Journal of the Society of Christian Ethics

ONLINE FIRST

published on April 16, 2024

Julie A. Mavity Maddalena

Resurrecting the Crucified Fat Body
Envisioning a Theology of Fat Liberation

The physical, psychological, and spiritual violence against fat bodies in the US, committed in service of a racist, sexist, classist, and ableist vision of an idealized body size, is death-dealing. This essay develops a theo-ethical vision of fat liberation that rejects the trappings of the “religion of thinness” and celebrates the inherent worth of fat bodies through an incarnational theology that recognizes the image of God in every body size, the presence of body size diversity in creation, and the full inclusion of all body sizes at the eucharistic table.