Abstract

Three years of journal entries are analyzed as a means of understanding the experience of one fat woman. One revelation was the extent to which thoughts and feelings were organized around the root metaphors of "bigger is better" and "more is better." Being large is associated with being exceptional, expansive, strong, warm, generous, nurturing. These positive connections are regarded as important to recognize in a world that regards being "overweight" as necessarily negative. Recognizing the positive associations can have the effect of making sense out of habitual behaviors, and can set the stage for searching for new meanings which are health-enhancing.