MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- A chapter about 'fat acceptance' written by an Alabama State University professor will be featured in a new book called "The Politics of Size: Perspectives From the Fat Acceptance Movement."



Communications Professor Dr. Rev. E.K. Daufin's contributed chapter in the book, titled "Black Women in Fat Activism," takes a look at what black women face as a result of weight stigma.



Daufin, a national expert about weight as well race, gender and class in the media, was invited by the editor of the book to write the chapter after seeing Daufin's works on the subject.

Daufin said the essays in the book serve to correct misinformation about obesity and fat people that is commonly accepted by the general public, such as the idea that "fat" and "healthy" are mutually exclusive.

"Eighty to 90 percent of any person's weight is caused by genetics," Daufin said. "The reasons for the higher obesity rate for African-American women are also genetic, along with other factors including socioeconomics and the environment. But even more women of color are joining the front lines of activism in changing the unintentional racist 'war on obesity' to the 'war on weight stigma' instead."



The book supplies readers with a frank overview of the issues surrounding how to deal with the many levels of discrimination against fat people. It also reframes the discussion about obesity from a "diet and weight loss industry driven medical issue" to a social and political one.



Subject matter covered includes fat-friendly workplace policies; fat-dating experiences; and the intersections of being fat and also a person of color, a person with disabilities, a transgender person or a member of another sub-group of society.