Reconciling My Love for McDonald’s With Fatphobia | Eater

"Beloved by the author for its comfort-food staples—thick McFlurrys studded with frozen M&M’s, oddly shaped yet perfectly crispy chicken nuggets, salt-crusted fries you can lick from your fingers, fountain Coke and the unique aroma of coffee mingling with grease and grill smoke—this fast-food restaurant functioned as both solace and source of shame. Secret drive-thru binges in the car often involved large orders (double cheeseburgers, McNuggets, large fries, giant drinks and sometimes a McFlurry or apple pie) that were hidden and discarded to avoid judgment; the author also endured rude treatment from staff and strangers, including being handed a Diet Coke mistakenly and being insulted in a drive-thru line while ordering a Quarter Pounder with Cheese. Public moralizing—lawsuits blaming the restaurant for obesity, fear-mongering about ingredients, and documentaries like Super Size Me—intensified guilt and led to restrictive dieting and failed weight-loss cycles. Discovering fat-positivity, intuitive eating, and therapy shifted the relationship: visits are now occasional and mindful (especially nuggets and salty fries on road trips), with much less self-loathing, though moments of external stigma and lingering shame still occur." - Amy McCarthy