Power Dynamics with Diet & Purity with Anna Rollins

About this episode

Andrew Camp interviews Anna Rollins about the intersections of diet culture and evangelical purity culture as explored in her memoir.

In this episode of 'The Biggest Table,' host Andrew Camp welcomes Anna Rollins, author of ' Famished: On Food, Sex, and Growing Up as a Good Gir l.' They discuss her memoir, which examines the harmful parallels between diet culture and evangelical purity culture, both of which pressurize women to fear their bodies and appetites. Anna shares her personal struggles with disordered eating, rooted in her upbringing in a strict Christian environment, and how she has navigated healing. The conversation also touches on societal norms, racial implications of body ideals, and the importance of discussing these topics openly. Anna emphasizes grace, forgiveness, and the necessity of honest, nuanced conversations to break free from harmful cultural scripts. Anna Rollins is the author of Famished: On Food, Sex, and Growing Up as a Good Girl (out December 9, 2025 from Eerdmans). Her groundbreaking debut memoir examines the rhyming scripts of diet culture and evangelical purity culture, both of which direct women to fear their own bodies and appetites. Her writing has appeared in outlets like The New York Times, Slate, Electric Literature, Salon, Joyland, and more. She’s also written scholarly…

People in this episode

Host: Andrew Camp

Guest: Anna Rollins

Topics covered

• diet culture
• purity culture
• women's health
• disordered eating
• Christian upbringing
• body image
• societal norms

Keywords

• diet culture
• purity culture
• disordered eating
• Christianity
• body image
• memoir
• Anna Rollins

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Eerdmans, The New York Times, Slate, Electric Literature, Salon, Tamarack Foundation for the Arts

Books & works: Famished: On Food, Sex, and Growing Up as a Good Girl

Places: West Virginia

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