ABSTRACT

I always feel big in cities. In some cities this is understandable. For instance, in Hong Kong I feel elephantine. While the shop assistants are sweet, they concur that none of their jeans would ever ®t me. In London I feel extended by the knowledge of the millions that swell into the city centre to work each day. The battle to cross the road forces me into uncomfortable contact with bodies rendered pasty and bloated by commuter travel. In Sydney, especially as the temperatures hit the high thirties, clothing sticks and I try to hide in loose shirts that make me billow and wilt in the hot and humid blasts of air. In the urban US, I feel fat by contagion and feel myself physically trying to withdraw into some small space.