Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness
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- Create Date：2021-09-26 03:41:10
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Da’Shaun Harrison
- ISBN：1623175976
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Summary
Exploring anti-fatness and anti-Blackness at the intersections of race， police violence， gender identity， fatness， and health。
To live in a body both fat and Black is to intersect at the margins of a society that normalizes anti-fatness as anti-Blackness: hyper-policed by state and society， passed over for housing and jobs， and derided and misdiagnosed by medical professionals， fat Black people in the United States are subject to culturally sanctioned discrimination， abuse， and trauma。
In Belly of the Beast， author Da’Shaun Harrison–a fat， Black， disabled， and non-binary writer AMAB （assigned male at birth）–offers an incisive， fresh， and precise exploration of anti-fatness as anti-Blackness。 Foregrounding the state-sanctioned murder of Eric Garner in a historical analysis of the policing， disenfranchisement， and invisibilizing of fat Black men and trans and nonbinary AMAB people， Harrison discusses the pervasive， insidious ways that anti-fat anti-Blackness shows up in everyday life。 Fat people can be legally fired in 49 states for being fat; they’re more likely to be houseless。 Fat people die at higher rates from misdiagnosis or non-treatment; fat women are more likely to be sexually assaulted。 And at the intersections of fatness， race， disability， and gender identity， these abuses are exacerbated。
Taking on desirability politics， f*ckability， healthism， hyper-sexualization， invisibility， and the connections between anti-fatness and police violence， Harrison viscerally and vividly illustrates the myriad harms of anti-fat anti-Blackness–and offers strategies for dismantling denial， unlearning the cultural programming that says “fat is bad，” and moving beyond the world we have now toward one that makes space for the fat and Black。
To live in a body both fat and Black is to intersect at the margins of a society that normalizes anti-fatness as anti-Blackness: hyper-policed by state and society， passed over for housing and jobs， and derided and misdiagnosed by medical professionals， fat Black people in the United States are subject to culturally sanctioned discrimination， abuse， and trauma。
In Belly of the Beast， author Da’Shaun Harrison–a fat， Black， disabled， and non-binary writer AMAB （assigned male at birth）–offers an incisive， fresh， and precise exploration of anti-fatness as anti-Blackness。 Foregrounding the state-sanctioned murder of Eric Garner in a historical analysis of the policing， disenfranchisement， and invisibilizing of fat Black men and trans and nonbinary AMAB people， Harrison discusses the pervasive， insidious ways that anti-fat anti-Blackness shows up in everyday life。 Fat people can be legally fired in 49 states for being fat; they’re more likely to be houseless。 Fat people die at higher rates from misdiagnosis or non-treatment; fat women are more likely to be sexually assaulted。 And at the intersections of fatness， race， disability， and gender identity， these abuses are exacerbated。
Taking on desirability politics， f*ckability， healthism， hyper-sexualization， invisibility， and the connections between anti-fatness and police violence， Harrison viscerally and vividly illustrates the myriad harms of anti-fat anti-Blackness–and offers strategies for dismantling denial， unlearning the cultural programming that says “fat is bad，” and moving beyond the world we have now toward one that makes space for the fat and Black。
Reviews
Jonna
，
Must ReadThis is a must read for everyone， especially we white people that have BLM and TransLivesMatter in our social bios。 I am soooo ready for Beyond。
Grace
，
Really interesting and well curated book that explores the inextricable link between anti-fatness and anti-Blackness。 Quite a quick read， and though it didn't feel quite as opaque and inaccessible as many other more academic-focused texts I've read， there were certainly elements here of the writing that prevented me from fully connecting， given my lack of background in Academia。 Really interesting and well curated book that explores the inextricable link between anti-fatness and anti-Blackness。 Quite a quick read， and though it didn't feel quite as opaque and inaccessible as many other more academic-focused texts I've read， there were certainly elements here of the writing that prevented me from fully connecting， given my lack of background in Academia。 。。。more
Darcy
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4。5"Weight loss does not have to be something worth celebrating。 Said differently， 'lost' weight is celebrated because modern society teaches that the weightiness of fat peoples' bodies is inherently burdensome， cross-breaing， backbreaking， onerous。 Not on fat people， but on the people who surround them。 Therefore， there's no regard for whether a person is well when they 'lose' weight because the societal desire is to not have to be concerned with the Ugliness of the Black。 How the fat is mispl 4。5"Weight loss does not have to be something worth celebrating。 Said differently， 'lost' weight is celebrated because modern society teaches that the weightiness of fat peoples' bodies is inherently burdensome， cross-breaing， backbreaking， onerous。 Not on fat people， but on the people who surround them。 Therefore， there's no regard for whether a person is well when they 'lose' weight because the societal desire is to not have to be concerned with the Ugliness of the Black。 How the fat is misplaced or 'lost' does not matter， just as long as it is gone。However， fatness—both as an identity and as the literal tissues—has value。 Which means that the celebration of 'lost weight' is much more a celebration of thievery。 It is the theft of a fat person's ability to see themselves as someone who matters， theft of a person's right to see their body as neutral rather than inherently bad， a breach of consent on how a person enters into a relationship with their fat body。 It is a war on the body， particularly and especially for the Black， and it is one that has been introduced and reintroduced since the Transatlantic Slave Trade。" （p。 44-45） 。。。more
K4FIA
，
This is the best book I have read in 2021！ I am so happy I was able to experience this book and re-examine my relationship to fatness， desirability， and abolition。 Harrison's work gave me the language to articulate my lived experiences， and that is something I will always cherish。 This is the best book I have read in 2021！ I am so happy I was able to experience this book and re-examine my relationship to fatness， desirability， and abolition。 Harrison's work gave me the language to articulate my lived experiences， and that is something I will always cherish。 。。。more
alyssa ♒︎
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Da’Shaun brilliantly expounds on the ways anti-fatness was born out of anti-Blackness by excavating history and tracing it through modern policies， from the War on Drugs to the War on Obesity。 If you take one thing from this book， it’s that we need to destroy anti-Blackness — the foundation of our modern World — in order to truly liberate us all。
Vicky Carmenate
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This is really brilliant， everyone should try and read this if they can。 By the last chapter I felt as though I was guided through the concepts in a thorough and organized wayHighly recommend
Camille Wolsky
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Da’Shaun is not just a friend， but a talented， fat， black person who has created such a beautiful， educational book。 Theory can be dry and difficult to understand， but the structure of this book gently guides the reader through concepts about anti-fatness and anti-blackness that they may or may not have known about。 This is a must read， especially for white， skinny， cis people。 Spend your money on this book and give Da’Shaun their flowers！ I’ve never known someone more deserving。 This book has t Da’Shaun is not just a friend， but a talented， fat， black person who has created such a beautiful， educational book。 Theory can be dry and difficult to understand， but the structure of this book gently guides the reader through concepts about anti-fatness and anti-blackness that they may or may not have known about。 This is a must read， especially for white， skinny， cis people。 Spend your money on this book and give Da’Shaun their flowers！ I’ve never known someone more deserving。 This book has the power to change the world — it has already changed mine ❤️ 。。。more
Nathan Shuherk
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Brilliant。 An absolute must read。
Jaime
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Phenomenal。 Everyone needs to read this。
Eve
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This book is excellent。 True to the title， the book explores anti-fatness and anti-Blackness as connected phenomena， and covers the politics of insecurity， ugliness， desire/ability from a liberationist standpoint。 For those wanting to deepen their understanding around fat liberation， racism/anti-racism， and the ways those struggles relate to gender， police violence， and a whole host of other liberation arenas。 We all need validation and/or having our eyes opened。 Content note: descriptions of se This book is excellent。 True to the title， the book explores anti-fatness and anti-Blackness as connected phenomena， and covers the politics of insecurity， ugliness， desire/ability from a liberationist standpoint。 For those wanting to deepen their understanding around fat liberation， racism/anti-racism， and the ways those struggles relate to gender， police violence， and a whole host of other liberation arenas。 We all need validation and/or having our eyes opened。 Content note: descriptions of sexual assault and abuse， including of children; as well as police violence enacted on Black and fat Black bodies， and the ways those murders were later justified using the victims' fatness and health statuses。 Plus discussion of the ways medical care is often denied to fat trans folks and fat folks in general。 。。。more
Angie Sanchez
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I am ready to destroy the World
Kaleigh
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5/5 ⭐️
Mia Duncan
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I realize now how often I gravitate away from， distance， and superior-ize myself from （black） fat bodies。 I struggled with this book。 I struggled with holding onto a thin politic I didn't know prior I relied on。 And I struggled with the notion of it's titular foreshadow of anti-fatness and anti-blackness being coexistent。 （For me） Of course fatness intersects with Blackness， gender， health， police violence but the solution and where I think Harrison's work diverges best from existing literature I realize now how often I gravitate away from， distance， and superior-ize myself from （black） fat bodies。 I struggled with this book。 I struggled with holding onto a thin politic I didn't know prior I relied on。 And I struggled with the notion of it's titular foreshadow of anti-fatness and anti-blackness being coexistent。 （For me） Of course fatness intersects with Blackness， gender， health， police violence but the solution and where I think Harrison's work diverges best from existing literature is beyond the self loving or accepting or caring or respecting and toward the self dismantling a society that doesn't make room for the Black fat in any of their intersections。 。。。more
Brian Mcquaid
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Belly of the Beast has given me a new vocabulary to describe the World。 Da'Shaun Harrison conveys complexity in extraordinary eloquence。 This book is perspective-changing， whether it is your first book on radical Fat and Black politics， or you are well versed。 Their arguments are historically situated and well researched。 The book is a quick read， but Harrison's writing is deliberate so that they convey a great amount of theory and history in only 109 pages。 I am looking forward to going through Belly of the Beast has given me a new vocabulary to describe the World。 Da'Shaun Harrison conveys complexity in extraordinary eloquence。 This book is perspective-changing， whether it is your first book on radical Fat and Black politics， or you are well versed。 Their arguments are historically situated and well researched。 The book is a quick read， but Harrison's writing is deliberate so that they convey a great amount of theory and history in only 109 pages。 I am looking forward to going through the references for Belly of the Beast and reading the works which I have yet to read。 。。。more
Claudia Cortese
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Brilliant。 Read this book in two days。 I couldn’t put it down。 Everyone who cares about fat liberation and white supremacy needs to read this book。 Harrison’s prose is electric: it scintillates with energy， insight， brilliance—drawing connections between， say， the “war on obesity” and the “war on drugs” that I haven’t seen other thinkers make。 I’m teaching this book in my Fat Studies class this semester， and it’s gonna blow students’ minds！ I can’t wait to read Harrison’s future books， too—I am Brilliant。 Read this book in two days。 I couldn’t put it down。 Everyone who cares about fat liberation and white supremacy needs to read this book。 Harrison’s prose is electric: it scintillates with energy， insight， brilliance—drawing connections between， say， the “war on obesity” and the “war on drugs” that I haven’t seen other thinkers make。 I’m teaching this book in my Fat Studies class this semester， and it’s gonna blow students’ minds！ I can’t wait to read Harrison’s future books， too—I am sure they will become one of the foremost thinkers and writers in fat liberation activism and in Fat Studies。 。。。more
Zach Carter
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Da'Shaun's debut book was long awaited and did not disappoint！！ Every page， every word interrogates the World created and predicated on anti-Blackness。 I'm finishing this book with a completely renewed and enlightened introspection on my own investments in the politics of Thinness and the ways in which fat people -- and the Black fat in particular -- navigate the world and engage with the medical industrial complex， gender， （un）Desire（ability）， and the institution of policing， all centered on sy Da'Shaun's debut book was long awaited and did not disappoint！！ Every page， every word interrogates the World created and predicated on anti-Blackness。 I'm finishing this book with a completely renewed and enlightened introspection on my own investments in the politics of Thinness and the ways in which fat people -- and the Black fat in particular -- navigate the world and engage with the medical industrial complex， gender， （un）Desire（ability）， and the institution of policing， all centered on systems of white supremacy and cisheteropatriarchal violence。 Their critique of "self-love" -- even radical self-love -- is a necessary intervention in a time when it's become popular for people online to tell fat people to "love their bodies。" They also make reference to several books and essays that I look forward to reading and engaging with。 I am so grateful and appreciative of Da'Shaun for their comradeliness， their critical thinking， and their tremendous contribution to my own political journey。 。。。more
Annie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 “The issue with all of these comments is that， at their core， they suggest that self-love is enough to eradicate anti-fatness and that if you just accept yourself， or love who you are， that somehow the methodical violence of anti-fatness—housing， employment， etcetera—is no more。”Harrison’s Belly of the Beast critically engages with “anti-fatness as anti-Blackness” through their examination of Desire Capital， health， policing， and gender。 Each chapter highlights how these systems of power work to “The issue with all of these comments is that， at their core， they suggest that self-love is enough to eradicate anti-fatness and that if you just accept yourself， or love who you are， that somehow the methodical violence of anti-fatness—housing， employment， etcetera—is no more。”Harrison’s Belly of the Beast critically engages with “anti-fatness as anti-Blackness” through their examination of Desire Capital， health， policing， and gender。 Each chapter highlights how these systems of power work to harm fat Black folks， and fat Black trans men， trans masculine folks， cisgender men， and non-binary folks。 Harrison concludes with a call to move beyond abolition to imagine a world beyond anti-Blackness。Overall， Belly of the Beast is a generous book that engages the reader on every page。 I learned so much from reading this and am excited to read many of the works that Harrison cited。 Highly recommend！ 。。。more
Deb
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