Stupid. Ugly. Sloppy. Lazy. Undisciplined. Fat. All words frequently used to describe people who are overweight or obese. Commonplace in the United States, weight stigma refers to negative beliefs associated with being obese or overweight that emerge in a culture that is sizeist. Such negative beliefs often result in weight-based discrimination or the maltreatment of individuals due to their body size.
One might think that mental health professionals wouldn't hold anti-fat attitudes or negative weight bias. Yet, that is not the case. Weight stigma research consistently finds that healthcare professionals hold biased attitudes and beliefs about obese patients. Healthcare providers often characterize obese individuals as unmotivated and noncompliant, blame them for their weight, and demonstrate implicit anti-fat attitudes.
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