Stigma And The Fat Body In American Culture

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As Amy Erdman Farrell discusses in her book Fat Shame: Stigma and the Fat Body in American Culture, anti-suffragists would use images of fat women and the shame and embarrassment associated with being a fat woman to discredit their argument that they deserved the right to vote. Early 19th century political cartoons feature fat women being made fun of for doing pretty much anything, such as traveling, riding a bike, or going to the beach. Often these cartoons accuse them of either being too poor and stupid or too rich, frivolous, and over-indulgent, of either being sexually promiscuous or so repulsive that only lower class, oddly-dressed men can find them attractive. Believe it or not, this ridicule closely mirrors some of the things you can