Confessing Excess: Women and the Politics of Body Reduction (Gender and Society

by Carole Spitzack

Looking at the discourse on female weight reduction in American culture, Confessing Excess analyzes contemporary dieting and the weight loss literature by taking up the themes of confession and surveillance. Spitzack argues that dieting is characterized by confession (of "excess") which women internalize and which necessitates ongoing surveillance or monitoring of the body. Informal conversations and in-depth interviews also juxtapose women's everyday dieting experiences with the discourse of dieting texts. By evaluating the cultural construction of women in this manner, the author illuminates the power strategies that offer self-acceptance at the price of self-condemnation.

Genres: Feminism

200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1990

Reviews

[Max]

If you read this and are confused I would recommend reading the conclusion first, I feel like I misread the entire book (and was feeling pretty weary with it) and only really got on her level with the conclusion. I am VERY sleepy and maybe that’s why but i had a hard time parsing exactly what her positions were and what the point of the book was until the end. The conclusion makes it clear she is 100% not okay with what’s inflicted on fat women and sees the way they’re treated as very significant to all women.. It’s a kinda a “there’s no hope for women” diet culture/weight stigma theory moodboard feeling out the shape of what is being inflicted on women. She doesn’t offer solutions because that is not the mood and lesbians don’t exist in this book which is fine because clearly that was not the mood either. I liked it once I caught up. Nothing I could really use but turns out that wasn’t the point anyway