Hello đ
Welcome to HEX Science â a weekly newsletter bringing you stories about science and health through a feminist lens.
Weâre a group of friends who have been called âwitchesâ one too many times, who believe women should be far more visible in science and healthcare, and who also happen to be current or former science writers.
Every week weâll delve into the science (both good and bad) that affects women, with a delicious side-order of snark and more than a pinch of vexed feminism. Grab a brew, relax, don your pointiest hat, and read onâŠ
Bitter Brew
A cup of hot steaming judgement, no sugar, please â
Recent headlines from the UK press claim that âa new studyâ proves that drinking coffee (or other caffeinated beverages) during pregnancy leads to poorer outcomes, including an increased risk of miscarriage and stillbirth.
This contradicts current advice from the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the NHS, which advise that moderate consumption (up to around two cups of instant coffee per day) poses little risk.
So what is this alarming new evidence that means pregnant women must eschew their morning brew? All is not quite as it seems...
Read the full story here. MF
Tit Bits
Keeping you abreast of the latest news, views and research
As highlighted during Weight Stigma Awareness Week (#WSAW2020), overweight people face discrimination throughout our society â including healthcare. Given that women already struggle to have their medical concerns taken seriously, those with larger bodies face a double (or triple, in the case of women of colour) barrier to accessing good medical care.Â
Fat-shaming beyond the grave
In anatomy classes, medical students saw larger cadavers as âdifficultâ, âa waste of timeâ, and even âdisgusting.â A quarter said the class left them feeling more negative about larger bodies. One said: âseeing the fat inside [âŠ] has made me more judgmental of people who allow that to happen to themselves.â MF
Shut up about weight; there's a pandemic on
Key figures across health and psychology explain how already-rampant fat-shaming has been compounded by the current pandemic â and how current messaging about obesity and Covid-19 is likely to hinder, rather than help. RT
Handy reminder that BMI is âbasicâ Â
Many are familiar with body mass index (BMI). But itâs not the foolproof measure of health that people think it is. In 2016, a study of >40,000 US adults found that 47.4% of overweight and 29% of obese individuals were metabolically healthy, but 30% of ânormalâ individuals werenât. The authors warned about unintended consequences of relying solely on BMI to measure health and called for improved tools. BMI â âya basicâ. RF
Mum-shaming before birth
A recent study has found that healthcare professionals often make women feel judged for their weight during pregnancy and postpartum. Of 501 women, 92 reported weight stigma in healthcare settings, including disrespectful treatment and demeaning comments. These included, to a woman just 8 weeks pregnant âyouâre too big and youâll need to be inducedâ, and to another, â[your] weight gain will embarrass [your] child if [you] do not get fit...â. JS
Fighting fatphobia
Recognising the damage caused by weight stigma, researchers and doctors are asking their peers to pledge their support in ending weight bias â in their own practice and beyond. MF
To the Kraken đŠ
Each week weâll be sending someone to a watery grave. We are evil witches, after all.Â
Saying hello to the Kraken today is my Uber driver, who, when I told him what I did for a living, said, âOh, youâre a Big Girl then?â MAY YOUR CHILD LOCKS ALL KICK IN AT ANNOYING TIMES, MY FRIEND. RT
Feminists Ruin Everything
The coven discuss what weâre reading, watching, loving and loathing
Every week, the HEX team will review films, books and TV shows, for the discerning but time-poor joyless harpy. Let us save you some time and ruin your media with our feminist opinions! This week, weâre chatting about Bram Stokerâs classic novel, Dracula (contains spoilers, but youâve had 100+ years to read this so⊠đ€·ââïž)
Marie Fury: Iâve been listening to an audiobook of Dracula. I love it, but some of the characters are so annoying.
Rorschach Tess: Go on...
MF: The men refuse to discuss their slaying activities with Mina, lest her feeble lady brain crumbles in horror. They go on about how sheâs a saint and how much they respect her, blah, blah, blah. But in trying to protect her they get outsmarted by Count Dracula (not surprising since Minaâs the only one with any sense) and she winds up drained like a Capri Sun. Itâs classic benign sexism.
RT: The whole book is pretty sexist. Lucy is your classic Madonna/whore. Remember, girls â âflirts get fangedâ.
MF: YES! Any woman who shows the slightest hint of sexual interest is a vampire slut. No wonder they are easy prey to Draculaâs naughty nighttime nibbling â at least as the undead they might get some action. Then again, the Count is pretty repulsive.
RT: Yeah, funny how Dracula is old and disgusting but lady vampires are young, beautiful temptresses with their baps out. Bram Stoker spends ages giving us lingering descriptions of their moist lips and suchlike.
MF: Bram STROKER, amirite?!
RT: Itâs all sexy vampiresses for the men but stops women readers getting any saucy ideas by banging on about how gross Dracula is.Â
MF: But eventually the patriarchy made a fatal mistake⊠and allowed Gary Oldman to be cast in the film version.
Both: <Drift into an Oldman reverie>
More things weâre drooling over this week: Enola Holmes movie, Delayed Gratification magazine, Phoebe Reads a Mystery podcast, Dark TV show, Dr Jess Taylorâs blog on why vulnerability is a myth and Billie Eilishâs response to body shamers đ€.Â
What are you loving or loathing this week? Drop us a line at hexsci.media@gmail.com
The HEX Science team
đ§ŹJean Splicer | âą Marie Fury | đ§ Rorschach Tess | đŹ Rosalind FranklyÂ