In the 2011 documentary Fed Up pediatric endocrinologist Dr. Robert Lustig, discussing the use of medical imaging to investigate body composition, states that “when you slide somebody [who is thin] into an MRI and you actually visualize the fat, they might as well be obese” (Soechtig 1:12:59-1:13:14, emphasis mine). The statement accompanies footage of fat teen…
Author: Robyn Peers
Robyn Peers is a Ph.D. candidate in English Literature and Language at the University of British Columbia. Her research examines how scientific discourse around weight and health functions rhetorically to provide a scientific imprimatur to the marginalization of fat people. Her research seeks to highlight how such sanctioning of fatphobia is intertwined with ideology and ethos, taking as primary objects of study North American health-and-nutrition documentaries from the past two decades. Her other research interests involve studying the myriad ways in which different niche communities work both within and outside of officially sanctioned medical discourse in formulating identity and establishing ethos. She received both her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Waterloo.
What We Consume in a Day: Weighing Anti-Fat Stigma on TikTok
TikTok is a platform known for launching a variety of trends that often disappear as quickly as they arise. One trend that has displayed remarkable persistence, however, is the “What I Eat in a Day” (WIEIAD) video. This trend has been critiqued for potentially promoting disordered eating and triggering those in recovery from disordered eating….
Ozempic Face, Unmerited Body
“She’s definitely got Ozempic face.” This phrase, incomprehensible to most even as recently as a year ago, has been popping up more and more on social media and in the tabloids. Semaglutide, an antidiabetic drug, is most known by the two brand names under which it is sold: Ozempic, approved for type 2 diabetes…
Not a Pinch, but a Burn: Validating Pain in Reproductive Health Settings
“I would say it’s just a pinch, but that’s not true. You’ll feel a prick when I insert the needle, and then a burning sensation. It’ll last for about thirty seconds and it will be unpleasant, but then it’ll be over.” I am not used to having my pain acknowledged in clinical settings when it…
Funny Pink Pill: The Discourse of Delirium on r/DPH
A few years ago I stumbled upon a corner of the internet providing advice intended to guide new users through a nightmarish “trip” using the common antihistamine Diphenhydramine (DPH), more commonly known by the brand name Benadryl. The subreddit r/DPH has existed since April of 2014, currently boasts over 40k members and has risen in prominence in…