Concerns, culprits, counsel, and conflict: a thematic analysis of “obesity” and fat discourse in digital news media

In recent years “obesity” and fat discourse in western digital media have matured; the complexity and conflict around fat embodiment are increasingly becoming part of everyday discourse. The present study explores key themes structuring this discussion. Popular online news aggregators were searched using the keywords fat, obese, and obesity. Fifty-nine articles and their comments were subjected to qualitative thematic analysis. Three thematic areas characterized the current discourse: concern, blame, and advice. Findings show how concerns about fat shaming are coming to be constructed as part of a dilemma in which concerns for the psychological well-being of fat people are set against the need to address the (putative) physical “harms” of “obesity.”