Prejudice in visual argument

Abstract

This article discusses different types of “argumentativeness” in three memes related to overweight jokes posted in a community of meme generation (quickmeme.com) in July 2021. We aim to show how visual argument, image rhetoric, and social prejudice devices enable the creation of “joking” memes that frame an audience's meaning-making towards prejudiced ideas. The methodological procedure was based on an analytical process of the selected memes using a theoretical framework on visual argumentation, media studies, and attitudes and beliefs around body image. The results suggest that fat body prejudice images in the memes operate in the level of persuasiveness of the audience of certain rationality through argument schemes easily recognizable by an audience.