct road to discontentment and constantly fighting ourselves along the way.
If you want to learn more about letting go of diet culture, and/or finding yourself in the mix, feel free to reach out anytime by phone/text at 250-681-5170 or email at amber@thenourishedco.com
I would also recommend checking our Glennon by first listening to her podcast with Brené Brown (Glennon guest-starred), then get into the book if it seems like a topic that would serve you! 👌
These two women are the best 🙌