cancer scare and am determined
to enjoy life”. To the readers
it could be construed that her
weight loss has prevented her
dying from cancer. Although
this is not said explicitly, the
article provides readers with
two statements: one that states
Anita had a cancer scare whilst
she was overweight, the other
that she is living a healthy
life free of cancer now she
is thin. They leave readers
to make their own connection
between the two. Maor comments
that weight loss narratives
often present “fat bodies... as
temporary
and
changeable”
(2013, p.89) and thus it could be
argued that just as “fat bodies”
are easily altered, so too is the
chance of developing cancer
through weight loss.
Being big
can erode your
confidence
Perhaps the biggest selling
point for losing weight is
increased confidence and the
wider impact this can have.
Reese (2008, p.4) states that if
women feel they look like the
before picture then their body
type is not acceptable and thus
not good enough. The weight-loss
narratives of Gill and Anita
revolve around the increase
in confidence they have gained
from losing weight.
Gill focuses on the physical
contentment associated with
feeling good in her skin, as
opposed to how she felt in
her body before weight loss.
She reflects that she used
to “shroud” herself in “baggy
clothes”, connoting not only
the theme of feeling invisible
that Anita touches on, but also
of death. A shroud - a garment
that envelopes a dead person
for burial - is used here with
sentences such as “life was a
struggle”. This illustrates how
low Gill’s sense of self-worth
was before she lost weight; it
is almost implies Gill was not
truly alive until she began
to look like the ‘after’. It is
commendable Gill has changed
her life and now feels good
about her body. However, this
sends a damaging message to
women that they cannot wear
nice clothes or feel truly alive
if they resemble the body type
typically portrayed by the
‘before’; to look like the ‘before’
is unacceptable.
Anita
provides
a
more
nuanced example, regarding
her career. She describes the
situation ‘before’: “At work my
boss told me I was becoming too
aggressive. It was a defence
mechanism because I felt so bad
about myself.” This contrasts
significantly with the ‘after’:
“I have a new positivity and
confidence at work. My boss says
I’m a different person.” This
provides further evidence that
weight loss is sold to women as
something that will enable you
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