The Cult of Thinness and Social Risk Management : The Case of the Quebec Charter for a Healthy and Diversified Body Image
This article examines the case of the Charte québécoise pour une image corporelle saine et diversifiée (Québec Charter for a Healthy and Diversified Body Image). The working group established by the Government of Québec in 2009 to develop this charter primarily consisted of representatives of fashion and body image industries. The authors of the article, inspired by Ulrich Beck’s sociology of risk, devote their attention to what motivates the actors in the industry to participate in the process and commit themselves as signatories to the charter. To what extent do industry actors accept their share of responsibility for the risk represented by excessive preoccupation with weight ? Using the collected comments of members of the working group to answer this question, the article demonstrates the intrinsic worth of the process led by the group, as a reflective activity oriented towards taking action.