Weight stigma

Weight stigma is a form of social stigma that has been broadly defined as bias (prejudicial and negative attitudes, beliefs, and/or stereotypes) or discriminatory behaviors targeted at individuals with overweight or obesity or who are perceived to carry excess body weight. Weight stigma is present in multiple domains, such as healthcare, education, media, and interpersonal settings, and is perpetrated by friends, family, and the individual him- or herself.

Researchers have found that over previous decades, the prevalence of reports of weight-based discrimination has increased 66%, rising from 7% in the 1990s to 12% in the 2000s. Newer prevalence estimates, however, are needed. Comparatively, individuals with overweight and obesity as a group are rated more negatively than many other stigmatized groups, including sexual minorities and persons with mental illnesses. Additionally, rates of weight-based discrimination have been found to be comparable to race-based discrimination, and among women, weight-based discrimination is the third most commonly reported source of discrimination, more prevalent than race-based discrimination.

Weight stigma is a unique source of stigma for many reasons including the following:

A 2009 review of the weight stigma literature by Puhl and colleagues identified that weight stigma is present in multiple settings including healthcare, education, interpersonal situations, multiple media forms and outlets, and across many levels of employment. Ways in which weights stigma is present in these domains as well as downstream consequences will be elaborated upon in the following sections with evidence from several empirical review papers:

Studies have found that weight stigma manifests in multiple forms of employment discrimination towards employees with overweight and obesity. These include difficulty obtaining a job, worse job placement, lower wages and compensation, unjustified denial of promotions, harsher discipline, unfair job termination, and commonplace derogatory jokes and comments from coworkers and supervisors. In their review, Puhl et al. find that employees with overweight and obesity report their weight as the most influential factor contributing to losing their job. Another review by Giel and colleagues (2010) found that certain stereotypes about employees with overweight and obesity are highly endorsed by employers and supervisors, in particular that they have poorer job performance and that they lack interpersonal skills, motivation, and self-control.

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