Fatness

Gay makes a point throughout Hunger to consistently refer to herself as "fat" and to speak about "fat people" in America. The word, typically indicative of a derogatory slur, becomes a means of harnessing power for Gay as she reclaims the word for her own definition of herself and others. Declining to use more medical or less direct terms like "obese," "overweight," or "heavy," Gay chooses the word "fat" because she interprets it as the most truthful and honest description of her body type and ultimately wants that truth to be eradicated of the stigma and shame often imposed upon people with similar body types.

One of Gay's primary objectives throughout her memoir is to reflect on how fatness is treated in mainstream society. As such, she places large emphasis on television, marketing, and personal anecdotes in which she encounters strangers who respond to her body with varying...