why i have so many food tattoos
2023
collage; printed zine
2 ¾ × 3 ½ inches
I have a complicated relationship with food, ultimately stemming from a complicated relationship with my own body. I didn’t even start feeling like my body belonged to me until I was in my mid-20s. Like my many food tattoos, this zine is a reminder that my body is mine to nourish and decorate however the hell I want.
The text reads, “People often ask me why I have so many food tattoos. I usually only tell them in pieces. Not the whole reason. It feels more digestible that way. The whole reason is that I am (still) learning how to un-hate my body. I am learning how to nourish it, cherish it, claim it as my own instead of abandoning it so other people can take pleasure in filling it. If I want to heal my relationship with my body, I need to heal my relationship with food, too. Because when you’re trying to weigh less than 100 lbs, food is the enemy. Something has to be. I get tattoos of the things I like to eat to remind myself that I like to eat them and that my body is mine to feed & decorate & care for. All mine.”