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June 6, 2026Fat Studies

From humor to harm: Fat stigma and body esteem in South Asian children’s cartoons

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Authors

SKSalma KhatoonGovernment College University, LahoreAKAsma KhatoonGwinnett College

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Implication

This article analyzes fat stigma in South Asian cartoons, revealing negative media portrayals that impact children's body image.

Key Points

  • The aim is to explore how fatness is portrayed in South Asian children’s cartoons and its impact on body image.
  • Analyzed the cartoon series Commander Safeguard by Procter and Gamble, Ltd.
  • Applied Julia Kristeva’s theory of abjection to assess the representation of fat characters.
  • Utilized a psychoanalytic framework to understand social attitudes and children's perceptions.
  • Fatness is depicted as humorous, filthy, and inappropriate, influencing children's body esteem negatively.
  • The analysis reveals strong associations between fatness and negative traits such as laziness and greed in the media.
  • The portrayal reinforces stigma, affecting children's understanding of body image in South Asian contexts.

Cite This Study

Khatoon et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a23baa771a5da9775e76495https://doi.org/10.1080/21604851.2025.2596466
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