Identifying as Fat: Can It Buffer Weight Discrimination?

Source: AllGo - An App for Plus-Size People/Unsplash

Weight-based discrimination involves treating another person poorly on the basis of their weight. Typically, weight-based discrimination is directed toward individuals of higher weight. Unfortunately, weight-based discrimination is prevalent, and in the United States, it occurs as often as racial discrimination. Like other forms of discrimination, weight-based discrimination has many negative consequences for physical and psychological well-being.

Though the onus for eliminating weight-based discrimination should lay at the systemic level, it is also important to investigate individual-level factors that could protect people from the impact of weight-based discrimination. In a new study, researchers based at three American universities sought to understand more about weight-based discrimination and well-being, as well as the factors that could explain this relationship.

The Rejection–Identification Model

The theoretical framework of their research was the rejection–identification model, developed by Branscombe and colleagues. The theory proposes that experiencing discrimination may lead people to identify more strongly with their stigmatized social group. In turn, stronger identification with the stigmatized social group is proposed to protect their well-being. Why might this be? The theory proposes that identifying with the stigmatized social group could offer people social support, a sense of community, and positive self-worth.

The rejection–identification theory has been supported among multiple stigmatized groups—for example, based on race and sexual orientation. For the first time, the authors in this study wanted to investigate this model with respect to weight-based discrimination.

The Research Design and Key Findings

In total, 739 American adults between 18 and 86 years old took part in the study. They completed a series of questionnaires to assess the extent to which they (1) perceived weight-based discrimination and (2) identified with “fat” as a group. They also completed questionnaires to assess aspects of their physical and psychological well-being.

The key findings of the analyses are the following:

• As would be expected on the basis of previous research, weight-based discrimination was related to lower physical and psychological well-being.
• In line with the rejection–identification model, higher levels of weight-based discrimination were related to higher levels of “fat-group identification.”
• In contrast to the rejection–identification model, higher levels of “fat-group identification” were related to lower physical and psychological well-being.

The authors also ran additional exploratory analyses, which showed the following:

• There was a protective role of body affirmation, which describes the extent to which people embrace their body size and feel proud of their body. Body affirmation was related to higher physical and psychological well-being.
• Weight-based discrimination was related to higher levels of support for social change (e.g., that people should be treated with respect, regardless of their body size).
• This relationship was partly explained by higher levels of “fat-group identification” and body affirmation. That is, weight-based discrimination contributed to “fat-group identification” and body affirmation, which, in turn, contributed to well-being.

The Take-Home Message

The authors concluded: “Although previous research supports the theorizing that identification with some social groups (e.g., racial groups) may protect individuals from the negative consequences of group-based discrimination (Branscombe et al., 1999), the present findings do not support a similar well-being benefit of identifying as fat.”

Therefore, the findings support the first part of the theory—that discrimination contributes to group identification—but not the second part of the theory, that group identification should contribute to well-being. In fact, group identification was related to poorer well-being. Why might this be?

One reason is that weight, unlike other individual identities such as race, is perceived to be under personal control. There is a wealth of research showing that people believe weight-based discrimination and prejudice to be justified because of the assumption that weight is fully controllable. People of higher weight are judged negatively because of this (e.g., as lazy, unmotivated). There is also a wealth of research showing that individuals of higher weight internalize these negative views of fatness and the idea that their weight is “bad” and is their “fault.”

Therefore, identifying as fat may not have the same protective benefits as identifying with other stigmatized groups. Furthermore, although the body-positive movement has improved the visibility of diverse bodies (e.g., age, race), negative attitudes toward fatness remain pervasive.

A promising outcome of this research is that body affirmation was related to physical and psychological well-being and to support for societal change. It may help individuals to cope with some of the effects of weight-based discrimination. These findings support the growing evidence on the importance of promoting positive body image for well-being and for its further “ripple effects” on body image and equity more broadly.