1. WEIGHT DISCOURSE AND HUMAN RIGHTS Jenny A. Armentrout, PhD Student, BGSU DESIRE Scholars Workshop:

2. Link (5:40) Link (all if there is time) My research interests/background… Weight is a multi-faceted topic thatMATTERS and effects EVERYONE… Intro… The Colbert Report

3. PART 1: Weight Effects Every Medium & Message

4. Weight Discourse? What? A few immediate, politically-charged examples... Michelle Obama Chris Christie Candy Crowley Marilyn Wann Kevin Smith

5. Current US Weight Discourses The mainstream media tells us… obesity= “lazy, gluttonous, shameful, wrong, deviant, one’s own fault, unsexy, unproductive, and physically unattractive” obesity = the last socially accepted stigma obesity= low agency in the public sphere

6. Current US Weight Discourses The CDC tell us… approximately 67% of people in the US are now either overweight or obese it is ok to perpetuate “epidemic” and “disease” ideologieswithin American culture obesity is unhealthy and costly, driving increased rates of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease we must wage war against and eradicate obesity (map)

7. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1990 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14%

8. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1991 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19%

9. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1992 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19%

10. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1993 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19%

11. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1994 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19%

12. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1995 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19%

13. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1996 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19%

14. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1997 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% ≥20%

15. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1998 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% ≥20%

16. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 1999 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% ≥20%

17. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 2000 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% ≥20%

18. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 2001 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% ≥25%

19. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 2003 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% ≥25%

20. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 2004 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% ≥25%

21. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 2005 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% 25%–29% ≥30%

22. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 2006 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% 25%–29% ≥30%

23. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 2007 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% 25%–29% ≥30%

24. Obesity Trends* Among U.S. AdultsBRFSS, 2008 (*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs. overweight for 5’ 4” person) No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% 25%–29% ≥30%

25. PART 2: The Human Rights Issue

26. The Status Quo For the aforementioned reasons we allow weight to effect US culture in the following ways… it has been exacerbated as a spectacle-creating, fear-invoking, medicalized, political, dialectical, capitalistic, consumer-driven, economical, socially-accepted, sexual, Puritanical (right/wrong)tension it is a type of cultural violence that is influenced by systemic, structural, and institutionalconfigurations it is both pervasive and constitutive, resulting in the stigmatization, marginalization, and discrimination of individuals of size

27. Size/Weight Stigmatization Anti-obesity attitudes begin early in childhood Weight stigmatization can be categorized as an abomination of the body that blemishes the individual character, and it may be heightened by race, gender, or economic background family members, doctors, classmates, sales clerks, friends, and coworkers all participate Individuals of size are “othered”

28. Size/Weight Marginalization Self-perception, other-perception, acceptance, denial, and misrepresentation all perpetuate obesity marginalization Sense of self and body satisfaction become intertwined Individuals of size contend with a symbolic, innate, and concrete state of limbo

29. Size/Weight Discrimination Discrimination is seemingly innate… the unfair treatment of one person or group usually because of prejudice about race, ethnicity, age, religion, gender, and/or size/weight Individuals of size physically do not “fit in” at work, in cubicles, in theaters, in restaurants, in social situations, nor in various public transportation situations; they have trouble finding clothing that fits, sometimes have weight-related nicknames, and are shamed privately and publicly 12% in 2004–2006 (increasing) Education, health care, and employment Michigan remains the only state with an anti-discrimination law that includes sizeism

30. PART 3: Is Weight Acceptance Possible?

31. Communication As individuals of size we must question our personal communication tactics… Nonverbal artifact displays Relationship management Humor use (sarcasm, self-denigration, etc.) Humor function (identification, clarification, enforcement, and differentiation) Adopting the “jolly fat person” stereotype

32. Personal Coping We must consider our psychological tendencies and body image… Accept your size. Love and appreciate the body you have. Self-acceptance empowers you to move on and make positive changes. Trust yourself. We all have internal systems designed to keep us healthy – and at a healthy weight. Support your body in naturally finding its appropriate weight by honoring its signals of hunger, satiety, and appetite. Adopt healthy lifestyle habits. Develop and nurture connections with others and look for purpose and meaning in your life. Fulfillingyour social, emotional and spiritual needs restores food to its rightful place as a source ofnourishment and pleasure.Find the joy in moving your body and becoming more physically vital in your everyday life.Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full, and seek out pleasurable and satisfying foods. Beattentive to the experience of eating and to which food choices truly help you feel good. Embrace size diversity. Humans come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Open to the beauty found across the spectrum and support others in recognizing their unique attractiveness. -Health at Every Size, 2009

33. Reframing Let’s rethink our word choices. Instead of… overweight, fat, plump, large, round, voluptuous, rotund, curvy, podgy, fleshy, big, corpulent, etc. Obesity is “a complex occurrence caused by the interaction of genetic, cultural, socioeconomic, racial, behavioral, physiologic, performative, metabolic, cellular, and molecular influences” Fat is similar to “coming out of the closet” if one is homosexual. Many reclaim the term as a badge of defiance in the same way that gays/lesbians associate with terms like "queer" and/or “dyke" People of size andindividuals who are overweight/obese are phrases that can be used to allow for our acknowledgement of a person’s individuality, agency, and satience

36. Express Yourself Read and participate in ongoing discussions… Big Fat Blog The Rotund Fat Activist Network Joy Nash’s Fat Rant Blog Kate Harding’s Shapely Prose

37. Take Action Consider researching, supporting, joining, or donating to the size acceptance movement… NAAFA site ASDAH site ISAA site

38. PART 4: Conclusion

39. Peace-building Initiatives We must contemplate the possibility for resistanceandchallenge the status quo We must consider the political implications of changing one’s attitude We must address our own attitudes toward difference andDIVERSITY We must begin to imagine and support the changing of a world where issues of weight, size, and shape are possibly the last existing socially-accepted forms of prejudice We must be comfortable with the awareness that this moment of struggle is an ongoing internal conflict rather than one specific moment of discursive rapture We should question such divisions instated by a culture that champions human rights and the democratic ideal

40. Final Thoughts & Questions? “Scales are for fish, not people.” -Susie Orbach 2004 "The Church says: the body is a sin. Science says: the body is a machine. Advertising says: The body is a business. The Body says: I am a fiesta." -Eduardo Galeano 1997 “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince