ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with an exploration of the concept of a disciplinary technique as developed by Sandra Bartky, showing how microaggressions against fat folks function. It analyzes specific kinds of microaggressions commonly brought to bear against fat folks including backhanded compliments, concern trolling, and what author call cautionary microaggressions. A special kind of verbal microaggression awaits fat folks when they seek out health care. Anti-fat microaggressions will sometimes have distinct content depending on the targeted fat person’s other group memberships. Indeed, membership in the group of fat people shifts not only as body sizes and shapes change across a person’s lifespan but also with social definitions of what constitutes fatness. This seems to be fundamental to the nature of microaggressions as a disciplinary technique for fatness: always, disciplinarity holds out a kind of hope that if a fat person can only become slim, then perhaps the person can leave the marginalized group.
