What do you think?
Rate this book
Fat-Talk Nation: The Human Costs of America's War on Fat
In recent decades, America has been waging a veritable war on fat in which not just public health authorities, but every sector of society is engaged in constant fat talk aimed at educating, badgering, and ridiculing heavy people into shedding pounds. We hear a great deal about the dangers of fatness to the nation, but little about the dangers of today's epidemic of fat talk to individuals and society at large. The human trauma caused by the war on fat is disturbing and it is virtually unknown.
How do those who do not fit the ideal body type feel being the object of abuse, discrimination, and even revulsion? How do people feel being told they are a burden on the healthcare system for having a BMI outside what is deemed with little solid scientific evidence healthy ? How do young people, already prone to self-doubt about their bodies, withstand the daily assault on their body type and sense of self-worth?
In Fat-Talk Nation, Susan Greenhalgh tells the story of today s fight against excess pounds by giving young people, the campaign s main target, an opportunity to speak about experiences that have long lain hidden in silence and shame.
Featuring forty-five autobiographical narratives of personal struggles with diet, weight, bad BMIs, and eating disorders, Fat-Talk Nation shows how the war on fat has produced a generation of young people who are obsessed with their bodies and whose most fundamental sense of self comes from their size. It reveals that regardless of their weight, many people feel miserable about their bodies, and almost no one is able to lose weight and keep it off. Greenhalgh argues that attempts to rescue America from obesity-induced national decline are damaging the bodily and emotional health of young people and disrupting families and intimate relationships.
Fatness today is not primarily about health, Greenhalgh asserts; more fundamentally, it is about morality and political inclusion/exclusion or citizenship. To unpack the complexity of fat politics today, Greenhalgh introduces a cluster of terms biocitizen, biomyth, biopedagogy, bioabuse, biocop, and fat personhood and shows how they work together to produce such deep investments in the attainment of the thin, fit body. These concepts, which constitute a theory of the workings of our biocitizenship culture, offer powerful tools for understanding how obesity has come to remake who we are as a nation, and how we might work to reverse course for the next generation.
How do those who do not fit the ideal body type feel being the object of abuse, discrimination, and even revulsion? How do people feel being told they are a burden on the healthcare system for having a BMI outside what is deemed with little solid scientific evidence healthy ? How do young people, already prone to self-doubt about their bodies, withstand the daily assault on their body type and sense of self-worth?
In Fat-Talk Nation, Susan Greenhalgh tells the story of today s fight against excess pounds by giving young people, the campaign s main target, an opportunity to speak about experiences that have long lain hidden in silence and shame.
Featuring forty-five autobiographical narratives of personal struggles with diet, weight, bad BMIs, and eating disorders, Fat-Talk Nation shows how the war on fat has produced a generation of young people who are obsessed with their bodies and whose most fundamental sense of self comes from their size. It reveals that regardless of their weight, many people feel miserable about their bodies, and almost no one is able to lose weight and keep it off. Greenhalgh argues that attempts to rescue America from obesity-induced national decline are damaging the bodily and emotional health of young people and disrupting families and intimate relationships.
Fatness today is not primarily about health, Greenhalgh asserts; more fundamentally, it is about morality and political inclusion/exclusion or citizenship. To unpack the complexity of fat politics today, Greenhalgh introduces a cluster of terms biocitizen, biomyth, biopedagogy, bioabuse, biocop, and fat personhood and shows how they work together to produce such deep investments in the attainment of the thin, fit body. These concepts, which constitute a theory of the workings of our biocitizenship culture, offer powerful tools for understanding how obesity has come to remake who we are as a nation, and how we might work to reverse course for the next generation.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published May 26, 2015
4 people are currently reading
246 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 27, 2015
Fat-Talk Nation by Susan Greenhalgh provides an interesting look at the real human costs of America's war on obesity. Having always had a naturally athletic body, I never thought about how the war on fat impacted me, it was always just something in the background that I'd hear about on the news. Having now read this book, I realize that the war on fat impacts everyone, regardless of body type.
While I was hoping for a book that was a little more scientific, this book still provides some valuable information for readers. Fat Talk Nation gives stories to the barrage of data that is available, illustrating the problem on a more personal level.
I liked that the stories were written in the persons own words, rather than a summary by the author. And I also enjoyed that there were a wide variety of voices displayed. I would definitely recommend this book for those who are interested in the war on fat and also for any American citizen who thinks that they are not impacted by this war.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
While I was hoping for a book that was a little more scientific, this book still provides some valuable information for readers. Fat Talk Nation gives stories to the barrage of data that is available, illustrating the problem on a more personal level.
I liked that the stories were written in the persons own words, rather than a summary by the author. And I also enjoyed that there were a wide variety of voices displayed. I would definitely recommend this book for those who are interested in the war on fat and also for any American citizen who thinks that they are not impacted by this war.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 29, 2015
I received a copy from Netgalley. This is a very necessary book - most children who have grown up in a world of "the war on obesity" are now college aged or older and are able to voice the effect this war had on them in poignant ethnographies. Not surprisingly, the war on fat has done little to improve people's lives, instead shaming and emotionally harming those whose BMI doesn't fit into a "normal" scale. Considering that most BMIs are read without taking into account vital components needed to actually be able to understand a person's health, this is often devastatingly harmful while having the opposite effect that the shaming is intended to have. Hearing such a variety of voices from all kinds of bodies - thin to fat - is incredibly useful to us as a society to understand the harm even well-intentioned comments ("wow! You lost weight, you look fantastic!") can have. A criticism would be that the author sometimes edges on being overly subjective when describing the essays, and uses some euphemisms I think sound silly.
July 3, 2015
In Fat Talk Nation, Susan effectively uses a less used anthropological tool, auto-ethnographies to bring forth the lived experiences of America's new generation who are the victims of the nation's war on fat. There is no bloodshed nor loss of lives this time..but this is an equally tragic war that is chipping away at the sense of self-identity and confidence of America's young generation.
Susan argues that America's new war on both obesity and under-weight has created a scenario where people who deviate from the BMI norms are seen as biologically defective, chronically ill, and even as a threat to others based on 'research evidence' that obesity can be socially contagious. She identifies a range of actors driving this war including corporate interests, government agencies and scientists who are busy marshaling the resources for an all out war without stopping to examine the underlying reasons (such as high calorie funds, GMO foods, poverty) or its future implications.
It is one of those rare anthropological works that makes itself accessible and endearing to readers. Each one of us who shelters even a mild disdain for people who are overweight or underweight need to read this book. It helps us understand the implications of our words and actions right from the individual level all the way upto the national policy making level.
Susan argues that America's new war on both obesity and under-weight has created a scenario where people who deviate from the BMI norms are seen as biologically defective, chronically ill, and even as a threat to others based on 'research evidence' that obesity can be socially contagious. She identifies a range of actors driving this war including corporate interests, government agencies and scientists who are busy marshaling the resources for an all out war without stopping to examine the underlying reasons (such as high calorie funds, GMO foods, poverty) or its future implications.
It is one of those rare anthropological works that makes itself accessible and endearing to readers. Each one of us who shelters even a mild disdain for people who are overweight or underweight need to read this book. It helps us understand the implications of our words and actions right from the individual level all the way upto the national policy making level.
November 14, 2020
As a survivor of an eating disorder, where I was sure that controlling calories would help me control everything, I am very sensitive to discussions about fat.
Let's face it, we all know that today, fat is more of a political topic than a health one. And that is why we keep getting larger.
My mother always struggled with her weight. And she needed a partner. I was dragged to every WW and OA meeting, forced to eat ice milk and drink diet soda, and always took off half a burger bun.
Guess what? I wasn't fat. In no photo am I fat.
But later on in life I did gain weight, and realized that the way I looked was how I pictured myself my whole life.
This book tells the stories of the victims of Fat fear and fat talk. It's important.
I received this free from NetGalley.
Let's face it, we all know that today, fat is more of a political topic than a health one. And that is why we keep getting larger.
My mother always struggled with her weight. And she needed a partner. I was dragged to every WW and OA meeting, forced to eat ice milk and drink diet soda, and always took off half a burger bun.
Guess what? I wasn't fat. In no photo am I fat.
But later on in life I did gain weight, and realized that the way I looked was how I pictured myself my whole life.
This book tells the stories of the victims of Fat fear and fat talk. It's important.
I received this free from NetGalley.
dnf
March 26, 2021I did not finish this book. I agree with the premise. All the fat-talk in the country is not good for the society.
The author says things like the efforts taken to prevent obesity in children by eliminating junk in city-run schools in NYC "Such programs, and those aimed at preventing childhood obesity, hold considerable promise, but evidence of their effectiveness remains limited". Maybe I am so ingrained in the "fat is bad, thin/fit is good" ideology, but in my opinion, efforts like "Let's Move" by Michelle Obama to keep children active is not a bad thing.
The author says things like the efforts taken to prevent obesity in children by eliminating junk in city-run schools in NYC "Such programs, and those aimed at preventing childhood obesity, hold considerable promise, but evidence of their effectiveness remains limited". Maybe I am so ingrained in the "fat is bad, thin/fit is good" ideology, but in my opinion, efforts like "Let's Move" by Michelle Obama to keep children active is not a bad thing.
August 8, 2017
More fat shaming out of California.
August 22, 2017
While I agree with the point the author is trying to make, it is written from an outsider perspective which ends up treating fat people as test subjects rather than human beings.
June 17, 2015
I reviewed this book for NetGalley.
Dr. Greenhaigh's book, "Fat-Talk Nation" reveals the deeply moving personal stories of victims of "America's War on Fat." Her narrative of sometimes traumatic ordeals of people mentioned in the book is disturbing and enlightening.
I can understand the plight of these individuals since I have been normal weight most of my life, then unhealthily thin (hyperthyroidism) and at times, rather plump. And I have been treated very differently depending on my weight, despite being the same person!
This is an excellent book to begin the much needed discussion on the problems created by the "fat" industry, Big Food, the media and the orthodox medical establishment. Perhaps this book will take us all to the final happy destination of being a healthy, comfortable and happy weight and not worrying about it, and most especially, acceptance of different physically attractive body types (not everyone is tall, thin and blonde) and celebration of different types of beauty.
Very well done and timely book!
Dr. Greenhaigh's book, "Fat-Talk Nation" reveals the deeply moving personal stories of victims of "America's War on Fat." Her narrative of sometimes traumatic ordeals of people mentioned in the book is disturbing and enlightening.
I can understand the plight of these individuals since I have been normal weight most of my life, then unhealthily thin (hyperthyroidism) and at times, rather plump. And I have been treated very differently depending on my weight, despite being the same person!
This is an excellent book to begin the much needed discussion on the problems created by the "fat" industry, Big Food, the media and the orthodox medical establishment. Perhaps this book will take us all to the final happy destination of being a healthy, comfortable and happy weight and not worrying about it, and most especially, acceptance of different physically attractive body types (not everyone is tall, thin and blonde) and celebration of different types of beauty.
Very well done and timely book!
July 21, 2015
"Advanced skimming" was my approach to this book so I can't say I read it in its entirety. I skimmed most of it and read the introduction and conclusion carefully. I was blown away by this book and quite frankly a bit blind-sided. The bottom line is that America's approach to the war on obesity is not really achieving its goal and its primary tactics of shame and false indexing (like the very faulty BMI) are creating more problems than they're solving (anxiety, depression, and self-esteem issues) especially in children.
October 12, 2015
I thought this is a valuable topic and an interesting way to explore it -- by sharing the insights of college students at the forefront of discussions of body and weight. My main critique is that the student essays felt over-edited by the author, which made them feel inauthentic and possible harder (rather than easier) to read.
March 20, 2016
This is really closer to 2 1/2. I think the author brings up several good points.
Too much of the push on being thin is for the sake of being acceptable and not for the sake of good health.
One issue I see is that this is called Fat-Talk Nation, but is mainly centered on southern Californians, especially those of college age.
Too much of the push on being thin is for the sake of being acceptable and not for the sake of good health.
One issue I see is that this is called Fat-Talk Nation, but is mainly centered on southern Californians, especially those of college age.
January 11, 2017
I can't recommend this. The author stated pretty early on that she didn't want this to read "academically", but her efforts to prevent that didn't work. Very dry, very hard to get anything out of.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews