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. I know you all like the back of my hand and I have never taken for granted the remarkable bond that we collectively share. At some point we should get together and have a communal FryDaddy party where we can celebrate by finally trying that deep-fried waffle recipe Mom keeps suggesting. I love you girls forever. Also for KWKE- As I’ve shared before: “There is one friend in the life of each of us who seems not a separate person, however dear and beloved, but an expansion, an interpretation of one’s self, the very meaning of one’s soul” (Wharton, 1934, p. 64). This is also for you. For challenging me in your own distinctive way (which I am almost certain you’re still unaware of) since your comb-over days. You are the anomaly in my life that incited this process. I have welcomed your opinion, have appreciated our affinity for sarcasm, and have continually placed importance on our unique “credibility” even though I didn’t always show it. Wherever you find yourself, I hope you know how special you are and that you are loved without agenda. So, after years of robot tears, pedestrian arguments, and missing you, I would like to convey one final thought: the view from my ivory tower is breathtaking and at this very moment… it actually is all about me. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS As my sole advisor, I owe Dr. Ellen Gorsevski the utmost gratitude as a knowledgeable mentor who has spurred me to be accountable and productive. Thank you for believing in this research, for staving off my reoccurring self-doubt, for offering so many personal anecdotes and examples, and for continuing to encourage me to strive for my best. Our discussions have been tremendously valuable and your direction has influenced me to look at my research with fresh eyes. Also, I would like to express my fondest appreciation for the humanitarian and peace- building efforts that are prominent in every realm of your work. From our first meeting in the fall of 2008 while I assisted you with the Media, War & Conflict Resolution Conference at BGSU, I knew that your personal contributions to the field were extremely significant in terms of critical scholarship and challenging social institutions even if in the most humble of ways. I also discovered that, as a warm, empathetic person, you convey a welcoming, down to earth character that I had yet to experience in a higher education setting. Your generosity and kindness were always evident by way of a friendly hug after a long absence or via an amusing story during a routine meeting. Thank you so much for these informal exchanges and for always being yourself. To Dr. Radhika Gajjala: Thank you for asking the tough questions and for pushing me to pursue multiculturalism, sustainability, realistic feminism, the notion of choice, and issues of class as intensely influential constructs of weight. Your suggestions definitely had me reeling, rethinking my arguments, “talking less about Jenny” and more about the research (including the voices that go unheard.) Your perspective has enlightened me to reevaluate alternative media use from Skype to blogging, realizing that the nuances associated with these mediums are ripe for study (especially concerning the issue of embodiment.) Also, as an aside, I want to thank you for your pleasant greeting on the very first day I stepped on campus, for talking with me about v personal matters, for keeping track of my early morning rants on Facebook, and for keeping me grounded when you knew I was stressed out. You went above and beyond the role of graduate student coordinator. What’s more, I will never forget the delicious curry that you made from the canned tomatoes I gave you right before the end of my coursework. That last day of class in Global Feminisms was probably the best time I had during the duration of the program and I’m so glad my classmates, you, and I were able to eat together, share stories about our foods, and laugh with each other in a way that I hope to someday encourage in my own classroom. For Dr. Lara Lengel, who sat with me on the fountain in front of the Administration building after the qualifier exams, listening to me while I cried. Thank you. I’m so glad you were there for me in that moment. Also, thank you for the opportunity to explore the gender-based, performative, and autoethnographic aspects of this topic early on. I think about the photos and music that I shared during your Communication & Gender course quite often, recalling that weight (just like all other communication phenomena) is a process of assimilation influenced by our own unique experiences. Moreover, thanks for the many insightful readings that you provided and for always expressing your legitimate concern in person and through email; and as a final point I would like to say that I will, if need be, attend another Sarah Palin rally in your company and risk getting thrown out so that we can heckle the speaker publically—but let’s hope we never see the day that she campaigns again. Also for Dr. Lisa Patterson Phillips who told me beforehand: “You already got through grad school once, you can do it again.” Thank you for the guest speaking invitations at Otterbein; they were valuable learning experiences and very beneficial to the writing process. Moreover, thank you so much for realizing the important role that weight discourses play in diversity conceptualizations. You backed me on this topic long before anyone else had a clue! I always vi trusted your judgment and appreciate that immensely. And for Dr. Michael Butterworth: I’m sorry I spilled orange juice in the copy of the journal you lent me regarding sport and weight—I didn’t mean to! Thanks for including a place for me at many tables of discussion regarding rhetorical criticism (locations that were somewhat foreign to me up until that point.) Even when I struggled with my difference in tradition and background, I felt that your willingness to oblige my writing and arguments, to entertain the dialogue of my research agenda in class, as well as the readiness to accommodate the evolution of my topic (even when I faltered), were intrinsic to my successful completion of the PhD degree and have allowed me a foothold in the field. I found your summer classes, along with the readings, to be extremely advantageous to my methods— plus the end-of-class session over cold beer and grilled homemade pizza outdoors on the patio at your home was definitely a welcome finale to the challenging, and sometimes frenzied, six week course. I also particularly enjoy your taste in baseball and the Black Keys. Many accolades also go to the faculty in the School of Media & Communication at BGSU, for Dr. Lee Nickoson from the Department of English for her service as the graduate faculty representative, for Angela Garner’s close editing, for Kelly and Rori with all of their support, smiles, and readiness to answer questions, and for my colleagues near and far: especially Brett, Emily, Cynthia (aka Dr. Rockstar), Franklin, Manda, Cory, Linda, Mwendah, Christian, Brian, Chris, Samara, Marne, Suzanne, Laura, Christy, Maria, Sitha, Veronica, Sheana, Yeon Ju, Cheongmi, Matt “banalization” Lamb, and other members of my own/other cohorts at BGSU for bravely requesting deadline extensions, for various suggestions, study groups, conversations about bacon, news articles, random collaborations, encouragement, drinks, bummed cigarettes, feeding my cats, offering feedback, being incredibly and refreshingly funny, and for other chance favors and kindnesses. vii Lastly, I would like to recognize several of the people that have inspired, strengthened, and provided for me throughout so many years of becoming “piled higher and deeper” in uncertainty, indigence (i.e. the kind experienced exclusively in Paula-land), loneliness, moving away, various illnesses, physical pain, low cash flow, knee surgery recovery, taking naps on couches, random transcriptions, and risking ending up “living in a van down by the river” while attending to the demanding scholarly achievements that I set forth to accomplish.