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Taking children's humor seriously: A study of humor in children diagnosed with obesity and the medicalization of body weight.
- Source :
- Childhood; May2018, Vol. 25 Issue 2, p189-202, 14p
- Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Within the social studies of children and childhood, children's humor is an under-explored area. In this article, I explore the use of humor by children diagnosed with severe obesity while attending long-term rehabilitation together with their families. In the children's use of humor, I found a transition from the use of "fat jokes" to "biopedagogical humor," which involved jokes about instructions related to food and physical activity as conveyed by members of the rehabilitation team. I interpret their humor as signifying how they were affected by the biopedagogical messages involved in treatment and how they started self-monitoring their food intake and physical activity. I claim that their humor also can point to a process of medicalization of their condition, where their understanding of themselves as "fat" was replaced by "I suffer from obesity." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 09075682
- Volume :
- 25
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Childhood
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 129552230
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568218760379