The Story of a Formerly Fat Man: A Study of “The Body” in a Society of People Obsessed with Being Slim

Authors

  • Ratchapon Yamkeep Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology, Thammasat University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61462/cujss.v49i1.743

Keywords:

the body, obesity, body transformation

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the process involved in giving meaning to “the body” in contemporary society. It involved an analysis of the experiences of a young male named “Man”, who had been able to remarkably transform his body that society viewed as “inappropriate”. He had reduced his body weight from 140 kilograms to 75 kilograms in less than one year. Qualitative methodology involving in-depth interviews and the life story approach was used in the analysis of Man’s story. The sociological perspectives of Michel Foucault, Anthony Giddens and Judith Butler were employed to illustrate that body transformation involved a relationship between agency and social structure. Moreover, the research results show that “the body” should not be understood simply as something natural or as a social construction. In fact, “the body” gained was a product of a process of interactions between nature and society.

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References

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Man, interview by Ratchapon Yamkeep, April 21, 2017.

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Published

14-09-2022

How to Cite

Yamkeep, Ratchapon. 2022. “The Story of a Formerly Fat Man: A Study of ‘The Body’ in a Society of People Obsessed with Being Slim”. Chulalongkorn University Journal of Social Sciences 49 (1). Bangkok, Thailand:175-93. https://doi.org/10.61462/cujss.v49i1.743.

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Section

Research Articles