What is fat phobia?

Fat phobia—also referred to as weight stigma or anti-fat bias—is a set of negative beliefs, attitudes, and assumptions about people in larger bodies. It often stems from deeply ingrained societal norms that equate thinness with health, morality, and worth, while viewing fatness as a problem to be solved or a personal failure.

Fat phobia can show up in subtle and overt ways, including:

• Medical discrimination (e.g., attributing all health concerns to weight)

• Social exclusion or bullying

• Barriers to employment or fair treatment

• Internalized shame or pressure to diet and shrink one’s body

It is reinforced by systems like healthcare, media, and fitness industries, and intersects with other forms of oppression (e.g., racism, ableism, and classism). In mental health care, fat phobia may lead to harm when clinicians pathologize fatness, recommend weight loss as a default, or fail to consider the impact of stigma on wellbeing.

A weight-inclusive and affirming approach recognizes that health and worth are not determined by body size, and prioritizes respect, autonomy, and care for people of all sizes.

How can fat phobia impact me?

Fat phobia can deeply impact mental health, especially in the context of eating disorders. An eating disorder-informed perspective recognizes that fear of fatness often underlies disordered eating and body image distress, regardless of someone’s actual body size. Internalized weight stigma can drive restrictive eating, compulsive exercise, or purging behaviors as a way to avoid judgment or seek control and acceptance. In treatment, it’s essential to address fat phobia as a systemic and psychological issue—not reinforce it—by fostering body neutrality, affirming diverse body sizes, and supporting clients to disentangle self-worth from weight or appearance.