AT ERRORIST ODIES F T B By Lorena D. Espinoza Guerrero Submitted to Central European University Department of Gender Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Erasmus Mundus Master´s Degree in Women´s and Gender Studies (GEMMA) Main Supervisor: Dr. Nadia Jones-Gailani (Central European University) Second Supervisor: Dr. Adelina Sanchez Espinosa (University of Granada) Budapest, Hungary CEU eTD Collection 2020 FAT TERRORIST BODIES By Lorena D. Espinoza Guerrero Submitted to Central European University Department of Gender Studies In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Erasmus Mundus Master´s Degree in Women´s and Gender Studies (GEMMA) Main Supervisor: Dr. Nadia Jones-Gailani (Central European University) Second Supervisor: Dr. Adelina Sanchez Espinosa (University of Granada) Budapest, Hungary 2020 CEU eTD Collection DECLARATION I hereby declare that this thesis is the result of original research; it contains no materials accepted for any other degree in any other institution and no materials previously written and/or published by another person, except where appropriate acknowledgment is made in the form of bibliographical reference. I further declare that the following word count for this thesis are accurate: Body of thesis (all chapters excluding notes, references, appendices, etc.): 32.527 words Entire manuscript: 49.065 words Signed Lorena D. Espinoza Guerrero CEU eTD Collection Abstract Fat, as a socially imposed adjective, contains a myriad of preconceptions and prejudices that have allowed engagements with fat bodies to be problematic at best, violent at worse. Fat bodies, through the construction of the obesity epidemic and the war against fat, have been transformed into dangerous bodies that generate and experience fear. My own experience as a fat woman whose body has been medicalized has prompted me to question what is it that makes our bodies dangerous. The process of the medicalization of fatness is intrinsically linked to biopower structures that seek to regulate the body through biomedical discourse. The perpetuation of a weight/health paradigm, along with discourses that frame fatness as a direct result of individual choices and therefore as cureable, has given way to regulatory mechanisms that stigmatize and discriminate against fat bodies. Gordofatphobia, the term I use to describe said processes of stigmatization, has framed fat bodies as dangerous bodies that defiantly challenge the normalizing regulations imposed by society. Fat bodies hence become a source of fear, our refusal to conform to the norm turning us into fat terrorist bodies. For this reason, fat people, and people in general, choose to engage with what I term fatnormativity (gordonormatividad in Spanish) – behaviors and actions geared towards eliminating fatness from the body. The experience of inhabiting fat bodies that generate fear is not culturally or geographically bound; the stigmatization of fatness speaks to a transnational phenomenon deeply rooted in imperial and colonial discourses of power and body regulation. Through autoethnography and my proposed revolting methodology, I engage in a queer decolonial practice that seeks to destabilize traditional narratives of fatness. In doing so, I offer fear and terror as potential fields for action. Key Words: fat, obesity epidemic, war, revolting methodology, gordofatphobia, fat terrorists, fatnormativity – gordonormatividad. CEU eTD Collection ii Resumen Gorda, vista como un adjetivo impuesto socialmente, contiene un millar de preconcepciones y prejuicios que han permitido que el trato dado a lxs cuerpxs gordxs sea problemático y violento. Lxs cuerpxs gordxs, a través de la construcción de la epidemia de obesidad y la guerra contra la gordura, han sido encasilladxs como cuerpxs peligrosxs que causan y sienten miedo. Mi propia experiencia como mujer gorda es lo que me ha llevado a cuestionarme qué hace que nuestros cuerpxs se tornen peligrosos. El proceso de medicalización de la gordura está intrínsecamente ligado a estructuras de biopoder que buscan regular lxs cuerpxs a través de los discursos médicos. La perpetuación del paradigma peso/salud, junto con discursos que presentan la gordura como resultado directo de las acciones del individux la cual puede ser curada, han dado lugar a mecanismos reguladores que estigmatizan y discriminan a lxs cuerpxs gordxs. La gordofatphobia, término que utilizaré para referirme a estos procesos de estigmatización, ha clasificado a lxs cuerpxs gordxs como cuerpxs peligrosxs que desafían las regulaciones normalizadoras impuestas por la sociedad. De esta forma, lxs cuerpxs gordxs se convierten en cuerpxs que causan miedo; nuestro rechazo a seguir la norma, a su vez, nos convierte en cuerpxs gordxs terroristxs. Por esta razón, tanto las personas gordas como la sociedad en general eligen participar en lo que yo llamaré “fatnormativity” (o gordonormatividad en español): comportamientos y acciones direccionadas a eliminar la grasa del cuerpo. La experiencia de habitar un cuerpx gordx que causa miedo no es una experiencia ligada a un contexto cultural o geográfico. El proceso de estigmatización de la gordura responde a un fenómeno transnacional profundamente arraigado en discursos de poder imperiales y coloniales que buscan regular los cuerpos. A través del uso de la autoetnografía y mi metodología repugnante, participo en una practica queer y decolonial que busca desestabilizar los discursos tradicionales acerca de la gordura. Con esto, ofrezco el miedo y el terror como posibles campos de acción. Palabras clave: gorda, epidemia de obesidad, guerra, metodología repugnante, gordofatphobia, CEU eTD Collection terroristas gordxs, fatnormativity – gordonormatividad. iii Acknowledgements Completing this work has been a dream come true. One that could not have been possible without the love and support of my family and friends. This dream would also not have been possible without the GEMMA (Erasmus Mundus Master’s Degree in Women's and Gender Studies) consortium and the generous Erasmus Mundus scholarship I received from the European Commission. I feel blessed for having been afforded this honor. I thank all the members of the GEMMA consortium that have worked hard over the years to create this program. The support I have received during the past two years has been unprecedented. The present work is as much my own product as it is the result of said love, care, and support. It would probably take me a lifetime to give thanks and recognize all the people that have made this possible. For this reason, I want to say thank you to all who have been a part of this journey. I would also like to give a special thanks to the following people: To Dr. Nadia Jones Gailani, there are no words to express the gratitude I feel towards you. The compassion and support you offer your students are unprecedented. Thank you for believing in me, at times more that even I believed in myself. Thank you for helping me become the scholar and the person that I am today, I could not have done this without you. A la Dr. Adelina Sánchez Espinosa, gracias por acompañarme en este proceso y por siempre tener una palabra cálida, incluso desde la distancia. To Dr. Sara Smith, thank you for creating a challenging and inspiring learning space where I felt safe pushing my own boundaries, proposing new ideas, and producing new knowledge. I also thank you for the humanity with which you approached your students and gave us a space to learn and grow. To all the members of the CEU Gender Studies Department, thank you for this wonderful experience. I would also like to thank Dr. Jasmina Lukic for her role as CEU GEMMA Coordinator. Furthermore, I would like to sincerely thank Dr. Francisca de Haan, Gender Studies Head of Department at CEU, for her support, understanding, and compassion. A todo el equipo del departamento de Estudios de Género en la Universidad de Granada, y a los miembros del programa GEMMA, gracias por el apoyo constante. En especial doy gracias a Omayra y Dresda por siempre tener una palabra de apoyo y de ánimo, por su comprensión constante, y por toda la ayuda y apoyo que he recibido desde que comencé el programa. To the wonderful academic mentors I have had the privilege to learn from and who have supported me for years throughout this journey with their guidance and innumerable letters of recommendation: Dr. Stefano Mula, Dr. Natasha Chang, Dr. Stephen Forsell and Prof. Jeff Goodman, thank you for believing in me and for helping me accomplish this goal. CEU eTD Collection To Areeb Arshad, thank you for your constant support, for the many hours spent in conversation, for believing in me and pushing me to do my best, for the unlimited amount of daal, for the millions of post its, for the smiles, and above all thank you for your patience. This thesis would not have been possible without you. TAS! To Emily “Pizza” Rosenkrantz, thank you for being my rock, a safe space I can always return to. Thank you for reminding me that the concept of family goes beyond any notion of blood ties or nationality. iv Thank you for the twelve years of adventures across countries and continents. Thank you for everything you have taught me. I love you with all my heart. To Ain, thank you for always reminding me that giving up is not an option, and for also reminding me that I am not alone in this battle we call life. To all the amazing people I met through my experience at CEU, thank you for creating such a beautiful space for me to learn and grow. Marcela, Max, Aiza, Jessica, Camila, Tere, Poly, Evvi, and our 2018- 2020 cohort as a whole, thank you for all the different ways in which you inspired me and walked besides me in this journey. To my beautiful GEMMA cohort in Granada, Kamelia, Pieter, Corienne, Fátima, Claudia, Silvia, Aida, and Agostina, you have no idea how much I have learn from all of you this past year.