Summary Statement: Fat Talk is Markey’s second chapter in her book Don’t Diet!, which examines focus-group discussions of young girls and how they adhere to an “I’m so fat” discourse. Through these discussions, they found that young girls participate in fat talk in order to show others that they are concerned with their appearance and are aware of their own faults. This sense of belonging is pervasive within adolescence as this rapport between girls establishes a sense of belonging and closeness within relationships.
Research Question/Hypothesis: Markey’s sought to figure out why young girls engage in fat talk. The question of whether or not talking about inadequacies about one’s weight had distinct meanings at different points in their lives, …show more content…
On the other hand, vulnerability plays a part in fat talk as it is a response to showing one’s body to others. Providing an apology for indulgence in food and group belonging and identification were also reasons for fat talk engagement. Fat talk proved to be a way for a group of friends to share comments about each other as well as build group solidarity. Adolescent girls who appeared to be of an average weight engaged in fat talk in order to negotiate their likeness with their friends, and to establish that they did not think they were better than others. Girls who would say “I’m so fat” were not necessarily looking to loose weight, however, they were analyzing what other girls thought about them in relation to their body. Talking about one’s imperfections established and maintained a girls position within a group, and calling attention to one’s own perceived flaws helped ease anxiety about others calling attention to them. Just as girls were expected to participate in fat talk, they also needed to be aware of their attitude when it came to accepting compliments as well, in order to not be perceived as “stuck up”, which would have negative consequences in regard to their social group. Girls needed to downplay their positive attributes in order to be accepted from their
Research Question/Hypothesis: Markey’s sought to figure out why young girls engage in fat talk. The question of whether or not talking about inadequacies about one’s weight had distinct meanings at different points in their lives, …show more content…
On the other hand, vulnerability plays a part in fat talk as it is a response to showing one’s body to others. Providing an apology for indulgence in food and group belonging and identification were also reasons for fat talk engagement. Fat talk proved to be a way for a group of friends to share comments about each other as well as build group solidarity. Adolescent girls who appeared to be of an average weight engaged in fat talk in order to negotiate their likeness with their friends, and to establish that they did not think they were better than others. Girls who would say “I’m so fat” were not necessarily looking to loose weight, however, they were analyzing what other girls thought about them in relation to their body. Talking about one’s imperfections established and maintained a girls position within a group, and calling attention to one’s own perceived flaws helped ease anxiety about others calling attention to them. Just as girls were expected to participate in fat talk, they also needed to be aware of their attitude when it came to accepting compliments as well, in order to not be perceived as “stuck up”, which would have negative consequences in regard to their social group. Girls needed to downplay their positive attributes in order to be accepted from their