Word Usements
Language is power. Which is why this Utne Reader story is so fascinating.
[T]he language we use to describe fat people smacks of race, class, and gender stereotypes. More euphemistic words for fat are used to describe those in higher-paying professions… [A] Google search for “portly” resulted in descriptions of doctors, lawyers, and professors, but rarely for janitors and plumbers… Race was another factor influencing word-choice. Although “white man,” “white woman,” “black man,” and “black woman” all got around the same number of hits when the phrases stood alone, adding “fat” skewed the results. The phrase “fat black woman” got eight times as many hits as “fat white woman,” while “fat white man” got 12 times as many hits as “fat black man.” [Do they mean the opposite?]
They attribute this to the fact that there’s more willingness to label people who are already disenfranchised. Now, as noted above, either their statistics are backwards (which doesn’t really lend them credibility) or they don’t really pan out. And as the comments point out, if overweight is more prevalent in the black community, for whatever reason, then isn’t it possible that it is talked about more? And yet, there is more than a grain of something interesting here. I was just googling around and on the Urban Dictionary entry for lardass, there is a list of synonyms:
fat ass, fatty, fat, obese, tubby, big ass, fatass, salad dodger, ass, bbw, booty, butt in front, chafer, chubber, fat chick, slut, spandex, grossness, super-size, ten ton tilly, thunder thighs
Note how many of them refer specifically to women, vs. how many refer specifically to men. And “slut” being thrown in there right after “fat chick”? Uber-disturbing.
Conduct your own experiments; let us know the results in the comments. Via Jezebel.
Posted by mo pie
Filed under: Advocacy, Fatism, Feminism, Race & Ethnicity
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that is an interesting take on how fat is used in language. I have always been one to think about the background behind a word instead of what it is related to out in the open. Though all the synonyms make me shake my head I really have no clue what the person was thinking when they came up with “salad dodger”
I think it’s entirely possible that their results of having fat white man appear more frequently than fat black man, based on institutionalized racism. I’d bet that rather than fat black man, you’ll see more big black man – size in a threatening way, solely because of race.
Well, us fattyfatfatfatties clearly are only eating junk foods, right? I mean, if we ate healthy, we wouldn’t be all fattyfatfatfat, right? Since salads are healthy, the natural and logically scienterrific conclusion is that fat people don’t eat salads.
*end sarcasm*
From my new book, The Luscious Lady’s Lexicon:
Stop listening to the bleating of the sheep in the media and women who refuse to think for themselves. You do not have to be thin to enjoy a sensual, fun, fulfilling life. What you need are self-esteem, self-exploration, and knowledge. That is why I want every curvy woman to stop calling herself “fat,” “overweight,” and every other hurtful name she has ever heard and start referring to herself as a Luscious Lady.
What’s wrong with the word “fat”? Isn’t it merely a descriptive term, the opposite of “thin”? No, despite what some “fat activists” may say. “Fat” is not a mere description; it is a word that is used to scare women into buying useless junk and to make them feel bad about themselves. Even thin women are not immune. Until “fat” loses its negative connotations, I prefer not to use it.
I googled the exact phrases “fat white man” and “fat black man.” The white guys got about 950 results. The black guys got about 14,500. References to either the Utne Reader piece or the Gastronomica story were on the first page of both sets of results.
Heh. Back when I was internet dating (before I met and married the sexy Frenchman), I used to describe my figure as “hourglass, with lots of extra sand”.
Got a lot of hits, I did. :)
Micki – refusing to use the word “fat” to describe ourselves keeps giving it power to be a negative descriptor. The only way to have it lose its negative connotations is for us to reclaim it. The only way to reclaim it is for us to use it to describe ourselves and keep repeating to all those who object that “fat” is an adjective, just like tall, short, blond, brunette, green-eyed, etc etc etc. I don’t see anything negative in describing myself as fat. I am fat, and saying I’m luscious is not going to change the fact that I am fat and it’s not going to change anyone’s mind about my size.
You can call yourself whatever you want. If the word “fat” honestly doesn’t bother you, that’s fine with me. But many women need another way to look at themselves, and don’t need to be reminded of the rude and insulting comments that they have endured in their lives.
By the way, Mo’nique (the comedienne/actress) says FAT means “Fabulous And Thick.” So if you want to look at it that way, that’s alright too.
I am totally a salad dodger. The last time someone tried to hand me a salad, I feinted left and then dodged off to the right just to get away from all those scary fresh vegetables. I dodged really slowly, though, of course! Because I’m fat!
I was talking to one of my friends about the subway commercials where a woman is going through a drive-thru and says “I want a badonkadonk butt.” as if just because someone has a natural female body shape, they eat McDonald’s every single day, every single meal. I’m not even overweight anymore but my hips are 11 inches larger than my waist and they probably always will be. (and yes I’m black) so I feel insulted that people always assume that just because you have an ass/hips then you’re fat. And I think the badonkadonk thing is kind of racist.
Micki, in the UK, where I’m from, “thick” means stupid – coincidentally another fat stereotype. Since I’m far from stupid, I prefer to call myself fat, though I have nothing against calling myself luscious either.
I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t use the title “Thick Chicks.”
School dinners started me off in the art of salad dodging, but I was skinny back then because I dodged everything else about school dinners as well. Now that I’m much fatter, I actually rather like salad (although I still dodge the beetroot).
Speaking of gross assumptions about what people eat in the other direction, I will scream if I hear one more reference to pies in people’s ‘helpful’ advice to the fat. I think it’s linked to the football chant, but whatever, it’s a cliché from the kind of idiots who assume fat people who do eat healthily are lying.
As for the word ‘fat’ itself, I’m OK with it as a noun to describe adipose tissue, and an adjective to describe the condition of having large quantities of said tissue.
What I’m not OK with is the use of the word ‘fatty’ as a noun, which seems to be becoming more frequent in certain quarters. A ‘fat person’ is exactly that – a person, a human being. A ‘fatty’ has had the reference to them being a person removed – the user of that term is seeing someone as nothing more than their fat. Subtle, but very significant.
seeing someone as nothing more than their fat
Interesting point – sort of the verbal equivalent of the “headless fatty” photos that are the rule in newspaper stories. (Maybe that’s why we tend to call those photos that, sensing the equivalency – someone being portrayed with no head and no face, just fat.)
Hey All,
This is quite the interesting discussion. I’m a black woman (I’m not big though) and I just think fat is a bit more accepted in black culture. I come from Jamaica and the last time I was there there was a billboard with a fat woman, eyes lit up; as money rained down on her–it was an ad to get people playing the lottery. When you look at all the other billboards, they’re either Bible verses, or have pretty average people on them.
The only skinny people you see are on the ads from the States for the GAP or some shit, and in comparison to all the other people on the ads–black (and occassionally white) of all different sizes; you look at those American billboards and say “Damn, that’s ridiculous!”
I can’t educate White people on what’s goin’ on for the big girl in other cultures, but I can try to let you know what I’ve seen in mine. Just go around asking ethnics yourselves or surf the net. Hell, hammer me with questions if need be, I don’t mind. BUT I do have to say this girl Keisha is dead-on with a lot of those issues and she is definitely a Big Beautiful Black Woman so check her out, she’s pretty insightful and covers a bit of your questions in this 8 minute clip (she also has a 2 min follow up clip too which is good).
Keisha: “RE: Misconceptions About and Ideologies of Fat People”
http://youtube.com/watch?v=M87Ic4SrHuQ
Cheers,
~Davita Cuttita
“salad dodger” is a new one on me. Made me giggle a little.
I’m curious if obesity IS a bigger problem in black people than white? I wouldn’t have expected that, for some reason.
Davita, my husband and i are pretty much the token white folks in our neighborhood; the women in our area come in all shapes and sizes. All’s i know is that my body gets more appreciative looks around my house than it does in the more white parts of town.