Out of Control: The Rhetoric of Gastrointestinal Disorders

Abstract

This article suggests that IBS, and its relationship to disability studies, can be better understood by examining the rhetorics surrounding gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. To understand the function of GI rhetorics, I examine three rhetorical sites: (1) communal meal settings and the rhetorical politics of food refusal; (2) historical and contemporary texts that gender gastrointestinal distress; and (3) rhetorics of cure and control in advertising for GI-related products, particularly Zelnorm and Activia. The article concludes that changing attitudes about gastrointestinal disorders is not so much about controlling our bodies, but reclaiming the rhetorics of these disorders.