It's weighing me down!

Checking my weight always makes me nervous and is the worst part of a doctor's visit. When I was young I was underweight and then during the pandemic all the sitting around and eating made me gain weight. What started this article was a recent Wall Street Journal article about Weight Bias affecting a Career. We had a big dinner table discussion about whether this is true and what we all perceived the magnitude of the "weight bias" problem to be. I mean what in the world! Whalen and Smith were surprised that people were discriminated against because of their weight to get a job or a promotion. Quite honestly I wasn't shocked to hear that this is a problem. I see it every day and have experienced some of it myself.

High school has taught me that this is an even more serious issue in teen life. It is hard that your weight decides whether you get to date, go on homecoming, or prom with someone you like. Even making friends can be hard!

According to an article in the New York Times, size awareness and size shaming start as early as 3 years old. By the age of 9, weight bias is as common as racial bias is among adults.

Before going further I wanted to explore what weight bias really means or is defined. Weight bias is defined as “negative weight-related attitudes, beliefs, assumptions, and judgments toward individuals who are overweight and obese”. So this covers all spectrums of weight.

Recently many of my friends in the Barbie movie frenzy, have been dressing and trying to fit a certain body type. The unhappiness, the bullying, and the pressure are real.

You and I can make a change. Even in scientific studies, the best intervention is when friends and peers support someone going through a difficult time because of their weight. Let's stop judging others and love people for who they are!

1. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/21/well/live/fat-bias-starts-early-and-takes-a-serious-toll.html

2. Puhl RM, Peterson JL, Luedicke J. Strategies to address weight-based victimization: youths' preferred support interventions from classmates, teachers, and parents. J Youth Adolesc. 2013 Mar;42(3):315-27. doi: 10.1007/s10964-012-9849-5. Epub 2012 Nov 2. PMID: 23117953.

3. Skinner AC, Payne K, Perrin AJ, Panter AT, Howard JB, Bardone-Cone A, Bulik CM, Steiner MJ, Perrin EM. Implicit Weight Bias in Children Age 9 to 11 Years. Pediatrics. 2017 Jul;140(1):e20163936. doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-3936. PMID: 28646003; PMCID: PMC5495527.

4. Alberga AS, Russell-Mayhew S, von Ranson KM, McLaren L. Weight bias: a call to action. J Eat Disord. 2016 Nov 7;4:34. doi: 10.1186/s40337-016-0112-4. PMID: 27826445; PMCID: PMC5100338.