Talking Fat
Health vs. Persuasion in the War on Our Bodies
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- USD 5.99
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- USD 5.99
Publisher Description
Fat is bad, right? For the last decade we have been so inundated with negative messages about fat that it is revolutionary to think otherwise. This rhetoric has increased prejudice and decreased health in the very people targeted for "help" while increasing profits for those perpetuating it. Considering empirical studies and statistics as well as the actual experience of fat people, Dr. McMichael asserts that the "war on obesity" is about many things, but it is not about health. She calls for a change in policy and perspective on fat in American society. "McMichael provides a thorough and compelling expose of the prejudice that underlies obesity rhetoric and a compassionate, tenable solution," says Linda Bacon, Ph.D., author of Health At Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight. " This book may make you angry, but it will also give you hope."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Between celebrities showcasing their weight loss and headlines about the obesity epidemic, America is always thinking about weight. However, there remain questions about the actual health risks of obesity and whether or not a thinner lifestyle is a lasting possibility for everyone. In McMichael's (Talking Fat: Health vs. Persuasion in the War on Our Bodies) latest book, claims of "healthism" are questioned, and she suggests that the ideology is a way to perpetuate prejudices against the overweight. The book is most successful when it analyzes the way weight issues are presented in public. From the dehumanizing, headless images of the obese on the evening news to diet programs' acquisition of fat-acceptance vocabulary, contemporary culture reproduces the same stereotypes of overweight people that have been in circulation since the Victorian era. In presenting solutions, McMichael relies too much on bell hooks's ideology of domination, rehashing arguments that feel dated, such as trying to "take back" a negative term from the oppressor. The book drags as it struggles to pave a path toward cultural reform, despite this being a worthwhile endeavor. However, it is a useful introduction to a burgeoning movement and will make readers question their attitudes about overweight people.
