which coincidentally are played by actors who are both fat and unattractive . It is this representation of the person in the fat body , repeated ad nauseum in the entertainment media , that bolsters the stereotype of the fat body , leading to further othering .
Knowledge of a bodily discourse is necessary to gain an understanding of the power inherent in the perception of that body . The foundation of the discourse of the fat body is the naturalized connotation of the fat person as untrustworthy , stupid , awkward , and morally bankrupt . With the media providing visual support to this discourse through its portrayals of the person in the fat body as irreparably flawed , how would the fat body ever have a chance to be accepted as equal ? With such a discourse attached to the fat body , the person in the fat body has their power removed before they are able to utter a single syllable . This is reminiscent of Foucault ’ s thoughts that knowledge linked to power not only assumes the authority of “ truth ,” but also has the power to make itself true ( Foucault 134 ). In this case , the power of the thin body discourse gives those that possess the knowledge of a “ bodily truth ,” i . e . their thin bodies , power over those with fat bodies that are assumed to be void of such knowledge . In this way , those whose bodies do not reflect truth and therefore power are relegated to a position of powerlessness that leads to othering . All of this is indicative of the fact that it is the discourse , not the subject , that is the producer of knowledge ( Foucault 93 ). The application of the thin body as superior discourse , in effect , others the person in the fat body , thereby negating their ability to change their social standing because the knowledge implied by their bodies does not give them a chance to do so , and they are immediately dismissed as inferior . In the episode “ Slash Fiction ,” Bobby , Sam , and Dean attempt to torture a captured Leviathan in the hopes of understanding anything about them . This scene is an excellent example of the idea of the powerful thin body and the irreparably flawed fat body . In the first interaction of the season between the Leviathan and Sam and Dean , it quickly becomes apparent that despite being tied to a chair , the Leviathan , much like the person in the thin body , is the one with the power . He is physically powerful , highly intelligent , cool , attractive , and exuding self-confidence . He exhibits no fear of Sam and Dean and continues to remind them of their weakness , stupidity , powerlessness , and the innumerable reasons why humans are inferior to the Leviathan .
In addition to being a means of removing its agency , the coding of the fat body ’ s relationship to food as its major failure is also one of the more powerful ways of othering the fat body . After losing one ’ s agency , the transition to a place of “ other ” is achieved by associating the moral qualities of the food the fat body eats with the perceived morality of the person within that
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