Fat Shaming: A Neoliberal Performance Review - Unveiling the Hidden Script Behind Body Policing

Authors

  • Mubra Noor BS Social Science of Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan.
  • Areeba Noor BS Social Science of Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55737/qjssh.725165441

Keywords:

Fat Shaming, Neoliberal Ideology, Body Policing

Abstract

The paper examines the widespread occurrence of fat shaming from the perspective of neoliberal ideology. The argument posits that fat shaming is not solely a societal stigma, but rather a deliberate strategy based on neoliberal principles that prioritise personal accountability, self-control, and economic efficiency. The study examines how overweight bodies are subjected to scrutiny and marginalisation through the analysis of cultural narratives and media portrayals. This reinforces socioeconomic hierarchies and perpetuates a cycle of discrimination and exclusion. The analysis emphasises the interconnectedness of fat shaming with matters of gender, race, and class, emphasising the necessity for a more comprehensive and analytical discussion on body politics. This critique seeks to question the underlying neoliberal ideology that supports the enforcement of societal standards on bodies, and instead promotes a more empathetic and fair approach to embracing and promoting variety and well-being.

Author Biography

  • Areeba Noor, BS Social Science of Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, National University of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan.

References

Bayer, R. (2017). Healthism: Culture, medicine, and the pursuit of perfection. University of California Press.

Bordo, Susan (2003). Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Butler, J. (1993). Bodies that matter: On the discursive limits of "sex." Routledge.

Carpino, T. L. (2017). Young Women’s Perceptions and Experiences of Skinny and Fat Shaming (Doctoral dissertation, Carleton University).

Cooper, Charlotte (2016) Fat Activism: A Radical Social Movement. Bristol: HammerOn Press.

Knox, H. (2019). Fat Shaming vs Fat Empowerment: The Construction of Fat Bodies in Neoliberal Discourse. Cultivate The Feminist Journal of the Centre for Women's Studies,

Murray, S. (2008). Cultural History of Fat. In V. Pitts-Taylor (Ed.), Cultural Encyclopedia of the Body (pp. 167-172). Greenwood.

Puhl, R., & Brownell, K. D. (2001). Bias, discrimination, and obesity. Obesity Research, 9(12), 788–805. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2001.108

Ravary, A., Baldwin, M. W., & Bartz, J. A. (2019). Shaping the body politic: Mass media fat-shaming affects implicit anti-fat attitudes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 45(11), 1580-1589. https://escholarship.mcgill.ca/catalog?locale=en&q=10.1177%2F0146167219838550&search_field=identifier_tesim

Rose Spratt, T. J. (2023). Understanding ‘fat shaming’ in a neoliberal era: Performativity, healthism and the UK’s ‘obesity epidemic’. Feminist Theory, 24(1), 86-101. https://doi.org/10.1177/14647001211048300

Warbrick, I., Came, H., & Dickson, A. (2019). The shame of fat shaming in public health: moving past racism to embrace indigenous solutions. Public Health, 176, 128-132. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2018.08.013

Zareba, J., & Peri, F. (2021). Microglial ‘fat shaming’ in development and disease. Current Opinion in Cell Biology, 73, 105-109. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ceb.2021.07.007

Published

2023-03-31

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Noor, M., & Noor, A. (2023). Fat Shaming: A Neoliberal Performance Review - Unveiling the Hidden Script Behind Body Policing. Qlantic Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 4(1), 1-5. https://doi.org/10.55737/qjssh.725165441

Similar Articles

11-17 of 17

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.