Three positions on the fat body: Evaluating the ethical shortcomings of the obesity discourse

Abstract

This article raises serious ethical concerns regarding the medical discourse on obesity. It offers a description of three alternate positions on the fat body: the scientific approach dominant within medicine, the critical view mainly raised by social scientists, and the voices of fat people themselves. By viewing and comparing the perspectives these positions reveal, it is possible to underline the complexity of the problem labeled as the “obesity epidemic” and draw attention to serious ethical concerns in the mainstream medical discussion. Medicalization of fat people narrows the focus on the “obesity epidemic” where it is framed as private and personal rather than social and political. It is also argued that the hegemonic discourse of medicine omits the social embeddedness of fat people and ignores their own voices and narratives. This undermines the well-being of fat people and hides their humanity as well.