Fat acceptance 101: Midwestern American women’s perspective on cultural body acceptance

Abstract

Weight stigma is pervasive in the US, with body size being pathologised and weight loss urged for those of higher weights. However, there is a growing movement for fat acceptance and body positivity. The present study explored perceptions and experiences of cultural body acceptance trends among Midwestern American women who are trying to, or have tried to, "accept" their bodies. Participants (n=18) are self-identified women who have ever been labelled 'obese' on the Body Mass Index and have ever tried to develop a more positive relationship with their bodies.Participants were interviewed three times over the course of approximately one year using a semi-structured interview guide that explored their perceptions of how society represented and treated those of a higher weight. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and interviews and field-notes analysed thematically. Emergent themes included: greater (mixed) representation, lip service, and inclusive cultures. Ultimately, participants positioned shifting attitudes towards fat bodies within wider social trends toward greater inclusion and diversity in general, but remained frustrated by ceilings of acceptable size, disingenuous messaging, and cultural backsliding.

The Commodification of Body Positivity: Constructing a Neoliberal Fat Citizenship

“…Finally, as the body positivity movement gains momentum, Sastre (2014) performed a discourse analysis of various body positive websites to interrogate the ways in which these sites facilitate an enactment of body positive tenants. While each study acknowledged the contribution body positive spaces had made in the way of increased representation and access, the movement was characterized as 'lip service' with increased skepticism; citing the escalating "institutionalized, corporatized, and social media pushes for greater diversity" (Bombak et al, 2019). Participants were suspicious of advocates' ultimate motivations as countercultural resistance to conformity successfully and productively merged with entrepreneurial culture.…”

“…While this discourse of failed citizenship is a demonstrated characteristic of anti-fat discourse found in both traditional (Cain et al, 2017) and new media (Webb et al, 2019), body positivity was also found to engage in neoliberal ideology despite its commitment to resisting the same systems that had marginalized them. Minor turns in this literature are reflected in fatshion and beauty (Gurrieri & Cherrier, 2013;Scaraboto & Fischer, 2013), health and fitness (Webb et al, 2017;Webb et al, 2019) and self-care (Bombak, Meadows, & Billette, 2019;Cain et al, 2017).…”

“…Many argued that, given the importance of aesthetics for women in terms of employability, the lack of clothing or beauty options is detrimental to their socio-economic mobility. The body of literature found that political consumerism and conscious consumerism were frequent and effective tools of the fatshionista community (Adwoa & Ricciardelli, 2015;Bombak et al, 2019;Gurrieri & Cherrier, 2013;Scaraboto & Fischer, 2013;Webb et al, 2017).…”

“…While free market ideals retain a canonical presence in contemporary culture, progressive social ideas have been readily incorporated into capitalist marketing and promotional campaigns. This 'commodification of dissent' has been argued by many to constitute a key feature of contemporary neoliberal culture (Bombak et al, 2019;Cwynar-Horta, 2016;Sastre, 2014;Taylor, Johnston, & Whitehead, 2016). As body positivity continues to grow as a commodified value, an internal debate has flourished whereby members of the body positivity community question the shape the movement has taken in recent years.…”

“…While body positivity is still a new subject of academic research, scholars in the fields of sociology (Bombak et al, 2019;Taylor et al, 2019), media studies (Sastre, 2014), and fat studies (Cain et al, 2017;Rothblum, Solovay, & Gingras, 2009) have explored the concern and critique of community members over the commercialization of the social movement. Bombak, Meadows, and Billette (2019) interviewed a primarily homogenous sample of white, midwestern American women on their perspectives on cultural body acceptance; revealing the blend of positive and negative perspectives on the body positivity movement. As 'hip consumerism' dominates younger generations' relationship to consumer culture, Taylor, Johnston, and Whitehead (2016) explored feminist' perspectives on such advertisements as the Dove Real Beauty campaign as they engage with a postfeminist reality.…”