Fat scrounger, lean times: a tale of two bodies in austerity Britain

Abstract

In this article we explore the relationship between media discourses of the fat/lean body and austerity politics in Britain, focusing on constructions of the fat scrounger and its counterpart, the lean citizen. Although scholars have highlighted the centrality of distinctions between “responsible” and “irresponsible” citizens to the austerity agenda, relatively little attention has been devoted to the fat/lean body in shaping these distinctions. Taking up the case of Supersize vs Superskinny—a hugely successful reality television show that aired between 2008 and 2014—we offer an original analysis of the duality and disciplining of the fat and thin gendered body, which, we argue, is closely entwined with broader understandings of hardworking vs. un(re)productive citizens. In so doing, we advance the study of both austerity politics and anti-fat politics by shining a light on how discourses of fatness and leanness have helped to constitute the gendered body as a vessel for legitimating neoliberal austerity more widely.