Hyper(in)visibility and the Paradox of Fat

Abstract

Jennifer¹ is a 34-year-old woman from the upper Midwest in the United States. She is 5'2" and wears a size 22. She is unsure of her exact weight but guesses that she is around 230 pounds. Jennifer is considered “obese” by medical standards and has been so for most of her life. She was “average” size until she was eight years old but began gaining weight shortly thereafter. Her mother would often question how much she ate and began to restrict her food intake. Jennifer explained that she and her siblings would eat as much junk food as they could when their parents were away for the evening. She stated that this was probably a precursor to overeating, which she tends to do when she restricts her food intake or is upset or stressed. Recently she decided that she had to eat more healthfully and she eliminated processed foods and soda but reported that she always keeps sweets around because she is less likely to overindulge if they are available. She no longer diets because restriction, at least in her case, leads to overeating or bingeing.