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Where Are We, and How Did We Get Here? 3 tackle the issue of weight stigma, first on a personal level and then with a focus on systemic cultural aspects. Chapter 7 addresses social justice and social determinants of health in the context of weight stigma. Interacting with medical professionals is often challenging for those with body image concerns, so chapter 8 offers ideas on ways to negotiate trips to the doctor. Chapter 9 is centered on children. This section is not just for par- ents. All of us interact with children, at least occasionally therefore, it is important to understand how body image pressures affect young folks. In chapter 10, I present some suggestions for continuing to incorporate these ideas into your life as well as suggestions for further reading. Final thoughts make up chapter 11. Chapters 2, 7, and 9 focus on information and have a lot of references. The other chapters are more personal and include specific sug- gestions for change. I have tried to achieve a reasonable order of presenta- tion, but, of course, you may read the chapters in any order you choose. Stories do a better job of explaining ideas than facts and statistics, so I have shared stories throughout to illustrate important points. All the names have been changed to maintain confidentiality, and, in some cases, similar stories have been combined. On a side note, I love to read. I have collected and included quotes from sources that may or may not be related to this topic because they illustrate points that I want to make. For specific reading suggestions, see chapter 10. Men May Be from Mars and Women from Venus, but We All Eat at the Same Buffet on Earth The vast majority of books, programs, and research about food and eating issues focus on women. There are cultural reasons for this, but the fact remains that men sometimes get shortchanged. Most of my counseling expe- rience has been with women, and women are more likely to struggle with these issues and to talk to one another about them. There certainly are men (and boys) in the world whose lives are significantly constrained by food and weight issues, but there are fewer resources for them. I apologize that this book is focused more on women’s experiences, but I hope that it will be of help to people of all genders. I also realize that not everyone fits neatly into a binary gender category. As a culture, we have not agreed on a standard convention for pronouns there- fore, I have chosen to be old-fashioned and have used singular, binary pro- nouns throughout the book. I try to be aware that I am writing from a position of privilege. For many individuals, the negative effects of weight stigma are compounded by racial, heteronormative, cisgender, ableist, and other intersectional biases. It is beyond my ability to address all these, and I apologize for that in advance.