Weight Stigma Awareness Week is an annual event dedicated to raising awareness about the issue of weight-based discrimination and prejudice. The week-long initiative aims to challenge societal stereotypes and biases surrounding body weight, promoting empathy, understanding, and inclusivity for people of all sizes.
To help the mental health community we have put together a working resource list for Weight Stigma Awareness Week. While this list is certainly not exhaustive, it seeks to provide a variety of starting points for embracing this week.
Ways To Participate
Participating in Weight Stigma Awareness Week is a great way to contribute to the fight against weight-based discrimination and promote body acceptance. Here are 5 ways you can get involved:
- Educate Yourself
- Advocate for Change
- Attend an In-Person or Virtual Event
- Connect with Organizations
- Share Your Story
Websites
- Weight Stigma Awareness Week Website: Empowering and educating people to end the traumatic and destructive anti-fatness rooted in racism, shame, and discrimination around body shape and size.
- The Association for Size Diversity and Health: ASDAH’s mission is to partner with service providers, educators, and advocates to dismantle weight-centered health policies and practices.
- I Weigh Community: Connects, empowers, and amplifies diverse voices in an accessible way.
- The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance: NAAFA works to make the world a better place for fat people through education, advocacy, and support. They are a multigenerational, intersectional social justice organization creating opportunity for big-bodied people and building community for fat people and their loved ones.
Instagram Accounts
- Ragen Chastain – @ragenchastain
- Nia Patterson – @thefriendineverwanted
- Virgie Tovar – @virgietovar
- Jessie Diaz-Herrera – @curveswithmoves
- Katie Sturino – @katiesturino
- Latoya Shauntay – @iamlshauntay
- Sharon Maxwell – @heysharonmaxwell
- Wednesdae – @queer.art_therapist
- Mackenzie Fox – @coachmackenziefox
- Megan Jayne Crabbe – @meganjaynecrabbe
Books
- You Have the Right to Remain Fat by: Virgie Tovar
- Hot & Heavy: Fierce Fat Girls on Life, Love & Fashion by: Virgie Tovar
- Your Body Is Not an Apology Workbook: Tools for Living Radical Self-Love by: Sonya Renee Taylor
- What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by: Aubrey Gordon
- Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by: Dr. Sabrina Strings
- Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by: Da’Shaun Harrison
- Fat Talk – Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by: Virginia Sole Smith
- Fat and Fertile: How to Get Pregnant in a Bigger Body by: Nicola Salmon
Newsletter
- Weight and Healthcare Newsletter by Ragen Chastain: Examining weight science, weight stigma, and what evidence, ethics, and lived experience teach us about best healthcare practices and public health for higher weight people.
Documentary
- Your Fat Friend: Acclaimed director Jeanie Finlay charts the rise of Aubrey Gordon, activist and journalist focused on the harms of anti-fat bias. Shot over six years, we see Aubrey go from anonymous blogger Yrfatfriend to NYTimes best seller and beloved podcaster with an audience of millions.
Podcasts
- Rebel Eaters Club Podcast hosted by Virgie Tovar
- Fierce Fatty Podcast hosted by Vinny Welsby (they/them)
- Maintenance Phase hosted by Aubrey Gorden and Michael Hobbes
Renfrew Podcast Episodes
- Episode 15: Fat Bodies & Eating Disorder Treatment with Jessica Elwart, LCAT, RDT
- Episode 30: Fat is not an Insult: Let’s talk Fat Phobia, Weight Stigma, and all things Body Image with Mackenzie Fox
- Episode 24: The Powerful Megan Jayne Crabbe: Her Path to Body Positivity
- Episode 65: Lived Experience in a Fatphobic Culture: A Story of Perseverance and Resilience with Your Unapologetic Body Bestie
- Episode 73: Activists, Artists, and Anti-Fat College Campuses: Raising Awareness and Mobilizing Support for Marginalized Individuals
Have a resource to share with us? Contact [email protected] to let us know!
