Qualitative Health Research 23(5) 631–644 © The Author(s) 2012 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1049732312471731 qhr.sagepub.com Obesity is a growing global health concern (World Health Organization, 2011). In Canada, obesity rates have increased substantially over the past two decades, with the greatest rise in morbid obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 40 kg/m 2 ; Tjepkema, 2005). Weight-loss surgery (WLS) has been deemed the only proven long-term treat- ment for morbid obesity (Christou et al., 2004). The num- ber of WLSs being performed has increased in recent years, nearly doubling from 2003 to 2007 (Christou & Efthimiou, 2009). The term weight-loss surgery (also called bariatric surgery) is used to denote a group of surgeries that induce weight loss through restriction and/or malabsorption, and include gastric banding, sleeve gastrectomy, and gastric bypass. A person’s qualification for WLS is based on recommendations made by the National Institute of Health (1991), including (a) BMI ≥ 40 kg/m 2 or BMI ≥ 35 kg/m 2 plus high-risk, obesity-related comorbidities; (b) demon- strated attempts at behavioral weight loss treatments; (c) a well-informed, compliant, motivated patient; and (d) the absence of contraindications (i.e., active psychiatric disorders, mental retardation, a strong history of sub- stance abuse, or self-destructive behaviors). In Canada, the majority of WLS procedures are cov- ered by provincial health care plans. However, the wait times for government-funded clinics are often long and access to them is limited; the average wait time for these clinics is approximately 5 years (Christou & Efthimiou, 2009). Therefore, individuals have been seeking treatment from private clinics domestically and abroad (Birch, Vu, Karmali, Johnson Stoklossa, & Sharma, 2010; Pafford, 2009). This practice, called medical tourism, has been cri- tiqued because it can result in increased risk to patients, disjointed care when the patient’s primary care practitio- ners are not informed of procedures, and loss of health care dollars to the local economy (Birch et al., 2010; Pafford). Birch and colleagues cautioned that Canadian and American centers of excellence for obesity and bariatric surgery [should] anticipate and budget for care that may need to be provided to medical tourists. These patients will consume resources that may have been intended for primary care of obesity within these centers and ultimately may have such a significant operational impact 471731QHR XX X 10.1177/1049732312471 731Qualitative Health ResearchGlenn et al. 1 University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 2 Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario, Canada Corresponding Author: Nicole M. Glenn, Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, University of Alberta, 6-55B General Services Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, Canada. Email: nglenn@ualberta.ca Exploring Media Representations of Weight-Loss Surgery Nicole M. Glenn, 1 Kerry R. McGannon, 2 and John C. Spence 1 Abstract Scholars have problematized popular culture and media (re)presentations of obesity/overweight. However, few have considered the ways bariatric surgery, a rapidly growing treatment for morbid obesity, fits within the discussion. In this article, we explore news media (re)presentations of bariatric surgery using an eclectic approach to critical discourse analysis. Our findings reveal dominant discourses about bariatric surgery and the surgical population, providing an understanding of media (re)presentations as possible contributors to bias, stigmatization, and discrimination. Novel in our findings was our identification of subject positions in the dominant discourses (which were biomedical and benevolent government). We argue that existing (re)presentations of bariatric surgery are highly problematic because they reinforce oversimplistic and binary understandings of weight-loss surgery and obesity, weaving a highly gendered fairy-tale narrative and ultimately promoting weight-based stigmatization. Keywords critical methods; health behavior; medicalization; obesity / overweight; psychosocial issues; social constructionism; stigma; weight management