Is the obesity epidemic overemphasized? Does a singular focus on obesity take away from a focus on health, regardless of body size?
This is the argument explored by Winona State University Associate Professor April Herndon in her recently released book Fat Blame: How the War on Obesity Victimizes Women and Children.
Fat Blame tackles the war on obesity as a battle against women and children, especially those marginalized by race and class. Herndon explores widespread anti-obesity sentiment, the role of discrimination in the war on obesity, and myths surrounding “empowerment” of the victims through policies and interventions. The book looks closely at the stories of real people whose lives have been drastically altered by interventions that are thought to be for their own good.
Herndon is a faculty member in the English Department in the WSU College of Liberal Arts. She also teaches for the Women’s and Gender Studies program.
Herndon is a regular contributor as a health writer at Psychologytoday.com and her April 2012 post, “My Beef with Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Campaign,” questions the quest for thin children versus the quest for healthier children.
For more information, contact April Herndon.
