World Obesity Day, held on 4 March, aims to raise awareness of the complexities surrounding obesity. International bodies such as the World Health Organization warn in numerous publications and reports about the risks associated with what is now considered an epidemic, particularly affecting children.  Beyond its health implications, obesity also carries a significant social dimension.

Published under the title “Who is afraid of obesity?”, the article by researcher Lara Martín Vicario on the scientific dissemination platform The Conversation examines the stigmatisation associated with weight gain, media discourse surrounding obesity and the forms of social rejection that, according to the author, affect people living with obesity.

The lecturer begins the article by revisiting a 2014 experiment carried out in the United States with a group of women without obesity, who were asked to describe how they would feel about a bodily change associated with weight gain. Their replies were clear: terror, disgust and fear. “The responses revealed deeply stigmatising perceptions regarding what it means to inhabit a fat body,” notes Lara Martín Vicario.

The researcher begins her reflection by arguing that “those who fear obesity most are those who do not experience it. It is a fear directed not only at health risks but at the stigmatisation that accompanies weight gain.”

Media, technology and weight stigmatisation

As highlighted in a previous research article by Lara Martín Vicario, weight-loss applications perpetuate body-related stigmas. Beyond digital tools, the lecturer states that “these forms of stigmatisation are reproduced and conveyed through the media.” “They turn people with obesity into an ‘other’ – someone we are expected to reject or condemn to social exclusion.”

Beyond body weight

“A large part of media discourse on obesity centres on the idea of individual responsibility. It appeals to discipline and self-control. This approach simplifies a complex phenomenon. Scientific evidence shows that body weight is influenced by multiple factors: genetic, hormonal, metabolic, psychological and socioeconomic,” the researcher explains.

According to numerous studies, weight-based discrimination is associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression, and even with physiological changes linked to chronic stress. Lara Martín Vicario adds that “paradoxically, social rejection can worsen the very health indicators that are ostensibly being protected.” The author poses a key question:  “What is it that we fear: the medical risk or social rejection? Fear of obesity is not always fear of illness but fear of social exclusion.”