Feminist writer Roxane Gay criticises podcast for 'humiliating' disclosure of her requests to accommodate her size
'I am appalled...it was a shit show'
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Your support makes all the difference.When New York Times best-selling author Roxane Gay visited Australian news website Mamamia to be interviewed for its No Filter podcast, her publishers apparently had a long list of practical requests due to Gay's size.
The author has been open about her 'super morbidly obese' classification, having turned to food for comfort after being raped at the age of 12. As this is something she openly discusses in her new memoir Hunger, interviewer and Mamamia founder Mia Freedman saw fit to publish the requests, despite acknowledging in the podcast episode and its description that it amounted to a "breach of confidence".
“I estimate that there were a dozen exchanges back and forth between my producer and her people and the details of them both broke my heart and opened my eyes,” Freedman said.
“Now, I would normally never breach the confidence of what goes on behind the scenes of organising an interview, but in this case, I’ve thought a lot about it and the fundamental part of her story and what her book is about. She writes about it in the book, I’m sure she won’t mind me telling you any of this.
“Her size is incredibly imposing [Gay is six foot three]. This is a logistical nightmare for her, there’s no other way to put it. The requirements that we had to go back and forth with her publishers ... were extremely detailed.”
“How many steps were there from the kerb to the end of the building? Were there any stairs? How many? How big was the lift and was there a goods lift? How many steps from the lift to the podcast studio?
“There was also a lot of talk about chairs - making sure we had one sturdy enough that would both hold her weight and make sure she was comfortable for the duration of the interview.”
It turns out Gay did mind Mamamia telling listeners about them, tweeting: "I am appalled by Mamamia. It was a shit show. I can walk a fucking mile.
"'Can she fit into the lift?' Shame on you @Mamamia.
She later added: "It is cruel and humiliating."
Mamamia and Freedman have yet to comment on Gay's response.
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