ABSTRACT
In this chapter, I explore how a small group of self-regarded ‘fat’ women reflect on the process of being targeted by an exercise promotion scheme that, in Foucauldian terms, is a prime exemplar of a biopolitical technology of dominance: that is, a form of power enacted by a State to govern or control the bodies of its citizens. The nation-wide health scheme, in this case, is managed and funded by the New Zealand Ministry of Health to encourage medical doctors to prescribe exercise to ‘at risk’ patients via a written prescription. The patients are typically urged to make significant changes to their lifestyles by undertaking at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week forever.
