Annie Mac fans, listen up: the radio DJ is releasing a new podcast during lockdown. Changes With Annie Mac focuses on conversations with artists, writers, musicians and fascinating people about how we navigate and overcome some of the biggest changes in our lives – perfect listening for this strange time.

Mac’s first guest is writer and activist Caitlin Moran, who talks about growing up, sex, being a parent and pretty much everything else in between. It’s worth noting that the funny and fascinating conversation was recorded a week before lockdown. But many of Moran’s words seem even more poignant now, especially when she talks about making the change to no longer hate her body.

“This is a big thing for women,” she tells Mac. “It still seems to be a trope, apart from Lizzo, that every woman at some point, no matter how female positive and self-loving she is, will do a bit in her routine […] about hating her body.

Offering advice on how to deal with this, Moran adds: “It sounds all hokey and hippy, but you have to be your best friend. And even that, because that’s the thing we say often meaninglessly, doesn’t really cut through.”

She continues: “So the thing that I found is most useful for people who hate themselves and hate their bodies is saying to them: ‘Imagine you are your own dog. Imagine you are a lovely dachshund called Colin. Would you starve Colin? Would you tell Colin he’s ugly? Would you tell Colin he’s fat? Would you cut [out] Colin? Would you shout at Colin? Would you slag Colin off to other people?’

“And everyone would be like, ‘But no, that dachshund is adorable’. If you wouldn’t do it to a delightful dachshund like Colin, don’t do it to yourself.”

Although Moran’s message is an important listen regardless of the pandemic, it echoes the body image message shared by I Weigh activist Jameela Jamil last month.

“If you’re struggling with your weight and image in a moment of new foods, less exercise, and general loss of control,” Jamil tweeted, “just try to breathe and know it is only your responsibility to stay safe and protect others, not to be thin.”

In another social media post, she added: “Listen, try to just love your body for what it does, not for how it looks. Loving how it looks is too hard for some who need to unlearn all their self-hatred. Think of it as an amazing machine if you can. Even if it doesn’t work in all the ways you wish it would.

“Love what it can do. And know even thin actresses are covered in lumps and bumps and stretch marks. You just forget that because of bullshit airbrushing. Don’t worry about losing weight right now in this moment… just survive.”

Beat, the eating disorder charity, has published advice for anyone worried about the impact of coronavirus.

Caitlin Moran is the guest on episode one of Changes with Annie Mac out Monday 4 May. Subscribe to the podcast here.

Images: Carver PR