S02 EP 2-1 Aging, Appearance, and the Body for Others: A Sociological Conversation with Dr. Gailey

Описание: In this episode of Open Notes Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Jeannine Gailey, professor and researcher specializing in the sociology of the body and fat studies, to unpack how women’s bodies are shaped, judged, and regulated across the life course.

Drawing from decades of qualitative research and lived experience, Dr. Gailey explores how women come to equate health with appearance, why aging feels like a personal failure rather than a natural process, and how weight becomes a measure of worth, regardless of success, power, or achievement. From “body for others” to the fear of weight gain among baby boomer women, this conversation reveals how deeply social expectations are internalized and carried well into later life.

Together, we examine cultural differences in beauty standards, the global spread of Western thin ideals, and why even small changes in weight can carry outsized emotional consequences. This episode invites listeners to question what we’ve been taught about health, aging, and value and to consider how much of that narrative was never truly ours to begin with.

Grab your notebook. This is a powerful, eye-opening study session you won’t want to miss.

Timestamps:
00:00 | Open Notes Episode Snippet
00:46 | Open Notes Introduction with Jeannine Gailey
01:10 | Can you introduce yourself and how did this affect who you became?
03:39 | What do you like most about your work as a professor and what do you find most challenging about your work in body studies?
04:29 | How would you explain health?
09:48 | "Body for Others" - Why do you think women tie value to their weight?
15:02 | How does European approach and perspective vary and differ from Asian and African cultures in regards to weight? Do they take a different approach or are the pressures still the same?
22:37 | Episode Preview - The Swan


Guest: Jeannine Gailey
Video Editor | Kiana Gerhart ‪‪ @its_kianaaaa
Content Revisers | Nora Mortimer, Angela Thompson & Amber Hovanec-Carey
Information from UITAC Publishing