Fixing the Fat Body

Abstract

The abject is the realm of “I don’t want to be that!” (Butler 1993, 3). Butler describes the abject body as the material body that has smeared or blurred symbolic borders. The fat body is abject and hyper(in)visible. It is considered grotesque, it is loathed, and many go to extreme measures to eradicate it. It is stereotyped as out of control, and frequently its mere presence poses a threat to the self, the scene of interaction, and to others who must interact with “It.”