Navigating Fatphobia and Gender Embodiment

Abstract

Drawing on post-structuralist feminist theory about the body and health, this thesis critically deconstructs the experiences of Lebanese women who have undergone bariatric weight loss surgery and their reasons for undergoing it. Using Interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA), this research explored the intersecting reasons that drove seven women to undergo weight loss surgery. The analysis uncovered five overarching themes central to the participants’ experiences: (1) Socialization as Fat women, (2) The consequence of being socialized as fat women, (3) Navigating Uncertainty and Change throughout the weight loss surgery journey, (4) Navigating the body in its relational context throughout weight loss surgery journey, and (5) The effects of socioeconomic status and environment. This study contributes to the literature on fatness and gender, anti-fat bias, and the sociocultural and psychological aspects of being a weight loss surgery recipient, which is otherwise unexplored in Lebanon.