Fat Shaming, Weight Stigma & Bias

This can be a painful topic, and it was hard to even know where to start. But it’s important to address the unfair treatment that many of us have experienced. I chose this image of a strong person breaking through a barrier of bricks to represent today’s topic. It symbolizes what I’d like for us to do: that is, break down the barriers of fat shaming, weight stigma, and obesity bias. Let’s learn more about this so that we will be prepared to face these challenges in a constructive way.

Fat shaming is the act of criticizing or harassing an overweight person about their appearance or food choices to make them feel ashamed about themselves. This is relatively common on social media and there are entire on-line communities with the goal of making fun of obese people (1).

Weight bias is comprised of the negative attitudes and stereotypes that target people simply because they are overweight or obese (2). Weight stigma is based upon this bias and it results in discriminatory acts and ideologies leveled against people who are overweight or obese (3).

The consensus of numerous scientific studies is that attitudes like body shaming and fat phobia can actually lead to further weight gain and substandard medical care. However, social media and (cruel) uninformed trolls continue to spread the falsehood that it is helpful for weight loss. I considered sharing “Fat Shaming Works” videos and articles here, but I do not want to promote “obesephobia”. By clicking through to their websites, we would only be encouraging them. Trust me when I say there are quite a few out there who have this misguided attitude.

Let’s look at a few of the studies which show the harmful effects of fat shaming, bias, and discrimination:

• A 2014 study found that “rather than encouraging people to lose weight, weight discrimination promotes weight gain and the onset of obesity” (4).
• A Canadian analysis of numerous studies found that there is “emerging evidence that the severity of harm increases when people internalize weight bias and turn it on themselves. In one study, participants with high levels of internalization of weight-bias had three times greater odds of having metabolic syndrome than those with low levels, even after controlling for BMI and other risk factors” (5).
• One study found that family members were the greatest source of weight bias, and that physicians were number two. “Some doctors report feeling frustration toward heavier patients, which can lead them to spend less time with these individuals during appointments and fail to refer them for diagnostic tests” (6).
• In a very interesting experiment conducted with female college students, exposure to weight stigmatizing articles caused students who thought they were overweight to eat more and feel less capable of controlling their food intake. Students who thought they were not overweight did not have this outcome. Neither group had an average BMI that was in the overweight or obese categories, so it was truly a matter of perception (7).

I could quote dozens of studies here, but I really wanted to make a point of emphasizing that last one. The power of your body image is so important! Whether or not you are actually overweight may be less important than whether or not you think you are overweight. Just consider that for a few minutes…

What can you do if you feel you are a victim of fat shaming, bias, or discrimination? I’m not qualified to advise you, so I’d suggest that you seek the advice of a professional, with a specialty based upon your personal experience. (For example, you may wish to see a counselor for a case involving shaming, but a lawyer might be more appropriate for a discrimination case.)

You might also find these ideas to be helpful (8):

1. “Educate yourself on resources and self-advocacy: The more awareness and education you have, the better you can communicate, and the more qualified support you can receive.
2. Journal your emotions: When you take the time to journal or write out your thoughts and feelings, you give yourself space to process. Some suggestions for journaling include reflecting on your initial reactions, expressing what you want to say to the person that fat-shamed you, or writing a letter to yourself.
3. Develop a self-care plan: Self-care plans act as your overall “toolbox” of coping skills and ways to nurture yourself. Develop an emotional self-care plan with your healthcare provider.
4. Shift your mindset and inner narrative: Changing your inner narrative takes practice and conscious effort. Work to replace negative self-talk or negative self-belief with words of affirmation and encouragement. Daily positive affirmations are a great way to improve overall body image and self-esteem.
5. Confide in someone you trust: Talking to a trusted, non-judgmental friend or family member can help you feel better.
6. Listen to inspiring music: Listening to upbeat, inspiring music can help boost your mood. Create a playlist that helps you feel powerful and confident” (8).

This is a topic that many of us would rather ignore. But as we saw, internalizing weight bias is physically and psychologically harmful. Instead of pushing our feelings down, let’s recognize the problem. We can work on this together to maintain our healthy weight.

(1). https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fat-shaming-makes-things-worse#shaming

(2). https://www.obesityaction.org/action-through-advocacy/weight-bias/

(3). https://www.worldobesity.org/what-we-do/our-policy-priorities/weight-stigma

(4). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25212272/

(5). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6565398/#__ffn_sectitle

(6). https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/magazine/magazine_article/the-scarlet-f/

(7). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103113002047

(8). https://www.choosingtherapy.com/fat-shaming/