I had always heard that obesity was a sign of social status
I’ve heard this of Africa, but not of Europe. The reason that in preindustrial times millers were stereotypically fat is because it was assumed they pilfered a portion of the corn that farmers brought to them for milling. Friars (think of “Friar Tuck”) were stereotypically fat because they lived well (or were thought to) by visibly freeloading on the community. Neither class was well thought of for this. Being fat was taken as a sign not of status, but of idleness, sloth, greed, and gluttony.
Neither class was well thought of for this. Being fat was taken as a sign not of status, but of idleness, sloth, greed, and gluttony.
So, nobles, merchants, monks, and millers were all more likely to be fat than farmers, and all were seen by farmers as idle, greedy, gluttonous sloths. It’s not clear to me why you think that means farmers saw them as having low social status, rather than resenting their high social status.
I’ve heard this of Africa, but not of Europe. The reason that in preindustrial times millers were stereotypically fat is because it was assumed they pilfered a portion of the corn that farmers brought to them for milling. Friars (think of “Friar Tuck”) were stereotypically fat because they lived well (or were thought to) by visibly freeloading on the community. Neither class was well thought of for this. Being fat was taken as a sign not of status, but of idleness, sloth, greed, and gluttony.
As indeed it continues to be taken to this day.
So, nobles, merchants, monks, and millers were all more likely to be fat than farmers, and all were seen by farmers as idle, greedy, gluttonous sloths. It’s not clear to me why you think that means farmers saw them as having low social status, rather than resenting their high social status.
I think that by “status” he meant what Yvain calls “social power”, whereas you mean what Yvain calls “structural power”.