What is Sizeism and How to Fight It?

I’ve been following the news around Lizzo, and the sizeist and racist comments she has endured. Keeping it real and honest here, I was a proud fat and black woman myself until about two years ago. I’d been obese since before I could walk, my weight topping out at 417 lbs. So this is a topic that I relate to both personally and professionally to this topic, as many of my patients struggle with weight and body image issues.

I’ve enjoyed seeing Lizzo being confident and happy in her body. I’m also disappointed that we live in a world where the truth of this self-love feels novel and the idea that someone could be fat and love themselves is still "controversial." I want to be abundantly clear that a human’s self-worth does not have an inverse relationship with a number on a scale. So today, we’re going to talk about the effects of sizeism, and how to deal with it in your personal life.

What is sizeism?

Let’s start by defining some terms.

I will be using the term "fat," as fat people have been working to reclaim the word and eliminate the stigma attached. I want to convey that "fat" is not a dirty word.

Sizeism, or weight stigma, is defined as prejudice or discrimination based on a person’s size or weight. The terms "overweight" and "obesity" are medical terms that are usually defined by your body mass index (BMI). You are categorized as overweight if your BMI is between 25-29.9 and obese at a BMI of 30 or higher. BMI is a flawed measurement, especially for people of color, but it is deeply ingrained in our medical system.

I'm not here to argue that morbid obesity doesn't have negative effects on physical health. What I am here to argue is that sizeism and its negative effects need to be equally addressed. One can't make assumptions about someone's health based solely on their size or BMI. An individual's health is determined by a myriad factors and is best explored between them and their (hopefully unbiased) health providers.

I will be using the term "fat," as fat people have been working to reclaim the word and eliminate the stigma attached. I want to convey that "fat" is not a dirty word.

What are the effects of sizeism?

Here's some of the latest research on sizeism that you may have missed because it doesn't get as much air time as diet culture or judgemental comments.

According to researchers,...

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