Michelle Obama's Rhetoric Concerning the Let's Move!
SUGAR, SALT, AND FAT: MICHELLE OBAMA’S RHETORIC CONCERNING THE LET’S MOVE! INITIATIVE, BINARY OPPOSITION, WEIGHT OBSESSION, AND THE OBESITY PARADOX Jenny A. Armentrout A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2011 Committee: Ellen Gorsevski, Advisor Lee Nickoson, Graduate Faculty Representative Radhika Gajjala Lara Lengel ii ABSTRACT Ellen W. Gorsevski, Advisor The goal of this project was to conduct a textual analysis on the social and political implications of First Lady Michelle Obama’s rhetorical artifacts from 2009 to 2011 regarding her childhood obesity campaign and widely-supported initiative entitled Let's Move! The analysis examined the remarks made by Michelle Obama regarding childhood obesity at five separate speaking engagements. The research focused on the rhetorical and social construction of weight, while emphasizing the immediate need for policy-change and a human rights focus in relation to weight discourses. The major objective of this work was to investigate discursive and symbolic themes of empowerment, peace-building, violence, dehumanization, globalization, sustainability, consumption, consumerism, and performativity while drawing on critical rhetorical studies and health communication scholarship to challenge the status quo of binary opposition, weight obsession, and the obesity paradox in lieu of contemporary US weight discourses. iii This is dedicated to Katje, Sarah, and Rachael- For always listening to my incessant rambling, singing, and ridiculous jokes, for putting up with all of my whining, for practically holding my hand and dragging me through the hardest times, for telling me: “I don’t want to hear ‘I can’t’ come out of your mouth!” and for being my trusted, lifelong biological/proverbial sisters/bfffs.
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