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    Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia
    Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia
    Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia
    Audiobook7 hours

    Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia

    Written by Sabrina Strings

    Narrated by Allyson Johnson

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    How the female body has been racialized for over two hundred years

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateApr 21, 2020
    ISBN9781705219584
    Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia

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    Reviews for Fearing the Black Body

    4.5/5

    112 ratings8 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I am a healthcare professional who learned a lot from this eye-opening book. Sabrina Strings takes the listener far back in history to show where modern day fatphobia in the US (and Europe) originates, clearly illustrating interplays between fatphobia, racism, and sexism. The audio book narrator's voice was a bit monotone for my liking, yet I thoroughly enjoyed the book regardless! I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in fat liberation, HAES (Health at Every Size) , and body positivity, but especially to healthcare professionals interested in learning about the relationships between weight, health, sex, and race with a critical eye.

      4 people found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I support the concept so it's hard to admit that this read like a textbook. I've read other books related to this topic that are a bit more straightforward and digestible, but I appreciate that this one provided a thorough history. I also enjoyed the narration.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      A fantastic and well researched book on the origins on fatness as it relatea to weight and race. Displaying that much of this idea was essentially made up to fit racist ideology.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Amazing book with lots of research. I recommend it 100 %. Enjoyable narration and good sound quality.
    • 5/5
      Very enlightening. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to educate themselves on the root cause of fatphobia.
    • 5/5
      If you’re wanting to know more about sexism, fatphobia, and white supremacy and how those topics are linked in Western society, especially the US, then this book is worth the read. There is some truly shocking sexist and racist history in this book.
    • 1/5
      The voice of the narrator was horrible. I wasn’t able to focus. I would recommend reading it yourself and not listening to the audiobook.
    • 2/5
      I was disappointed! I was looking forward to learning more, but it’s hard to remember when I’ve last been so bored listening to a story. I gave up a third of the way in.