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
Newsletters
- 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.
Podcasts
- Rebel Eaters Club Podcast hosted by Virgie Tovar
- Fierce Fatty Podcast hosted by Vinny Welsby (they/them)
- Body Kindness Podcast hosted by Rebecca Scritchfield, RDN
- Maintenance Phase hosted by Aubrey Gorden
Renfrew-Specific Events
Instagram Live
Date: Wednesday, September 27th at 12:30PM EST
IG Live: Join Ashley Vicari (she/her), LPC, NCC, Professional Relations Manager and Annelise Asch (she/her), Professional Relations Representative at The Renfrew Center of California, for an Instagram Live on Wednesday to discuss Weight Stigma Awareness Week. Ashley and Annie will discuss various topics, such as mental health, social media, and advocacy.
No registration required.
Have a resource to share with us? Contact [email protected] to let us know!
