“There’s always stomach on the table and then I gotta write!”: Physical space and learning in fat college women

Dominant “obesity” discourse research shows a strong correlation between fatness and poor academic outcomes among fat female learners at the postsecondary level. Little attention has been paid, however, to understanding the experiences of fat female learners from their own perspective. Interviews with 13 undergraduate women suggest that fat college women students experience the interactions of their fat bodies with the physical learning environment negatively. Classroom design and furniture contribute to fat women learners experiencing themselves as judged, devalued bodies and incapable learners.