Acclaimed feminist author Roxane Gay has called out her "cruel and humiliating" treatment by Mia Freedman and Mamamia, after a podcast recorded when she was in Sydney last month was released on Sunday.
The podcast, in which Gay discusses her new memoir Hunger – about her challenges with size and a culture that demeans and refuses to accommodate fat people – was introduced by Freedman who aired sensitive claims about how the author was accommodated.
"A lot of planning has to go into a visit from best-selling author, college professor and writer, Roxane Gay," the podcast intro reads.
"Will she fit into the office lift? How many steps will she have to take to get to the interview? Is there a comfortable chair that will accommodate her six-foot-three, 'super-morbidly-obese' frame?"
In an accompanying article entitled "Why, for the first time, I have no photo from my interview with Roxane Gay," and which has since been removed from the Mamamia website, Freedman revealed "there were more than 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 then detailed this information, including requests for information about the lifts, stairs and chairs that the author would be seated in.
"I would never normally breach the confidence of what goes on behind the scenes while organising an interview but in this case, it's a fundamental part of her story and what her book is about," Freedman wrote.
"You see, Roxane Gay is……I'm searching for the right word to use here. I don't want to say fat so I'm going to use the official medical term: super morbidly obese."
In a series of tweets, Gay slammed the use of this information and language to introduce the podcast. "I am appalled by Mamamia," she wrote. "It was a shit show. I can walk a f---ing mile."
Gay also maintained that she never asked about lifts and only requested a sturdy chair.
"It is cruel and humiliating," she added in response to a comment from Ijeoma Oluo, editor of The Establishment, who wrote: "This is not how you talk about another human being, especially your own guest. Nobody should have to tell @mamamia that this isn't OK."
It is cruel and humiliating. https://t.co/XY2AU0XPFG
— roxane gay (@rgay) June 13, 2017
After being contacted by Fairfax Media for comment, Gay said "I've said what I need to say. This situation is disgusting and shameful and frankly it speaks for itself."
Twitter has gone into meltdown over the comments by Freedman, who was appointed chair of the National Body Image Advisory Group in 2009.
Oh Mamamia. When good intentions just do so much damage... this is appalling pic.twitter.com/Kni2nKpvkp
— courtney robinson (@courtney_ro) June 13, 2017
Mamamia's treatment of Roxane Gay & Cathcart's Paul Beatty interview r prime examples of why I cut off all Hate Race press back in January.
— Maxine Beneba Clarke (@slamup) June 13, 2017
Hey @Mamamia, I'm more worried about whether you can fit your prejudices into a lift.
— Kirsty Webeck (@KirstyWebeck) June 13, 2017
Who wants to guess that the #mamamia 'apology' to @rgay will be along lines of "I never meant to" "I didn't realise" "I was just trying to"?
— Nakkiah Lui (@nakkiahlui) June 13, 2017
Speaking like that about a guest, publishing private requests, tearing down women, all while claiming feminism. It’s sickening.
— Bec Shaw (@Brocklesnitch) June 13, 2017
Former Mamamia writer Rosie Waterland has tweeted that she burst into tears when she saw the exchange.
"As a fat woman who used to work there, I felt like I had to say something. To Roxane Gay, and any other plus-size woman, or any woman, who struggles with her body image. I tried daily to make them understand this stuff," Waterland wrote in a tweet.
"Obviously I failed to teach them anything. It's just really sad."
That's it from me. I'm so sorry @rgay. Just brutally, heart-achingly sorry. pic.twitter.com/1gDXP7t6FD
— Rosie Waterland (@RosieWaterland) June 13, 2017
Fairfax Media has contacted Mia Freedman for comment.
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