Hogging

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This article is about the practice of targeting overweight women for sexual relations. For the stress a ship is put under when it passes over the crest of a wave, see Hogging (Naval).

Hogging refers to the practice of groups of men who target overweight or obese women, typically for sexual encounters. Unlike fat fetishists, men who participate in hogging are not necessarily sexually attracted to obese women's bodies; they aim to take advantage of their stereotypical low self esteem or to provide comedy to themselves and their friends by engaging in sexual activities with women who are not considered to be particularly attractive.

An unofficial study by Dr. Judith A. Sanders of the California State Polytechnic University Communications Department in Pomona found its use as an offensive slang term to "mack or dance" with overweight women, and Sarah Fenske offered an essay called "Big Game Hunters" in Scoot Over, Skinny : The Fat Nonfiction Anthology detailing various discussions by men regarding the practice. The essay was reprinted in the Cleveland Scene in October of 2003.

This practice was further discussed in an article in volume 27 of the interdisciplinary journal Deviant Behavior by Jeannine Gailey and Ariane Prohaska, "'Knocking off a Fat Girl': an Exploration of Hogging, Male Sexuality, and Neutralizations." In the article, they claim that the practice of hogging is "a part of a larger problem of cultural misogyny."