A Weightless Load

 

Obesity (Adipositas) produces many health problems. It strains joints and spine and is associated with an increased risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease and heart attack. In addition, overweight people are more likely to develop diseases such as diabetes and cancer. Above all, however, obesity severely reduces the quality of life. Simple activities such as tying shoes or climbing stairs become a daily torment.

Fatma Evren is herself affected. For health reasons, she decided to have gastric bypass surgery, just like 5,000 patients in Switzerland who undergo surgery for obesity each year. In her work, she documents the transitional process triggered by her loss of weight. On the one hand, she tries to overcome the negative consequences of the operation, which constrain her in daily life. On the other hand, her new lightness unfetters her.

In her visual essay A Weightless Load, Fatma Evren depicts how people in her environment perceive her differently over time. The author engages in reconciling body perception and body image.