A transformative experience hunting a deer reshaped one woman’s perception of food, health, and body image. For years, her relationship with food was fraught with fear and regret. However, after hunting her own meal for the first time, she gained new insights into fat, hunger, and her body.
The Struggles with Food and Body Image
Throughout her teens and twenties, food was a source of either regret or meticulous planning. From consuming green tea and intermittent fasting to avoiding carbs after friends’ comments, her eating habits were marked by a desire to manage her weight. A pivotal moment came when she hunted and ate a deer she killed herself, shifting how she viewed food and its significance in her life.
From Paris to Montana
At 24, five years after standing in front of a mirror in Paris obsessing over body fat, she found herself in Belgrade, Montana. At her dinner table, she tasted venison from the first white-tailed deer she hunted, experiencing a profound emotional shift. The meal was too precious to waste, and gluttony seemed inappropriate in light of the sacrifice the animal made.
A New Life in Hunting Media
With a master’s degree and a passion for adventure, she joined MeatEater, a hunting media company. As the brand moved to Netflix in 2018, it attracted a wide, curious audience during the pandemic. Rising meat prices saw many turn to hunting and conservation for both necessity and newly piqued interest in self-sustainability.
A Personal Hunting Journey
Her first hunting experience with her father in Wyoming in 2021 was transformative. She shot a white-tailed doe, an ethical kill due to their abundant population affecting ecosystem balance. Processing the deer, she recognised her struggle with body image mirrored nature’s cycle of weight fluctuation for survival.
Reflections on Disconnected Food Practices
Dr Hannah Carl, a psychologist focused on eating disorders, notes the disconnect many have with food sourcing. The overabundance and ease of access to food divorce the appreciation of its value. In contrast, hunting offered a direct connection to the food she consumed, highlighting cultural disconnects with food.
Society’s Complex Relationship with Weight
A cultural narrative exists where women are pressured to maintain unrealistic weight standards. According to Elise Loehnen, societal views on weight are outdated, and misconceptions about caloric intake hinder authentic understanding of personal health. Studies reveal that societal fatphobia causes significant distress, with many preferring life shortcuts over weight gain.
A New Perspective on Bodies and Life
Her experience with hunting taught her to see her body akin to the wildlife she pursued. Fluctuating weight became a sign of adaptation and strength rather than shame. Hunting not only provided physical nourishment but encouraged a deeper acceptance of life’s fleeting nature and the inevitability of human mortality.
The lesson extends beyond just body image and food, reframing how she viewed fat and survival, finding grace and acceptance in nature’s cycle. She reflects on this newfound appreciation, hoping that, like the deer, she sustains herself fully throughout life’s seasons.
Reporting based on coverage first published by theguardian.com.