Overcoming the Odds: Disability Studies, Fat Studies, and Rhetorics of Bodily Control

Laura Thacker

doi:10.59236/rjv14i1pp81-100

Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric Sep 2014 Open Access

Overcoming the Odds: Disability Studies, Fat Studies, and Rhetorics of Bodily Control

Laura Thacker

Abstract

As the field of disability studies expands, a question that is cropping up in theoretical discussions more and more often is whether or not Fatness falls into the category of disability. Theorist April Herndon gives a compelling argument for the inclusion of Fat within disability studies, making an especially interesting connection between the idea of “elective disability” in the Deaf community (associated with a refusal to undergo procedures for cochlear implants or similar surgeries) and the idea that Fat people actively “choose” to be Fat by foregoing medical treatment. Herndon states, “[B]oth Fat and Deaf people are often considered morally blameworthy when they choose not to adopt recommended treatment. Similarly, both fatness and deafness are routinely recognized as medical conditions but seldom as the counter-hegemonic identities of Fat and Deaf, especially within the contexts of law and medicine” (128). The connection Herndon is making is that, rather than recognizing Fat and Deaf as identities that many people embrace, both are seen as defects that could and should be fixed. Thus, Herndon is making a clear connection between Fat studies and disability studies—that of medicalization, perceived choice, and normalization.

Journal: Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric
Published: 2014-09-01
DOI: 10.59236/rjv14i1pp81-100
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Topics: disability studies
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Overcoming the Odds: Disability Studies, Fat Studies, and Rhetorics of Bodily Control

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