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Many people consider their weight to be a personal problem; when,
then, does body weight become a social problem? Until recently, the
major public concern was whether enough food was consistently
available. As food systems began to provide ample and stable
amounts of food, questions about food availability were replaced
with concerns about "ideal" weights and appearance. These interests
were aggregated into public concerns about defining people as "too
fat" and "too thin." Social constructionist perspectives can
contribute to the understanding of weight problems because they
focus attention on how these problems are created, maintained, and
promoted within various social environments. While there is much
objectivist research concerning weight problems, few studies
address the socially constructed aspects of fatness and thinness.
This book however draws from and contributes to social
constructionist perspectives. The chapters in this volume offer
several perspectives that can be used to understand the way society
deals with fatness and thinness. The contributors consider
historical foundations, medical models, gendered dimensions,
institutional components, and collective perspectives. These
different perspectives illustrate the multifaceted nature of
obesity and eating disorders, providing examples of how a variety
of social groups construct weight as a social problem.
What is "too fat?" "Too thin"? Interpretations of body weight vary
widely across and within cultures. Meeting weight expectations is a
major concern for many people because failing to do so may incur
dire social consequences, such as difficulty in finding a romantic
partner or even in locating adequate employment. Without these
social and cultural pressures, body weight would be only a health
issue. While socially constructed standards of body weight may seem
immutable, they are continuously re-created through social
interactions that perpetuate or transform expectations about
fatness and thinness. Understanding social constructions of body
weight requires insight regarding how people develop and use
constructions in their daily lives. While structural conditions and
cultural environments make important contributions to weight
constructions, the chapters in this book focus on the "social
processes" in which people engage while they interpret, negotiate,
resist, and transform cultural definitions and expectations. As
such, most of the chapters in this volume borrow from and
contribute to a symbolic interactionist perspective. Written by
sociologists, psychologists, and nutritionists, all of the chapters
in "Interpreting Weight" focus on how people construct fatness and
thinness. The contributors examine different strategies used to
interpret body weight, such as negotiating weight identities,
reinterpreting weight, and becoming involved in weight-related
organizations. Together, these chapters emphasize the many ways
that people actively define, construct, and enact their fatness and
thinness in a variety of settings and situations.
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