Your body is how you experience the world and navigate your daily life. Oppression of bodies that look different has long served to keep privileged parties in power through racism, fat discrimination, fatphobia, homophobia, LGBTQ+ discrimination, sexism, ageism and ableism. And these challenges can be different or exacerbated in intercultural situations.
Tune in for ISEP’S IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Accessibility) Task Force podcast recording, Marginalized Bodies Abroad, for more information about how to overcome the barriers that marginalized bodies may face abroad.
“For me, when I was abroad I got to practice my angry Japanese with a couple of teenagers at a train station…they were walking behind me and making some comments about my weight which I didn’t appreciate…eventually I had to put some boundaries down…and they were a bit surprised that not only did I understand what they were saying, but I could respond as well. It was a good moment for me because I had the confidence to not only put that boundary down but also to stand up for myself. And in the end, it felt good and I was proud of myself for doing it.” – Nicole Meanor, ISEP University Relations Manager for Asia, Oceania, the U.K. and Ireland
This podcast is hosted by the following ISEP IDEA Task Force members:
Felicia Shelton (she/her/hers) is the University Relations Manager of the Southeast, U.S., she is an older Black American woman who talks about her time living and working abroad.
Katie Wiggins-Gawlik (she/her/hers) is the University Relations Manager of the Northeast and Midwest, U.S. and Sub-Saharan Africa. Katie is a fat woman who talks about her experience abroad living and working in Spain and traveling throughout Europe and Latin America.
Rachel Brown (she/her/hers) is the Student Services Officer for Asia, Africa, and the Middle East region. She is a black woman of size who speaks about her experience planning to go abroad to South Korea.
Gretchen McCarthy (she/her/hers) is the Student Services Officer for the United States. She studied abroad with ISEP in France, taught English in Hong Kong and China and currently resides in Mexico.
Nicole Meanor (she/her/hers) is the University Relations Manager for the Asia, Oceania, U.K. and Ireland region. Nicole is a plus-sized woman who talks about her experience living and working in Japan.
For more information about Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility abroad, visit ISEP’s DEI resource page or email the IDEA Task Force at diversity@isep.org. You can also get in touch with your ISEP Student Services Officer to discuss questions, concerns or to receive advice on the study abroad process.
The ISEP on Air Podcast is also available on Spotify.
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