Weight Stigma: Origins and Impact on Health

1 Continuing Education Credit available! Asynchronous, self-paced In recent years we have seen a degree of social shift related to body size and the body positivity movement, with a push for visibility and normalization of a variety of body sizes, particularly in the domains of health, fashion, and social influence. But why do we as a society place so much emphasis on body size in the first place? What is the origin of weight stigma? In this one-hour training, we will examine that very question, and offer historical context as well as research-based analysis which will allow participants to think critically, and stories of impact which provide nuance and perspective. Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will examine the role of race and racism in shaping the development of weight stigma in the United States. 2. Participants will identify how body size became medicalized and, subsequently, how obesity became labeled an “epidemic.” 3. Participants will reflect on how weight stigma impacts the health of people with bigger bodies. Created and Facilitated by Dr. Robert L. Reece, PhD.