ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 uses my personal history to contextualize how the author came to this research and why it is so desperately needed. The chapter provides underpinnings of ethnopoetics as a methodological tool. Using poetic and narrative storytelling, the chapter illustrates how five young Black girls responded to the discourse used to describe and define obesity and race; were socialized into their beliefs surrounding obesity and race; made meaning of the ideals of obesity, race, gender, and beauty portrayed in media; and interpreted obesity and race in their everyday lives. Using thick descriptions, Chapter 1 analyzes how Blue Diamond Girls came to understand more about the intersection of obesity, race, and gender in media and our daily lives; and created counternarratives about gender, race, and obesity.
