‘Fat girls’ and ‘big guys’: gendered meanings of weight loss surgery

Abstract

Over 80% of weight loss surgery (WLS) patients are women, yet gender is overwhelmingly absent in WLS research. This article discusses the findings of 54 interviews with twenty-one women and six men waiting for WLS in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. We critically examine the ways that gender shapes the meaning of WLS in these narratives. We explore gendered meanings in participants' perspectives on their embodied experiences before surgery, social support as they decided to undergo the procedure, and their expectations for their lives after WLS. We draw on feminist theory to explain how these findings counter the dominant gender-neutral medical model of obesity.

What are the support experiences and needs of patients who have received bariatric surgery?

“…While there is some evidence of sex differences in the experience of bariatric surgery, clear differences in support needs between the sexes were not evident in our data. Men and women consistently discussed a similar range of support needs and experiences.…”

Understanding the gendered nature of weight loss surgery: insights from an Australian qualitative study

“…Men's self-esteem and sense of self were less tied to their eating practices and the appearance of their bodies with men much less likely to report challenges about their relationship with food following surgery and more openly discussing their surgery with others. As has been found in previous studies a big body may be an asset and source of pride for some men, a positive sign of strength and masculinity (Monaghan, 2008;Monaghan & Malson, 2013;Temple Newhook et al, 2015), while women commonly experience their big bodies as a source of shame (Lewis et al, 2011). These gendered cultural and social expectations with respect to body size were reflected and frequently reinforced during their interactions with health professionals.…”

“…For women in this study their bodies and eating practices were more closely bound with their sense of self as reflected in their discussions about their unchanged relationship with food following surgery. Women also provided more individualistic explanations for their obesity, attributing their obesity to early socialisation experiences, particularly with respect to eating practices and these practices were bound into their sense of self (Temple Newhook et al, 2015). These findings are similar to existing studies that show women internalise a greater sense of guilt and shame associated with their weight and eating practices and are much more likely to refer to themselves, their eating habits and their weight in a derogatory manner (Bordo, 2003;Murray, 2010;Rich & Evans, 2005;Throsby, 2008;Trainer, Brewis, Hruschka, & Williams, 2015).…”

“…Rates of weight loss surgery differ significantly according to gender with 75% of all surgical procedures undertaken internationally occurring in women (Welbourn et al, 2014). Gender differences were identified as priority research areas in the first International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) report (Welbourn et al, 2014) and qualitative researchers have also indicated a need to include more males into studies of weight loss surgery (Temple Newhook, Gregory, & Twells, 2015).…”

“…With the exception of a recent Canadian study that addressed the gendered meaning of weight loss surgery in the narratives of men and women undergoing surgery (Temple Newhook et al, 2015) gender has not been a focus of analysis in studies of weight loss surgery (Groven, 2014;Natvik, Gjengedal, Moltu, & Råheim, 2015;Ogden, Clementi, & Aylwin, 2006;Ogle, Park, Damhorst, & Bradley, 2015;Thomas et al, 2010;Throsby, 2007Throsby, , 2008. However, studies of media portrayals and promotion of weight loss surgery found that promotion of weight loss surgery is gendered with surgery portrayed as taking responsibility for their health by men, but transformational for women (Ferris, 2003;N.…”