by LauraLewis23 on Flickr
“The long-term ineffectiveness of diets, particularly among those experiencing significant levels of obesity, is widely recognized, and many have argued that unsuccessful and repeated dieting is a source of psychological and physical harm.” (Throsby, see below for link).
Yet Americans, especially women, are spending $30 billion annually on weight loss, and usually, the “morally privlidged” strategies of diet and exercise alone. Why?
Karen Throsby, in her article “Happy Re-birthday: Weight Loss Surgery and the ‘New Me’,” has identified an important construction that women who go through Weight Loss Surgery (WLS) use to describe their post-surgery body: the “new me.” They describe the date of their surgery as their “re-birthday.” This construction associates the “new me” with the “real me” and creates an important implication for their fat body- it ISN’T real. I think this is something that holds true for all fat women – their body is somehow not their TRUE self.
This disciplining of the body happens at both the societal level and the individual level. The association of negative traits such as laziness and poor self-control with women who are fat is common, and there have been efforts in recent years to introduce legal protection for those who are discriminated against due to their weight. (For more on the legal position of fat Americans, see “The Right to be Fat“). But the disciplining is perpetuated by individual fat women themselves, who contribute to that $30 billion sum – which is not to say that they are at fault or morally cupable, be remind us that biopower is internalized in the individual.
The real problem with all of this for women’s bodies is that our personhood gets lost as we try to quantify our health through measures like BMI and terms like “overweight” “obese” and “morbidly obese.” In the same way women’s bodies are sexualized and objectified, fat women’s bodies are medicalized and objectified. Society looks at fat women and doesn’t see a person but a monster, the embodiment of sloth and gluttony.
Why do women participate in this discourse? Part of the problem is the myths around weight loss – namely, the quote that I began my post with – women believe that drastic weight loss is realistically achievable through dieting and exercising. And perhaps part of it is certain people’s desire to maintain their privileged status – because women with “fit” or “thin” bodies are privileged in our society. And why? Not for any reason based in good medical science.
Check out this flikr set of photos – “Illustrated BMI Categories“ to understand the problems with BMI.
Because “fit” “thin” women are “healthier”? Not necessarily. In fact, there’s even something called the obesity paradox: “overweight and moderately obese patients with certain chronic diseases often live longer and fare better than normal-weight patients with the same ailments.”
It’s time to stop calling fat bodies “bad” “diseased” and “monstrous.”
Hi Kaitlyn,
It seems to me that over-weight or obese people are now considered as “the new smokers”, in that their over-eating is seen as bad, disgusting, wrong, and we need to blame them for their lifestyle choices because “normal” people don’t like it. The question is, who are we to judge their choices and tell them that what they are doing is wrong ? Everyone has responsibility for their own lives.
We are living through a strange time and stick-thin seems to the ideal. Yet I am sure back in the 1930’s or 1940’s the curvy woman was more desirable and stick-thin women would be viewed as looking ill. It’s also country specific too. Many men in African countries love their big women and that is seen as the ideal shape to be, and some South American countries the ideal is a big ol’ butt. I think our fitness-mad society has created this ever thinner ideal.
While “Everyone has responsibility for their own lives.” is true to some extent, I think we need to also be aware of and try to respond to the social and environmental conditions that create “disease” (like obesity)–just as social and environmental conditions have created the thin ideal.
I was reading not too long ago on how the “self-image” plays a key role into how a person feels about themselves.
The surgeon describes how after surgery some people believe to be a new person, but there are others still who do not believe it. Those that believe they are a new person act differently… Those that don’t, well there life stays the same.
Before seeking surgery, the person needs to take a closer look at how they view themselves and what they can do to lose weight WITHOUT surgery.
Obesity is a social scourge which is hardly possible to quash and subside today.
Yet many publicity gimmicks and gigantic campaigns were launched within countries where the obesity rate is mounting apace and do not show signs of slowing down. As to warn folks over the health dangers and physical stigmatization obese persons would routinely endure, advertising agencies were urged to scroll down warnings and advise amid food ads, like McDonalds or Burger King.