Fatphobia

The Fatphobia section of The Body Optimist explains, documents and challenges the discrimination and stigma that fat people face. Its definitions, first-person stories, analysis and practical advice are for people who live with weight bias and for those close to them, with one firm belief: no body justifies mockery, exclusion or unequal treatment, at the doctor’s office, at work or online.

What you’ll find in the Fatphobia section

• Understanding fatphobia: definitions, how anti-fat bias works and the myths that keep it going.
• Health care: weight-centered appointments, equipment that doesn’t fit and stories of patients whose concerns were brushed aside.
• Work and daily life: hiring, insurance, transportation, clothing and stares in public, from the plus-size model turned down for insurance because of her weight to the passenger who says she was removed from a flight.
• Relationships and sexuality: comments about weight, fetishization and humiliating practices such as “hogging.”
• Media and social media: clichés, pressure to lose weight and online harassment of public figures and plus-size models, like the model called “too fat” whose story reignited the debate.

How does fatphobia show up?

Fatphobia is the discrimination and stigma directed at fat people because of their body size, and it goes far beyond insults. It shows up in particular:

• In health care: symptoms automatically blamed on weight, delayed diagnoses, blood pressure cuffs or exam tables that are too small.
• At work: applications passed over, comments about the “image” presented to clients, stalled careers.
• In public spaces: seats that are too narrow, sizes missing from stores, comments from strangers.
• In the media: fat characters reduced to comic relief, “before and after” photos presented as success stories.

It can also be internalized: you end up judging yourself through the prejudices you’ve absorbed.

How can you respond to weight-related comments and discrimination?

Responding starts with refusing to let your body become a topic of conversation you never asked for. A few guidelines:

• When someone comments, redirect the conversation without justifying your health or your eating habits (“My weight is my business”).
• With a health care provider, restate the reason for your visit, ask whether being weighed is necessary and, if trust is broken, look for another practitioner.
• At work or when you are refused a service, keep written records and witness statements, then seek advice from an equality agency, a union or a lawyer in your country.
• For yourself, surround yourself with people and accounts that don’t comment on weight, and draw on the resources of the body positive movement.

Our approach: name it, explain it, support people

Formerly known as Ma Grande Taille, our magazine has made fighting weight-based discrimination a pillar of its editorial line. We use the word “fat” without any negative connotation and refuse to make weight loss a condition for respect. Our articles give a voice to the people affected and break down the mechanisms at work rather than stopping at outrage.

Articles to start with

• The fatphobic phrases people say without realizing it, and why they hurt.
• One woman’s reply to the fat-shaming attacks telling her to lose weight: it’s not up to her.
• A firsthand account of fatphobia in romantic relationships and the double standards it reveals.

Frequently asked questions

Is fatphobia illegal?

It depends on where you live. In many countries, anti-discrimination laws cover grounds such as disability, health status or physical appearance, and weight-based discrimination can sometimes fall under them. A few jurisdictions, such as the state of Michigan and New York City, explicitly ban weight discrimination. Elsewhere, weight is not specifically protected, so check the laws in your country or ask an equality agency or a lawyer.

What is the difference between fatphobia and body shaming?

Body shaming means criticizing or mocking someone’s body, whatever their size or shape. Fatphobia is broader: it is a system of prejudice and discrimination that specifically targets fat people and also limits their access to health care, jobs and equipment that fits their bodies.

Why say “fat” instead of “overweight”?

Many activists have reclaimed “fat” as a neutral descriptor, just like “tall” or “thin.” “Overweight” and “obese” are medical terms that imply a departure from a norm. What matters most is respecting the words each person chooses to describe themselves.

Want to go further? Explore all our Society topics, our Feminism and LGBTQIA+ sections, and our Self-confidence section.