Fearing the black body : the racial origins of fat phobia
(Book)

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Published
New York : New York University Press, [2019].
Status
Central - Adult Nonfiction
305.48896 STRIN
1 available

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LocationCall NumberStatusDue Date
Central - Adult Nonfiction305.48896 STRINAvailable
Central - Adult Nonfiction305.48896 STRINChecked OutApril 16, 2024

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Published
New York : New York University Press, [2019].
Format
Book
Physical Desc
vii, 283 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm
Language
English

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description
"There is an obesity epidemic in this country and poor black women are particularly stigmatized as "diseased" and a burden on the public health care system. This is only the most recent incarnation of the fear of fat black women, which Sabrina Strings shows took root more than two hundred years ago. Strings weaves together an eye-opening historical narrative ranging from the Renaissance to the current moment, analyzing important works of art, newspaper and magazine articles, and scientific literature and medical journals--where fat bodies were once praised--showing that fat phobia, as it relates to black women, did not originate with medical findings, but with the Enlightenment era belief that fatness was evidence of "savagery" and racial inferiority. The author argues that the contemporary ideal of slenderness is, at its very core, racialized and racist. Indeed, it was not until the early twentieth century, when racialized attitudes against fatness were already entrenched in the culture, that the medical establishment began its crusade against obesity. An important and original work, Fearing the Black Body argues convincingly that fat phobia isn't about health at all, but rather a means of using the body to validate race, class, and gender prejudice."--Publisher's description.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Strings, S. (2019). Fearing the black body: the racial origins of fat phobia . New York University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Strings, Sabrina. 2019. Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia. New York University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Strings, Sabrina. Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia New York University Press, 2019.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Strings, Sabrina. Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia New York University Press, 2019.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

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