Why It’s OK to Be Fat
“Why It’s OK to Be Fat” by Rekha Nath, published by Routledge in 2024, explores the pervasive anti-fat sentiment in Western societies and its impact on individuals. This edition, comprising 286 pages, presents a critical examination of how fat people face discrimination, inferior medical care, and societal shame. Nath argues that the conventional views of fatness as a pathology or moral failing are misguided and calls for a reevaluation of these perspectives.
Readers will find a thorough investigation that combines empirical research with moral reasoning, challenging dominant narratives surrounding weight and health. The book emphasizes the importance of viewing fatness through the lens of social equality, highlighting the structural injustices faced by fat individuals. By addressing the concept of sizeism, Nath positions this issue alongside other forms of discrimination, such as racism and sexism, urging society to recognize and confront these biases.
Official synopsis Publisher
Officially, Western societies are waging a war on obesity. Unofficially, we are waging a war on fat people. Anti-fat sentiment is pervasive, and fat people suffer a host of harms as a result: workforce discrimination, inferior medical care, relentless teasing, and internalized shame. A significant proportion of the population endures such harms. Yet, that is not typically regarded as a serious problem. Most of us aren’t quite sure: Is it really OK to be fat? This book argues that it is.
In Why It’s OK to Be Fat, Rekha Nath convincingly argues that conventional views of fatness in Western societies–as a pathology to be fixed or as a moral failing–are ill-conceived. Combining careful empirical investigation with rigorous moral argumentation, this book debunks popular narratives about weight, health, and lifestyle choices that underlie the dominant cultural aversion to fatness. It argues that we should view fatness through the lens of social equality, examining the wide-ranging ways that fat individuals fail to be treated as equals. According to Nath, it is high time that we recognize sizeism–the systematic ways that our society penalizes fat individuals for their size–as a serious structural injustice, akin to racism, sexism, and homophobia.
For additional online material from the author, related to this book, please see rekhanath.net
Author
Publisher
Topics
FAQ
What is “Why It’s OK to Be Fat” about?
Who is the author of “Why It’s OK to Be Fat”?
When was “Why It’s OK to Be Fat” published?
What is the ISBN for “Why It’s OK to Be Fat”?
What are the book details (language, pages, edition)?
