Weight Stigma Awareness Week (WSAW) 2014
It is WSAW 2014. And this year’s post is inspired by a recent talk I watched on TED by the brave and smart Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Her talk is entitled “The Danger of a Single Story” and I loved it so much I embedded it here for your viewing pleasure.
I think her message is applicable in the case of weight stigma. Our society has a single narrative about people who live in bigger bodies. When we think overweight or obese, the words and images we think are disgusting, lazy, dumb, and incompetent. This is not ok!!! Any form of stigma creates bias and stereotypes that lead to abuse, neglect, and alienation. Did you know that:
- Weight discrimination occurs more frequently than gender or age discrimination
- Is the number 1 reason for bullying in elementary school aged children
- Weight stigma leads to poorer mental, emotional and physical health outcomes
Source: Rudd Center at Yale
My challenge for each of you to is to commit to challenging your own “single story” about people in larger bodies. If you can keep an open mind about politics, race, gender, and age- you can keep an open mind about this too! To join the conversation about weight stigma visit The Binge Eating Disorder Association website. The week is jam-packed with event and tools to build awareness. Join the conversation!