Marie Southard Ospina
Dazed
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Marie:
The Fat Zine is an ode to the beauty of fat bodies
Created by fat-positive writers Gina Tonic and Chloe Sheppard, the newly launched project is an exploration of the nuances of being a fat person in 2020 As I open up a PDF containing previews from the The Fat Zine – a freshly-launched publication created by fat-positive writers Gina Tonic and Chloe Sheppard, for fat people – the first thing I see is an image of a model called Elyonna Mone. In… → Read More
Don't Comment On My Kids' Bodies This Summer, Or, You Know, Ever
As we approach the summer holidays, a time of year during which the cultural narrative of aspirational weight loss is arguably at an all-time high, I'm reminded to ask those around me not to comment on my children's bodies. It's a preference I have… → Read More
Criticism Of Nike's Plus-Size Mannequins Is Just The Latest Reminder Of Skinny Privilege
Whenever an activist movement that focuses on equality for marginalized people begins getting frequent and mainstream attention, the end result often seems to be widespread critique by those less marginalized about their lack of inclusion within the… → Read More
I Don't Have A Clue How To Discipline My Toddler, But Here's What Helps
My 2-year-old is pretty horrible. Don’t get me wrong, I adore her. She and her sister are pretty much my world, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Still, she’s a little nightmare. I don’t know when the nightmare began, exactly. She definitely… → Read More
My Toddler Is Ride Or Die For Humpty Dumpty
I couldn't tell you when it all began. One day, we were a free(ish) family of four. We enjoyed a variety of toys, wooden and electric alike. We could watch a diverse selection of media. Hey Duggee, Word Party, Frozen, Moana, and Spirit Riding Free… → Read More
These Sexy Plus-Size Nursing Bras By Viva Voluptuous Are A First Of Their Kind
In late December of 2016, I found myself sobbing quietly on my bed one morning as my 2-week-old napped beside me. I was hoping to get dressed that day (a feat I hadn't managed since coming home from the hospital), but I was stuck. Normally, slipping… → Read More
Stop Asking Me What I Want For Mother's Day — Just Do Something Nice!
I never used to care for the "made-up" holidays (well, except perhaps for Pancake Day because obviously). Valentine's Day once felt gross. Why shouldn't the love between friends and lovers be cherished every day of the damn year? Specific events… → Read More
My Toddler Hit Her Baby Sister, & It Takes Extra Love To Deal With
In the first few weeks after having a second child, I thought I had hit some kind of supernatural jackpot. Upon introducing my toddler to her little sister, she seemed instantly enamored. Luna, my oldest, couldn't stop kissing Elia, our new baby. In… → Read More
I Worried I Wouldn't Fall In Love With My Second Child
There were times after the birth of my first daughter when I felt incapable of doing anything except look at her. Sometimes she'd be napping, or playing with a hard-cover book, or sitting in her fold-out ball pit with a big smile on her face.… → Read More
'Workin’ Moms' Gives Us Four Flavors Of Mom Guilt
In the opening scene of Netflix's Workin' Moms, Frankie Coyne (played by Juno Rinaldi) confesses to her baby group that she may have a "touch" of postpartum depression (PPD). "I was driving this morning, and I fantasized that a car would just hit… → Read More
We Are The Most Important People In Our Kids' Lives & That's Super Weird
There's a look my 2-year-old daughter gives me sometimes that I can never quite describe. It comes when she is feeling under the weather, wanting only to snuggle into my arms. Sometimes I see it after we've had a genuinely nice, tantrum-free… → Read More
My Partner Made Me Sleep Train Our Baby & I'm So Glad I Listened
For 15 months after my eldest daughter's birth, I barely slept. I considered myself lucky on the nights when she didn't fuss for two hours in a row — but those nights were rare. More often than not, my baby awoke every hour on the dot. Even after… → Read More
I Wanted To Baby-Wear, But Many Carriers Aren't Inclusive
Before I even had my first daughter, I felt completely funneled toward baby-wearing. My midwives recommended it as a way to "drop the pregnancy weight fast." Similarly, some of the fellow moms in my circles spoke endlessly about how carrying helped… → Read More
Valentine's Day Is About My Toddler & I'm Not Sorry About It
A long time ago, in the days before motherhood, I was an avid member of the Anti-Valentine's Day Club. "It's a greeting card holiday designed to take all our money," I might've said. "It's brainwashing us to believe romantic love is all fairytales,… → Read More
Aimee's Story On 'Sex Education' Has A Lesson I Want My Daughters To Understand
When we first encounter the character Aimee on Sex Education, she is having less-than-satisfying sex with her boyfriend Adam. "Do you like my tits?" she asks him. "Do you want to come on them?" Although she eventually decides against that,… → Read More
The Power Of Giving Kids Choices Goes Further Than We Think
If I had to choose one parental proclamation from my childhood and adolescence that still haunts me to this day, it would probably be the pesky "I know what's best for you" adage. The expression seems to be a favorite of many parents faced with… → Read More
Celebrity Birth Stories Don't Apply To Us
Until having my own children, I never felt comfortable asking mothers to describe their birth stories. It was as though I'd drawn a veil over pregnancy, labor, and even the postpartum period, having internalized the belief that these were private,… → Read More
What It Felt Like To Get An Epidural As A Fat Woman
Throughout both of my pregnancies, I was regularly reminded about the myriad risks my fat body could potentially pose not only to myself, but to my unborn children. I might develop high blood pressure for life unless I ensured I didn't gain any more… → Read More
I'm Determined Not To Pass My Anxiety To My Kids
My 2-year-old is having a tantrum, or is it a meltdown? It's been over 20 minutes and at this point I cannot actually remember what started it. Changing her diaper when she wanted to be playing? Failing at finding the perfect nursery rhyme to blast… → Read More
I'm Sorry I Judged You & Your Fancy Christmas Outfits
I never really understood parents who chose to dress children up for the holidays. If I'm honest, I never really understood parents who chose to dress their children up ever. Putting babies or young toddlers into tulle skirts, miniature suits and… → Read More