The Culture Of It All

Melanie Knights
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  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

The Culture Of It All is a weekly podcast where we don’t just talk about ditching diet culture, we unlearn together, heal our body image, and fight for fat acceptance and true size inclusivity. Your host, Melanie Knights [she/they] — is an unapologetically fat, fashion content creator, storyteller, introverted Aquarius with a fondness for all things fat and spooky. This is a space where the fat community is seen, heard, and celebrated. It's where you can come to unlearn, heal, and find connection — and where everyone, in every body, is invited to listen, learn, and actively advocate for change. Together, we'll challenge weight stigma, confront fat stereotypes, and dive deep into how diet culture impacts every part of our lives.

  1. 12/23/2025

    Ep. 41 | Joy, Style, Softness: A Year at Full Volume

    A reflective wrap-up for 2025. This is our final episode of 2025, and what a year it has been. In this episode, I’m reflecting on what it truly meant for me to live at full volume this year: in my work, in my body, in my creativity, and in community with all of you. I wrap up the year with honesty, gratitude, and a look ahead to 2026’s anti–New Year energy. If you’ve been a longtime listener, thank you.  If you’re new here, welcome. In “Joy, Style, Softness: A Year at Full Volume” we’re exploring: What living “at full volume” looked like this yearHow an unexpected viral TikTok video helped shape my workWhat it looked like to parent my child (and myself) through body shamingHow my style has evolved without shrinking, performing, or reinventing myselfWhat I’m bringing with me into 2026 Takeaway to Hold Onto: "Softness isn’t the opposite of strength — it’s the space where I meet myself with honesty and enoughness." Thank you for listening to The Culture Of It All! this podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive early posts, bonus material and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber on Substack. Come say 'hello' on social media! You'll find episode content on Instagram stories. Looking for more conversations around the politics of fashion? Join me on TikTok Until next time, pals — keep showing up, speaking up, and taking up space.

    27 min

  2. 12/16/2025

    Ep. 40 | Reclaiming Style After Diet Culture

    This week we’re talking about something so many folks in larger bodies have experienced: what happens when you find yourself trying to dress a body you’ve spent most of your life trying to shrink? If you’ve ever: ✨ held onto “some day” clothes ✨ bought outfits for the fantasy body (not the body you live in) ✨ felt disconnected from your own style ✨ or realised you’ve never dressed without shame, rules, or fear …this one is for you. We explore what happens when you stop trying to shrink, start dressing your current body, and discover that style can be a source of comfort, self-trust, and joy — not punishment. In “Reclaiming Style After Diet Culture” we’re exploring: How diet culture disrupts your identity, your style, and your relationship with your bodyThe “some day wardrobe” — why so many of us had oneClothing as motivation vs. clothing as informationDressing the fantasy body vs. the now-bodyFear, visibility, and the fashion rulebook handed down like an unwanted family heirloomThe moment you realise you’ve never actually explored your own styleHow experimenting with clothes can rebuild body trustThe power of comfort as a value — not a failureHow I’ve developed my personal style instead of following trends, and included legacy and comfort in my wardrobeWhat changes when you let your wardrobe fit your life (not the other way around) Links mentioned: Read my full article at Unflattering The TikTok crop-top moment I mentioned Thank you for listening to The Culture Of It All! this podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive early posts, bonus material and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber on Substack. Come say 'hello' on social media! You'll find episode content on Instagram stories. Looking for more conversations around the politics of fashion? Join me on TikTok Until next time, pals — keep showing up, speaking up, and taking up space.

    32 min

  3. 12/09/2025

    Ep. 39 | The Magick of Soft Rebellion

    Take What You Need. It’s Okay To Go Slow. In today’s episode, we’re talking about soft rebellion — the kind of quiet, grounded resistance that comes from slowing down, listening to your body, and refusing to perform the hustle culture version of “success.” This one weaves rest, cyclical living, post-pandemic shifts, unlearning hustle culture, anti-diet work, and the tenderness required to live in a world that constantly tells us to go harder, do more, shrink more, be less. Thank you for listening to The Culture Of It All! this podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive early posts, bonus material and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber on Substack. Come say 'hello' on social media! You'll find episode content on Instagram stories. Looking for more conversations around the politics of fashion? Join me on TikTok Until next time, pals — keep showing up, speaking up, and taking up space.

    29 min

  4. 12/02/2025

    Ep. 38 | Take Care, Take Up Space: Learning to Trust Your Body

    In this episode, Melanie discusses body trust, and learning to be comfortable with taking up space physically, mentally and emotionally. She explores how diet culture prevents us from trusting our own bodies, and how anti-fat rhetoric keeps folks in larger bodies in a cycle of distrust and body hate. Melanie shares reflective questions and journaling prompts that we can use to repair our body trust and practise taking up space. Reflection Questions Mentioned Take these to your journal, screenshot them, or come back to them whenever you need: What would it feel like to trust my body?What would it feel like to make decisions from a place of deep trust instead of fear?What is possible if I don’t fear my body?In what ways can I practice body trust this week? Thank you for listening to The Culture Of It All! this podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive early posts, bonus material and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber on Substack. Come say 'hello' on social media! You'll find episode content on Instagram stories. Looking for more conversations around the politics of fashion? Join me on TikTok Until next time, pals — keep showing up, speaking up, and taking up space.

    29 min

  5. 11/25/2025

    Ep. 37 | F*ck Flattering: Fashion as Resistance

    In this episode, Melanie discusses the politics of plus size fashion, reflecting on her personal journey as a fashion enthusiast who also lives her life in a fat body. She explores the discrimination within the industry, the challenges fat folks can face when finding clothes and discovering their own style. Melanie shares tools and reframed language that she uses to heal her body image, breaking fashion rules and embracing her personal style. In this episode: Why weight loss isn’t the solution to a systemic issueThe lack of care and consideration that goes into plus size fashionWhat I wish straight sized people understood about the plus size shopping experienceHow fat phobia prevents us from finding our own personal styleFive tools and language reframes for healing our body image 🧡 Things to check out: Listen to episode 22 of The Culture Of It All!Check out Viva Voce on socialsThank you for listening to The Culture Of It All! this podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive early posts, bonus material and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber on Substack. Come say 'hello' on social media! You'll find episode content on Instagram stories. Looking for more conversations around the politics of fashion? Join me on TikTok Until next time, pals — keep showing up, speaking up, and taking up space.

    1h 2m

  6. 11/18/2025

    Ep. 36 | Spoiler Alert: You Were Never Too Much

    After a much needed break, Melanie returns to The Culture of It All with a new sound, new energy, and a heartfelt reminder that you were never too much. In this episode, she shares what inspired her new digital zine Full Volume — a fat, nostalgic, rebellious love letter to those who grew up not seeing their bodies represented in the glossy pages of their favourite teen mags. Melanie unpacks the evolution of the show, why softness can be political, and how fat joy, rest, and rebellion all coexist. Things to check out: Full Volume: The Autumn Issue — Melanie’s fat-positive digital zineMelanie’s guest episode over at Nope That’s Not NormalPinterest board for Full Volume: Autumn ‘25 Thank you for listening to The Culture Of It All! this podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive early posts, bonus material and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber on Substack. Come say 'hello' on social media! You'll find episode content on Instagram stories. Looking for more conversations around the politics of fashion? Join me on TikTok Until next time, pals — keep showing up, speaking up, and taking up space.

    27 min

  7. 08/26/2025

    [REPLAY] Ep. 11 | Fat Positive Fall

    As we wrap up this season of The Culture Of It All, we’re rewinding to an episode that holds a very special place in my heart — Fat Positive Fall. In this cozy, reflective replay, I share how autumn feels like coming home to myself and how this season has often marked a time of clarity, creativity, and joy in my fat body. I talk about what it means to pursue joy, how I’m learning to shift away from the constant “fight,” and why rest, rage, and radical softness all belong in our fat liberation work. Whether you’re planning spooky season activities or just looking for inspiration to create more joy and ease in your fat body this autumn, I hope this episode feels like a warm cup of something delicious and a reminder that you’re not alone. Let’s create a fat positive fall, on our own terms. 🍁 Chapters: 00:00 Welcome to The Culture of It All 01:20 Fat Positive Fall: Embracing the Season 07:01 The Complexities of Body Positivity 12:33 Choosing Joy Over Negativity 17:25 Pursuing Joyful Activities This Fall Thank you for listening to The Culture Of It All! this podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive early posts, bonus material and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber on Substack. Come say 'hello' on social media! You'll find episode content on Instagram stories. Looking for more conversations around the politics of fashion? Join me on TikTok Until next time, pals — keep showing up, speaking up, and taking up space.

    39 min

  8. 08/19/2025

    Ep. 35 | Revisiting My Old Thoughts on Diet Culture (And Cringing a Bit)

    In this episode, I’m reflecting on an old podcast episode I recorded back in 2020, before I had the language or tools to really understand diet culture and fat liberation. I’m sharing clips from that original episode and responding to what I got right, what I hadn’t yet learned, and how my relationship with body image and fat acceptance has evolved since then. This work isn’t linear, but growth is powerful—and this episode is full of it. Thank you for listening to The Culture Of It All! this podcast is a reader-supported publication. To receive early posts, bonus material and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber on Substack. Come say 'hello' on social media! You'll find episode content on Instagram stories. Looking for more conversations around the politics of fashion? Join me on TikTok Until next time, pals — keep showing up, speaking up, and taking up space.

    44 min
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About

The Culture Of It All is a weekly podcast where we don’t just talk about ditching diet culture, we unlearn together, heal our body image, and fight for fat acceptance and true size inclusivity. Your host, Melanie Knights [she/they] — is an unapologetically fat, fashion content creator, storyteller, introverted Aquarius with a fondness for all things fat and spooky. This is a space where the fat community is seen, heard, and celebrated. It's where you can come to unlearn, heal, and find connection — and where everyone, in every body, is invited to listen, learn, and actively advocate for change. Together, we'll challenge weight stigma, confront fat stereotypes, and dive deep into how diet culture impacts every part of our lives.

Information

  • Creator
    Melanie Knights
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2025
  • Episodes
    47
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 The Culture Of It All
  • Show Website
    The Culture Of It All