Talking Fat: Health vs. Persuasion in the War on Our Bodies

Fat is bad, right? Well, no, being fat in and of itself is not bad. However, for the last decade we have been so inundated with messages about fat that it is revolutionary to think otherwise. These messages, this rhetoric, though not succeeding in making our society thinner or healthier, have been a resounding success in making us believe that fat is a Very Bad Thing and that fat people are Very Bad People. The rhetoric of the "war on obesity" has only succeeded in increasing prejudice and decreasing health in the very people targeted for "help" while increasing profits for those perpetuating such rhetoric.

In this book Dr. McMichael examines the rhetorical success of the current "obesity" propaganda while considering its absolute failure to make people thinner or to make a difference in the health of the American people. Considering empirical studies and statistics as well as the actual experience of fat people, McMichael asserts that the "obesity epidemic" is about many things -- prejudice, profit, control, etc. -- but it is not about health. Arguing that our current paradigm is only hurting our society and the individuals within it, McMichael calls for a change in policy and perspective on fat in American society.