Fatphobia, fueled by negative prejudices

Understanding fatphobia

Fatphobia is adopting a discriminatory attitude toward individuals who are obese or overweight. In other words, we're talking about all the behaviours that devalue them or set them apart socially.

There are conscious behaviours, such as commenting on a person's weight. And then there are subconscious behaviours, like not offering someone a job or a promotion because we assume (wrongly) that their curves show their lack of willpower).

Some actions may even be well-intentioned, such as unsolicited advice on weight management, because the people are genuinely concerned about that person's health.

Combine that with a systematic preference for thin bodies, the fear of gaining weight, the physical constraints of daily life (e.g. chairs with armrests) and daily microaggressions and we begin to understand that fatphobia is a serious issue.

Managing weight is not just about willpower

Many people believe that to be thin, all you have to do is eat well and be active. Food and physical activity do indeed play a role, but it’s more complicated than that. There is a wide variety of factors (on which we have no control) that determine our weight, including:

• genetics
• age
• sex
• hormones
• illness
• environment
• social and economic status
• individual preferences
• etc.²

Obese people don't necessarily have bad lifestyle habits. Conversely, a thin person is not necessarily a picture of health! Reducing weight control to willpower is misguided.

Deep-seated prejudices

So many prejudices about weight perpetuate fatphobia. Social norms that prize thinness, diet culture, and the wellness industry propagate the myth that obese people simply lack willpower or just need to get their act together.

Worse still, studies show that negative prejudice against them influences the quality of their medical care.³ This is known as medical fatphobia. Healthcare professionals, despite their training, tend to:

• Make less effort to help obese patients.
• Focus on their weight even when the reason for consultation is entirely different.
• Fail to push their evaluation further, citing weight as the cause of all their health problems.

Workplaces, too, have their share of prejudices. Feedback from colleagues on what a person is eating for lunch or unwanted invitations to fitness challenges are commonplace.

Anecdotes aside, several studies show that obese people can be perceived as less competent, lazy and more at risk of developing health problems. This has a negative impact on their salary, their chances of promotion, and even, on being hired.

According to the International Labour Organization, obese women report discrimination due to physical appearance eight times more often than women with a “normal” BMI. For obese men, this rate is three times higher.⁴

Major consequences

Fatphobia is far from being harmless. It means living each day in an environment that’s not suited to one’s body size (such as seats on public transport, clothing sizes, armrests, etc.). If you also add deeply ingrained societal prejudices, we start to see the potential impacts on people’s physical, mental, and social health.

Fatphobia⁵ can:

• Diminish someone’s sense of self-efficacy.
• Contribute to low self-esteem and poor body image.
• Hinder social integration that can lead to isolation.
• Increase the risk of eating disorders.
• Harm one’s relationship with food and physical activity.
• Encourage the use of food as a strategy for regulating emotions.
• Cause a reluctance to seek out healthcare professionals.
• Heighten psychological distress.
• Contribute to or exacerbate weight gain, or lead to weight fluctuations.
• Generate chronic stress, which negatively impacts metabolism.
• Increase the risk of mortality due to stress-related physiological imbalances.
• Lessen the quality of healthcare received.
• Discourage the adoption of healthy habits (e.g., reluctance to exercise publicly due to fear of being judged or lack of suitable facilities).

Become an ally

Great news! Every one of us can help reduce fatphobia. It starts with an honest introspection. Here are a few things you can do:

• Become aware of your own biases.

Having them is normal. It's a consequence of unrealistic beauty standards and the diet culture. Re-evaluating your own beliefs can be difficult, especially when we realize that these beliefs aren’t always justified, but it’s a necessary step.

• Stop commenting on people’s appearances.

Avoid giving unsolicited advice and weight prejudices.

• Expose yourself to more body diversity.

It’s not that difficult, just look around… diversity is everywhere.

• Address and even call out fatphobic comments.

Fighting fatphobia doesn’t mean you’re promoting unhealthy lifestyle choices. Rather, it’s about recognizing that everyone deserves respectful treatment, regardless of weight.

Whatever our body type, we can all contribute to a more tolerant and inclusive society!

In summary

Nobody has full control over their weight or body size. Unfortunately, prejudice persists, and discrimination can affect the physical and mental health of those targeted.

But we can all help counter fatphobia. By becoming aware of our own biases, we’re already taking a step toward being more understanding allies.