Fatphobia In 1984 Essay

Fatphobia in 1984 The world of 1984 by George Orwell is one of scarcity: of freedoms, of privacy, of peace of mind, of basic goods, of any of life’s pleasures at all. All but the few of the Inner Party go without in one way or another – often in a great many ways, one of which is frequently enough or quality food. In such a world then, would it not make sense for the overweight to be few and far between? As we see in the real world, aside from places of extreme starvation, that is not the case. Particularly among the proles of 1984, being overweight or obese is normal, as the foods the lower classes have always had the greatest and easiest access to tend to also be the same foods that expand their frame. The similarities to the real world do not end there, as the world of 1984 is also plagued by fatphobia – the fear, dislike, or oppression/marginalization of fat and obese people. Winston himself, George Orwell’s protagonist of 1984, constantly has fatphobic thoughts or makes fatphobic remarks. Deeply connected to this fatphobia is also an undercurrent of classism, something both Winston and the rest of Oceania indulge in heavily. The fat denizens of Oceania that …show more content…
While it’s always existed just like the other two, those that experience fatphobia generally do so on another praxis of oppression as well. For most, it’s classism as poor or working class individuals, like the proles of 1984. For a lot of others, it colors the sexism or racism they already receive. Like these other –isms, it would be easy to dismiss its presence in 1984 as the novel being a product of its time: of course it has fatphobia in it, look at when it’s written! Except, to follow through with that line of logic would be to assume our current era is completely without those same mindsets. When our modern media is still plagued with woes over fat welfare queens ruining the nation, we can’t claim it