Fat as a neoliberal epidemic: Analyzing fat bodies through the lens of political epidemiology
Friedrich Schorb
Abstract
Since the establishment of the “obesity epidemic” narrative in the 1990s, several social ills have been attributed to fatness: among them urban sprawl, automatization, consumerism, working mothers, a crisis of self-reliance, the decay of religious values as well as the deterioration of the traditional family in general and the traditional family dinner in particular, to name only a few. However, describing fatness as a symptom of unwanted social developments is a pastime not exclusively reserved for conservative commentators. Progressive proponents who consider themselves part of a political epidemiology are likewise quick to interpret fat bodies as a symbol of social decay, a consequence of commodification, globalization, growing inequalities, and more generally the rise of neoliberal policies. In this paper I will offer a critique of this particular brand of the “obesity epidemic” narrative by analyzing three influential texts that characterize fat as a neoliberal epidemic. In conclusion, I will argue for a political economic analysis of health that not only respects weight diversity but recognizes weight stigma as a crucial part of growing social and health inequalities in contemporary Western societies.