Men and the War on Obesity

Lee F. Monaghan is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at the University of Limerick, Ireland.

"This book is an important contribution to debate and should be required reading for policy makers and health professionals in the obesity business." Professor Chris Shilling, University of Kent, UK"Thoroughly researched and skilfully written, Lee Monaghan's study of men's slimming draws attention to the long-ignored challenges that men face in the context of body weight and size. It is an excellent contribution to social scientific studies of embodiment, masculinity and narrative accounts. Indeed, it fills a glaring gap in the existing literature."Dr Debra Gimlin, University of Aberdeen, UK"Lee Monaghan brings to bear the sort of critical sociological perspective on the war on fat that has been a hallmark of the best gender studies, but which has to this point been largely absent from discussions of "obesity". This book asks and helps answer a fascinating and important question: What does it mean, in contemporary Western society, to be a man who risks being stigmatized as overweight, obese or too fat?"Professor Paul Campos, University of Colorado, USA

• 1. Introduction: Beyond Militarized Medicine 2. Bodily Alignment and Accounts: From Excuses to Repudiation 3. Smoking Guns, Wartime Injury and Survival: Men and Dieting 4. McDonaldizing Men’s Bodies? Rationalization, Irrationalities and Resistances 5. Physical Activity and Obesity Fighting Campaigns: Men’s Critical Talk 6. Conclusion: Social Fitness and Health at Every Size