This photo may be interpreted by individuals differently. It introduces the socially constructed body by presenting an overweight and disabled body, it is a simple photo, with a white male who is uniped doing an exercise move. It is portrayed as a simple photo, which many lay people who are not entirely informed about obesity stigma will accept and understand it as that anyone can exercise and lose weight if they want to. However, there is a deeper message behind the photo; it exemplifies the war against overweight people, and how lifestyle is often deemed as both the cause and cure of obesity (Rail, 2012). In other words, the man in the photo smiling whilst exercising proves the dominant discourse construction surrounding the obesity epidemic; to lose weight, one must simply become more active. This exemplifies the tendency especially in the media, to ‘de-socialise’ obesity, but to promote moral individualism. The ease of becoming fitter that the NHS are trying to portray is supported by the plain blue background and the few words accompanying the photo, as to not over-complicate the process of losing weight.

This campaign illustrates the concept that Williams and Annadale refer to to as the ‘weight of expectation’. In that, the stigma that overweight people are forced to deal with makes them feel heavier than they are, making them feel worse and less likely to make the required changes to lose weight. A narrative has been created that a high BMI equates to poor fitness which is why the NHS have used a photo of a man who is overweight, in order to be more effective. However, not all individuals of a ‘healthy’ weight are fit. For example, how about the case of is someone is ‘slim’ but smokes?

Week 1- Formative Blog / Monica Oliver-Diaz / Health, bodies and embodiment (2023-2024)[SEM2] by is licensed under a