Sizeism is a health hazard

Chrisler, Joan C.; Barney, Angela

doi:10.1080/21604851.2016.1213066

Cited by 74 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…The experience but also fear of disdainful stares in exercise settings also seems to be a factor in this context. This is in line with the wider prejudice literature where they are also known as microaggressions [63] In fact, a growing amount of research indicates that these so called "fat microaggressions" ( [63] p.504) may be more harmful to a person's health and health behaviours than overt forms of discrimination (see for example [63,64]). The finding that such subtle forms of weight stigma may have a substantial impact on health behaviour is important to consider when designing future anti-discriminations initiatives and public health strategies.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Weight stigma experiences and self-exclusion from sport and exercise settings among people with obesity

2021

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Background A central strategy to tackle the health risks of obesity is regular physical activity (PA), exercising and participating in sports. However, people with obesity regularly experience weight-related stigma and discrimination in sport and exercise settings. Research has indicated that they often cope with such experiences by simply excluding themselves from sport and exercise. Meanwhile, self-exclusion as a coping strategy has not been fully understood and it remains unclear to what extent self-exclusion from PA settings is accompanied by general inactivity among people with obesity. The goal of this interview study was to determine to what extent physical inactivity among adults with obesity is the result of weight stigma-induced self-exclusion in and from sport and PA settings. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with thirty adult men and women with obesity (average BMI: 40.64) and asked them about experiences with their body, weight stigma and coping behaviours in sport and exercise settings across their lifespans. Employing constant comparative analysis and a thematic network approach, we analysed the interview data to identify the most common reasons for and different strategies of self-exclusion. Results Participants reported that they excluded themselves from sport and exercise settings due to traumatic weight stigma experiences, self-discrimination and fear of stigma, using a variety of strategies. Exposure to discrimination was prevented by selectively avoiding certain settings or strategically frequenting them at certain times only, but also by exercising in ‘safe’ spaces, e.g. at home. Furthermore, people with obesity reported strategically managing their social relations in order to avoid stigmatising reactions by others in exercise settings, for example by exercising individually and avoiding social PA. Most notably, our results strongly indicate that not all self-excluding coping strategies result in less exercising. Conclusions In order to successfully promote physical activity among people with obesity, the various forms of self-exclusion should be taken into account as pathways of stigma regarding physical activity. People with obesity may exclude themselves from certain PA settings, yet could still be exercising on their own or in other ways. One focus of public health strategies should thus be directed at the potentially socially isolating effects.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Weight stigma experiences and self-exclusion from sport and exercise settings among people with obesity

2021

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“…Fitness level, on the other hand, has consistently been shown to be a strong indicator of health (Gaesser 2009). In fact, people who are fat but fit live longer on average than people who are thin but not fit (Bacon and Aphramor 2014; Blair et al 1995; Blair et al 1996; Blair and Church 2004; Chrisler and Barney 2017). Still it is important to note there is not a causal link between exercise and weight loss (Bacon 2008).…”

Section: Situating Fat As a Social Justice Issuementioning

confidence: 99%

Fat Is a Social Justice Issue, Too

Stoll

2019

Humanity & Society

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Empirical evidence continues to show that like other historically marginalized groups, fat people experience discrimination in employment, education, the media, politics, interpersonal relationships, and especially health care. Yet, despite the fact that fatphobia in the United States has always been intimately connected to other systems of oppression like sexism, racism, and classism, those of us who identify as critical sociologists so often exclude it from our analyses. We fail to acknowledge that fat is a social justice issue, too. In this article, I argue that fatphobia is a system of oppression worthy of greater theoretical and empirical consideration in humanist sociology. I begin by providing a brief history of the ways fat has been pathologized and medicalized in the United States. I then discuss some of the ways fat is connected with gender, race, and class in particular. Finally, I offer some strategies for how critical sociologists can move forward, including suggestions for engaging in fat activism.

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“…While there is a growing body of literature on the existence and impact of fat stigma, very few academic studies have explicitly taken up the microaggressions framework. In some recent works, scholars focused on weight stigma have noted microaggressions as an orienting concept, 26 though there has yet to be focused work in this area which seeks to define and categorize fat stigma in terms of microaggressions. One exception is Schafer's unpublished dissertation work on the microaggressions experienced by "obese" women in psychotherapy, which detailed the ways in which therapists perpetuate weight stigma in encounters with clients.…”

Section: Fat Microaggressionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Everyday Indignities: Using the Microaggressions Framework to Understand Weight Stigma

Munro¹

2017

J. Law. Med. Ethics

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Lauren Munro, B.A. (Hons), is a Ph.D. student in the Community Psychology program at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, whose personal and professional life is driven by a commitment to social justice. She is a fat activist, artist, and writer who strongly believes in the importance of integrating academia and grassroots activism to create projects that push boundaries and challenge the status quo.

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Sizeism is a health hazard

Cited by 74 publications

References 64 publications

Weight stigma experiences and self-exclusion from sport and exercise settings among people with obesity

Weight stigma experiences and self-exclusion from sport and exercise settings among people with obesity

Fat Is a Social Justice Issue, Too

Everyday Indignities: Using the Microaggressions Framework to Understand Weight Stigma

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