We are witnessing a renewed war on our bodies.

From the mass marketing of weight-loss drugs, to the rise of looksmaxxing, the demand for bodily conformity is back. After years of public discourse around body positivity, the brief permission for marginalised bodies to occupy space is being withdrawn.

Fatness is once again framed as a crisis, disabled people and seen as disposable, and queer and trans bodies are violently being forced back within the boundaries of acceptable gender. Through it all, whiteness continues to haunt the beauty ideal.

The ideal body has been shaped by histories of colonialism, scientific racism and eugenics. These histories established racialised hierarchies that distinguished between desirable and undesirable forms of life. Today, these hierarchies persist through beauty culture and the demand for bodily optimisation. The violence is not only imposed on our bodies, it is internalised until we become both the objects and agents of our own discipline.

Join us for an open, participatory conversation about our bodies and the systems of power that shape our lives. (This isn't a lecture bytheway) This is a space for shared learning and collective dialogue. We’ll bring our own experiences into the room and try to make sense of it all together.

Description supplied by the event organiser.