Representing Fat Female Bodies
A Fat Studies Analysis of Selected Literary Texts
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 20156591 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jessica Murray (0000-0003-1128-1007, University of South Australia) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 99-111 |
| Publication date | 2020-04-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Literary Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0256-4718 • E-ISSN: 1753-5387 |
| Publisher | Unisa Press (PUBLISHER • ZA) |
| DOI | 10.1080/02564718.2020.1787713 |
| OpenAlex | W3044177912 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 6 |
The representation of fat female bodies is a highly contested and fundamentally political activity through which a number of gendered discourses are inscribed on and perpetuated through the construction of fat female corporeality. Fat still tends to be regarded as an aberrational deviation from the “normal” female body with fat women being relegated to the margins of critiques of how women are represented in popular culture discourses. Yet the fear of fat works as effectively in disciplining women as actual fat does. Far from being a niche area of women’s lived experience, fat phobia works to shape the reality of all women in ways that are profoundly gendered. This article will utilise the theoretical rubric of Fat Studies to explore selected literary texts that offer very positive representations of fat female bodies. If all representation is inherently political, the positive representation of fat women, unfortunately, still continues to constitute a radical political act. I will show how, even as these authors portray fat women in a positive light, they always situate their bodies within socio- cultural spaces in which systemic fat phobia prevails. This article will thus demonstrate both the possibility of positive representation and the ubiquitous nature of the forces that challenge such representations. The novels I will explore are Big Bones by Laura Dockrill (2018), 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad (2016) and Dietland by Sarai Walker (2015)
Aesthetics · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Diversity and Impact of Dance · Gender Studies · Law · Obesity and Health Practices · Philosophy
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |