Send us a text

Chris and Jane kick off 2025 discussing their recent publication in the British Medical Bulletin titled "Obesity: Ethical Issues" and exploring how conversations about weight stigma have evolved in recent years.

• Jane shares her experience appearing on ABC Radio National's "God Forbid" program where the topic shifted from "thinness and morality" to focusing entirely on obesity
• Even as medical institutions acknowledge weight stigma is harmful, they continue to pathologize bodies outside narrow parameters
• Public health messaging has evolved from fear-based "toxic fat" campaigns to more positive approaches focused on movement and wellbeing
• Wonder drug narratives around Ozempic and other weight loss medications often ignore long-term risks including cardiac, gastrointestinal, and psychiatric impacts
• Challenging the pathologization of diverse body types remains more difficult than addressing overt stigma
• Chris teases an upcoming bioethics book project that will include interesting research tidbits

Let us know if you want us to discuss any particular topics - email us at undisciplinarypod@gmail.com or find us on Bluesky @undisciplinary.bsky.social

Undisciplinary - a podcast that talks across the boundaries of history, ethics, and the politics of health.
Follow us on Twitter @undisciplinary_ or email questions for "mailbag episodes" undisciplinarypod@gmail.com