My body is my house: a visit to the novel A gorda, by Isabela Figueiredo

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the novel A gorda (The fat woman), by the Portuguese writer Isabela Figueiredo, first published in 2016. Following the structure of the text itself, the rooms of the protagonist’s house serve as a guiding thread for understanding a body that is observed without seeking to know; a fat body that makes the character a victim of the oppression exerted by an almost always unattainable beauty standard in a fatphobic and exclusionary society. We articulate the experiences described in the narrative with the discourses that construct a negative imaginary in relation to those who deviate from this standard, drawing on the work of theorists Georges Vigarello, with As metamorfoses do gordo: história da obesidade (The metamorphoses of the fat: a history of obesity), Naomi Wolf, with Mito da beleza (The beauty myth), and Silvia Federici, with Calibã e a bruxa (Caliban and the Witch). As the elements that depreciate the individual need to be understood as a whole and not in isolation, taking into account the concept of intersectionality, we consider the gender and the character’s status as a “returnee”, since she is a Portuguese woman born on African soil who “returns” to the metropolis due to the imminent independence of Mozambique. Theorists Patricia Hill Collins, Eduardo Lourenço and Jorge da Silveira, among others, contribute to the observation of these aspects.