Origins of Weight Stigma #5: Other Industries

Why do people hate and fear fat bodies?

Weight stigma — also known as fatphobia, fatmisia, anti-fatness and fat hatred — ties into threads of power and profit going back centuries. Let’s look at one of the factors: Other industries.

From the beauty industry to the wellness industry, dozens of major industries reap the financial rewards of people feeling bad about their bodies. The healthcare industry isn’t exempt, either; the bariatric surgery market alone is worth around $2 billion. (Funny how with all that profit, they can’t seem to reliably make fat people thin, either.)

Read more about the origins of fatphobia at bit.ly/originsoffatphobia.

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I believe that people in large bodies deserve the same rights and dignity as every other human. In my weekly newsletter the Body Liberation Guide, we dive deeper into body image, power, oppression, the beauty of fat bodies, what health looks like at every size, and what you can do personally to help end weight stigma.

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Hi there! I'm Lindley. I create artwork that celebrates the unique beauty of bodies that fall outside conventional "beauty" standards at Body Liberation Photography. I'm also the creator of Body Liberation Stock and the Body Love Shop, a curated central resource for body-friendly artwork and products. Find all my work here at bodyliberationphotos.com.