ABSTRACT
Bariatric surgery (also known as weight loss surgery), refers to a series of surgical procedures aimed to induce large amounts of weight loss in very fat people, or in more scientific terminology, the “morbidly obese.” This essay discusses the relationships between various parties invested in the status of bariatric surgery in the United States. Using a Foucauldian analysis, it conceptualizes that gender and fatness work together to create a unique positionality for bariatric surgery patients to navigate and occupy throughout the process of choosing, preparing for, and living with the physical and social repercussions of bariatric surgery.
