Abstract
In this study we draw on the concept of respectable deviance to understand the journey into deviance – from her rise as an alternative health expert through to her public disgrace – of Belle Gibson, a young Australian blogger, app publisher and alternative medicine advocate who falsely claimed to have cured cancer without reverting to science-based medicine. Through the rigorous analysis of a series of media and documentary sources where Ms Gibson provided autobiographical accounts of her life experience, the argument is presented that the promotion of one’s self as a health expert and subsequently being outed as a fraudster encourages techniques of neutralization and particular presentations of self to respond and manage negative labelling and the stigma attached.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 0 |
Pages (from-to) | 1043-1056 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Deviant Behaviour |
Volume | 40 |
Issue number | 9 |
Early online date | 3 Apr 2018 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Sept 2019 |
Keywords
- alternative medicine
- respectable deviance
- harm
- neutralization techniques
- presentations of self