‘It’s all right for you thinnies’:‘Obesity’, eating disorders, and COVID-19

Lauren O’Connell; Fiona Quigley; Oli Williams; Helen West; Sophie Metolli; Harry Pitham

‘It’s all right for you thinnies’:‘Obesity’, eating disorders, and COVID-19

Lauren O’Connell, Fiona Quigley, Oli Williams, Helen West, Sophie Metolli, Harry Pitham

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

Abstract

Our title quotes what British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly said when comparing his COVID-19 experience (which required intensive care) with cabinet members who had mild symptoms. It is suggested that Johnson’s brush with mortality profoundly impacted him – it was followed by public declarations to lose weight and policy shifts he previously would have likely dismissed as nanny statism. While it is politically convenient for Johnson to link the severity of his illness (and by inference the impact of the virus more generally) with factors popularly promoted as within individual control (for example, bodyweight), he is not alone in exploiting this pandemic to promote simplistic and stigmatising ideas about bodyweight and health.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	COVID-19 and Co-production in Health and Social Care Research, Policy, and Practice: Volume 2: Co-production Methods and Working Together at a Distance
Editors	Oli Williams
Place of Publication	Bristol, UK
Publisher	Bristol University Press
Chapter	15
Pages	143-152
Number of pages	10
Volume	2
ISBN (Electronic)	978-1-4473-6179-4
Publication status	Published (in print/issue) - 24 May 2021

Keywords

Obesity
Covid -19
Healthcare
Eating disorders
Stigma

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1p6hqjs.19?seq=1Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Cite this

O’Connell, L., Quigley, F., Williams, O., West, H., Metolli, S., & Pitham, H. (2021). ‘It’s all right for you thinnies’:‘Obesity’, eating disorders, and COVID-19. In O. Williams (Ed.), COVID-19 and Co-production in Health and Social Care Research, Policy, and Practice: Volume 2: Co-production Methods and Working Together at a Distance (Vol. 2, pp. 143-152). Bristol University Press. https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1p6hqjs.19?seq=1

O’Connell, Lauren ; Quigley, Fiona ; Williams, Oli et al. / ‘It’s all right for you thinnies’:‘Obesity’, eating disorders, and COVID-19. COVID-19 and Co-production in Health and Social Care Research, Policy, and Practice: Volume 2: Co-production Methods and Working Together at a Distance. editor / Oli Williams. Vol. 2 Bristol, UK : Bristol University Press, 2021. pp. 143-152

@inbook{05a0f55519274408bd17e34f58744e11,

title = "{\textquoteleft}It{\textquoteright}s all right for you thinnies{\textquoteright}:{\textquoteleft}Obesity{\textquoteright}, eating disorders, and COVID-19",

abstract = "Our title quotes what British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly said when comparing his COVID-19 experience (which required intensive care) with cabinet members who had mild symptoms. It is suggested that Johnson{\textquoteright}s brush with mortality profoundly impacted him – it was followed by public declarations to lose weight and policy shifts he previously would have likely dismissed as nanny statism. While it is politically convenient for Johnson to link the severity of his illness (and by inference the impact of the virus more generally) with factors popularly promoted as within individual control (for example, bodyweight), he is not alone in exploiting this pandemic to promote simplistic and stigmatising ideas about bodyweight and health. ",

keywords = "Obesity, Covid -19, Healthcare, Eating disorders, Stigma",

author = "Lauren O{\textquoteright}Connell and Fiona Quigley and Oli Williams and Helen West and Sophie Metolli and Harry Pitham",

year = "2021",

month = may,

day = "24",

language = "English",

volume = "2",

pages = "143--152",

editor = "Oli Williams",

booktitle = "COVID-19 and Co-production in Health and Social Care Research, Policy, and Practice: Volume 2: Co-production Methods and Working Together at a Distance",

publisher = "Bristol University Press",

address = "United Kingdom",

}

O’Connell, L, Quigley, F, Williams, O, West, H, Metolli, S & Pitham, H 2021, ‘It’s all right for you thinnies’:‘Obesity’, eating disorders, and COVID-19. in O Williams (ed.), COVID-19 and Co-production in Health and Social Care Research, Policy, and Practice: Volume 2: Co-production Methods and Working Together at a Distance. vol. 2, Bristol University Press, Bristol, UK, pp. 143-152. <https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1p6hqjs.19?seq=1>

‘It’s all right for you thinnies’:‘Obesity’, eating disorders, and COVID-19. / O’Connell, Lauren; Quigley, Fiona; Williams, Oli et al.
COVID-19 and Co-production in Health and Social Care Research, Policy, and Practice: Volume 2: Co-production Methods and Working Together at a Distance. ed. / Oli Williams. Vol. 2 Bristol, UK: Bristol University Press, 2021. p. 143-152.

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

TY - CHAP

T1 - ‘It’s all right for you thinnies’:‘Obesity’, eating disorders, and COVID-19

AU - O’Connell, Lauren

AU - Quigley, Fiona

AU - Williams, Oli

AU - West, Helen

AU - Metolli, Sophie

AU - Pitham, Harry

PY - 2021/5/24

Y1 - 2021/5/24

N2 - Our title quotes what British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly said when comparing his COVID-19 experience (which required intensive care) with cabinet members who had mild symptoms. It is suggested that Johnson’s brush with mortality profoundly impacted him – it was followed by public declarations to lose weight and policy shifts he previously would have likely dismissed as nanny statism. While it is politically convenient for Johnson to link the severity of his illness (and by inference the impact of the virus more generally) with factors popularly promoted as within individual control (for example, bodyweight), he is not alone in exploiting this pandemic to promote simplistic and stigmatising ideas about bodyweight and health.

AB - Our title quotes what British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly said when comparing his COVID-19 experience (which required intensive care) with cabinet members who had mild symptoms. It is suggested that Johnson’s brush with mortality profoundly impacted him – it was followed by public declarations to lose weight and policy shifts he previously would have likely dismissed as nanny statism. While it is politically convenient for Johnson to link the severity of his illness (and by inference the impact of the virus more generally) with factors popularly promoted as within individual control (for example, bodyweight), he is not alone in exploiting this pandemic to promote simplistic and stigmatising ideas about bodyweight and health.

KW - Obesity

KW - Covid -19

KW - Healthcare

KW - Eating disorders

KW - Stigma

UR - https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1p6hqk9

M3 - Chapter

VL - 2

SP - 143

EP - 152

BT - COVID-19 and Co-production in Health and Social Care Research, Policy, and Practice: Volume 2: Co-production Methods and Working Together at a Distance

A2 - Williams, Oli

PB - Bristol University Press

CY - Bristol, UK

ER -

O’Connell L, Quigley F, Williams O, West H, Metolli S, Pitham H. ‘It’s all right for you thinnies’:‘Obesity’, eating disorders, and COVID-19. In Williams O, editor, COVID-19 and Co-production in Health and Social Care Research, Policy, and Practice: Volume 2: Co-production Methods and Working Together at a Distance. Vol. 2. Bristol, UK: Bristol University Press. 2021. p. 143-152

‘It’s all right for you thinnies’:‘Obesity’, eating disorders, and COVID-19

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this