Why We Need to Talk About Weight Stigma – Now More Than Ever
Blog Post by Contributing Editor Chevese Turner, Founder of Body Equity Alliance
Every year, Weight Stigma Awareness Week (WSAW) serves as a critical reminder of a pervasive issue that affects millions of people across the globe - yet is rarely addressed openly. Held annually in September and organized by Dr. Wendy Oliver-Pyatt of Within Health and me, WSAW is a campaign designed to challenge harmful stereotypes, advocate for systemic change through education, and uplift the voices of those impacted by weight stigma.
But why does this matter? Why do we need a whole week dedicated to weight stigma?
Because it’s everywhere - and it’s harmful.
This year’s WSAW theme, Healing Without Harm: Ending Weight Stigma in Healthcare is a critical focus as reports of bias and discrimination are increasing alongside the popularity of GLP-1 medications for intentional weight loss.
What Is Weight Stigma and Where Does it Show Up?
Weight stigma refers to discrimination, bias, and systemic mistreatment directed at people based on their body size. It most often targets high weight people, but people of any size can feel its impact, especially those with intersecting marginalized identities - black and brown people, disabled people, queer and trans people, and people living in poverty.
Weight stigma is not just about hurt feelings or individual prejudices. It is woven through the structures of our society:
In healthcare, where high weight people are frequently misdiagnosed or denied care.
In employment, where size discrimination is legal in most places and impacts hiring, promotions, and wages.
In education, where high weight students are more likely to be bullied and less likely to receive support.
In media, where thinness is equated with goodness, health, and success, while fatness is portrayed as a moral failing.
Weight stigma doesn’t exist in a vacuum - it’s reinforced by diet culture, anti-fat bias, and the profit-driven industries that benefit from making people feel broken.
Why We Need to Eradicate Weight Stigma
Weight stigma doesn't motivate people to be healthier - it does the opposite. The common belief that shaming someone for their weight will inspire them seek intentional weight loss is not only misguided but also harmful. Shame rarely leads to lasting behavior change. Instead, it often leads to disordered eating, depression, anxiety, and a lack of trust in healthcare providers.
Here are a few key reasons we need to be actively working to dismantle weight stigma:
1. Everyone Deserves Respect and Dignity
Health is not a moral obligation, and body size is not an indicator of worth. Every person, regardless of their weight or appearance, deserves to be treated with respect. Promoting body diversity and acceptance is crucial to creating a more compassionate, equitable society.
2. Weight ≠ Health
The medical community is slowly recognizing that health is multifaceted. It's entirely possible to be healthy and live a fulfilling life in a larger body - and conversely, people in smaller bodies can have serious health issues. Focusing exclusively on weight misses the bigger picture and alienates people from the individualized care they may need.
3. We Need Systemic Change
It’s not enough to tell people to “love themselves.” We must fight for legal protections against size discrimination, eliminate BMI as a measure of health, end weight-based insurance penalties, and demand inclusive healthcare.
What You Can Do During (and After) Weight Stigma Awareness Week
Educate yourself about anti-fat biases and weight stigma. Attend our free WSAW educational sessions, and follow activists, authors, and researchers who speak on these topics - especially those with lived experience.
Challenge your biases. Unlearn assumptions about body size, and speak out when you hear weight-based jokes or judgment.
Advocate for systemic change in schools, workplaces, and healthcare. Push for size-inclusive policies and anti-discrimination protections.
Closing Thoughts: Liberation, Not Tolerance
Weight Stigma Awareness Week is not about making space for large bodied people to “feel better” within oppressive systems. It’s about dismantling those systems entirely.
Body liberation calls us to imagine a world where bodies are not sites of shame or control, but of possibility and joy. Where no one is denied care, respect, or community because of the body they live in.
Check out WSAW programming and resources at www.weightstigmaawarenessweek.org and follow us @weightstigmaawareness.
Chevese Turner
Founder, Body Equity Alliance
About the Author: Chevese Turner is a respected and internationally recognized activist working at the intersection of eating disorders and weight discrimination. As the founder of the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA), she played a pivotal role in bringing attention, legitimacy, and resources to a historically overlooked diagnosis. She now serves as the CEO of the Body Equity Alliance, where she continues to lead efforts that advance weight-inclusive, trauma-informed care and equitable access to treatment. Throughout her career, Turner has remained a driving force for systemic change, committed to eliminating discrimination based on body size and ensuring all individuals receive the respectful, evidence-based care they deserve.