Feminism and Body Image: A Call for Societal Change
Is fat a feminist issue? | Victoria Smith | The Critic Magazine 🔗
The article examines the complex relationship between body image, feminism, and societal perceptions of fatness. The author reflects on their experience with body image issues, including a past eating disorder, and the disappointment of seeking solutions in feminist literature like Susie Orbach’s "Fat Is A Feminist Issue." It emphasizes that societal views often contribute more to body dissatisfaction than the bodies themselves. Contemporary feminist thinkers, like Kate Manne, advocate for changing the cultural context around fat bodies rather than focusing solely on self-acceptance. The piece critiques the inconsistency in feminist approaches to body image and the superficial solutions often offered, arguing for a deeper, more structural change in how society perceives and treats various bodies.
- The author struggled with body image and an eating disorder, seeking help in feminist literature.
- Kate Manne argues that societal attitudes, not individual bodies, are the real problem.
- The text critiques the inconsistency in feminist views on body image and superficial solutions.
What does the author suggest about societal views on bodies?
The author suggests that societal views contribute significantly to body dissatisfaction, often leading individuals to feel their bodies, rather than societal perceptions, are the issue.
How does the article view the solutions offered by feminist literature?
It views the solutions as often superficial and inadequate, emphasizing the need for structural change in societal attitudes toward bodies rather than just self-acceptance.
What does Kate Manne argue regarding fat bodies?
Kate Manne argues that the solution is not to improve self-image but to remake society to accommodate fat bodies, recognizing that there is nothing inherently wrong with them.