Glossary

A-D

Body size and shape discrimination

[ Sometimes synonyms like fatphobia, weight stigma, fat bias, anti-fat and others are used. Each of them have a slightly different meaning ]

A situation in which people experience different treatment without objective and reasonable reasoning because they live in a larger body. Body size in such a case is subjective and may depend on both society and the subjective assessment of the viewer. It can manifest itself as verbal or non-verbal harassment, discrimination in educational, medical or work environments, inaccessibility of the environment, lack of clothing sizes, etc.

Diet culture

A set of values where weight loss, thinness, self-restraint, obsession with food and physical exercise are valued over holistic health and well-being. This culture is maintained through the media, public narratives and medical prejudices. In the long run, it promotes weight stigma, fat prejudice and disordered eating behavior.

Ableism

Discrimination in favour of able-bodied people. It often reflects in considerations and attitudes that such people are less capable and worthy, and deserve less respect compared to people without it. In the context of weight stigma and fat prejudice, the term is used to explain the tendency to think that people in larger bodies are not able to perform certain actions and are therefore less valuable.

Aesthetic violence

[ Spanish - violencia estética ]

The violence we inflict on our bodies to fit into socially defined beauty ideals (plastic surgery, dangerous diets, and other body-altering beauty procedures to achieve a visual result).

Version 02.2025 / This dictionary was created by Flourish NGO. The work as a whole may be distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED license - non-commercial use and with attribution.

Diet industry

It is a global multi-billion dollar industry that aims to offer people goods and services for weight loss or maintaining a low weight. It generates income from maintaining fat prejudice and public pressure to fit into established beauty ideals (which can be variable). Although this industry promises health improvement, research shows that a large proportion of diets are not effective for long-term weight control and contribute to so-called yo-yo weight gain, eating disorders and a negative body image.

Appearance related violence

Physical, emotional and other types of violence (including discrimination, hate speech, hate crimes, etc.) that are carried out based on the victim's appearance or certain prejudices associated with it.

Body shaming

Act of making intentional or unintentional negative and critical comments about a person's body, especially their weight, size, shape, hair, or other external features. It can occur in personal relationships, online, in the media, or in public spaces, including both direct criticism and more subtle forms of judgment. Body shaming contributes to a negative body image, and, especially if experienced over a long period, has a serious impact on mental health, leading to feelings of shame, guilt, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and increased risk of eating disorders.

Body liberation (movement)

This is a social and political movement that is based on liberation from societal expectations and systems of social oppression that consider certain bodies (types of bodies) to be more valuable, healthier, and more desirable than others. It emphasizes that all bodies deserve respectful treatment, regardless of their size, shape, physical abilities, gender, or other external characteristics.

Body neutrality

The purpose is to promote the unconditional acceptance of all bodies (including one's own), retargeting attention from appearance to functionality and strengths. It is based on the awareness that the physical form of our bodies is constantly changing throughout life, and, while recognizing everyone's individual physical limitations and shortcomings, offers tools for realistic acceptance of it. It is used as a more sustainable approach than body positivity, because a more realistic and compassionate relationship with one's physical self helps to reduce the stress associated with bodily experiences.

Body image

It's a complex concept that includes a person's thoughts, feelings, and perceptions about their own body. It's influenced by a range of factors - genetics, personal experiences, cultural norms, information in the media, and others. Body image doesn't always objectively correspond to the physical form of the body, and negative associations with it can affect mental and physical health.

Body positivity

A movement that promotes self-love and appreciation for all body types. It is widely used by various companies to empower their audience. In the fat acceptance movement, it is criticized for focusing only on a positive external body image (liking oneself visually), rather than health and functional abilities of body. Additional points for criticism point to the fact that body positivity is not accessible to everyone (due to financial and other obstacles), and it is increasingly being used unethically for marketing purposes.

E-F

Fat activism / fat acceptance movement

A social movement that seeks to challenge the stigma and discrimination against fat people. It promotes body acceptance, self-love, and the right to live a healthy and fulfilling life regardless of body size. Fat activists work to change social norms, challenge harmful beauty standards, and advocate for policies that protect the rights of fat people.

Fat bias or anti-fat bias

Prejudice, unfair, unequal treatment and even discrimination towards fat people. These are often assumptions that people in bigger bodies are people are lazy, unhealthy or lack self-control and can manifest in workplaces, medical institutions, family, media and other instances.

Fatphobia

[ also anti-fat, fatmisia, weight bias and weight stigma ]

The prejudice against, aversion to, or discrimination against people who are fat (or seem fat in the eyes of the viewer). It manifests in various ways, including negative stereotypes, unsolicited comments about weight, and lack of representation in media, etc.

Fat shaming

The act of making negative or derogatory comments about someone’s weight or body size.

Fat oppression

Systematic marginalization and discrimination of people based on their body weight. It manifests in various forms, including prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination in employment, healthcare, and other areas of life.

Fat

Having a large amount of excess flesh, large in bulk or circumference. A word with a stigmatizing connotation, often used derogatorily for body shaming and humiliation. Therefore, it is often replaced by synonyms - chubby, plump, stout, etc. In the context of activism, the word is used as a neutral, descriptive adjective (similar to thin, flexible, etc.) with the aim of neutralizing the negative connotation of the word.

Fat liberation (movement)

A movement that challenges fatphobia and promotes body autonomy for fat people. Can be considered a strand of body liberation movement.

Fategories

Among fat activists, a division into categories is sometimes used - small fat, mid-fat, infinifat, and others. Among the activists themselves, these categories are seen both positively and negatively. By recognizing fatness as a spectrum, it becomes possible to validate and talk about different bodily experiences, but such categories are also contrary to the belief that bodies should not be categorized.

G-O

Intersectionality

Intersectionality is a framework that recognizes how different aspects of a person's identity, such as race, gender, class, and sexual orientation, can combine to create unique experiences of discrimination and privilege. It emphasizes that these social categories are interconnected and cannot be examined in isolation. For example, fat women suffer from weight stigma much more often than men. Fat poor women also experience it differently than those who are more affluent, etc.

Internalized fatphobia

In psychology and sociology, internalization is explained as the integration of external attitudes, values, standards, and opinions into one's own identity or associating them with one's own value. Internalized fatphobia or weight stigma manifests in adoption of negative social prejudices, and subsequent application of those to our own and other people's bodies. For example, the belief that you are not lovable or valuable as a person because you are have excess weight, difficulty accepting compliments about your appearance, etc.

Intuitive eating

An evidence based approach to mindful eating that encourages you to listen to your body's natural cues of hunger and fullness, energy levels and other, rather than following rigid dietary rules. It promotes a positive relationship with food and a healthy body image, and is often used as a counter-approach to diet culture.

Lookism

Prejudice or discrimination based on physical appearance and especially physical appearance believed to fall short of societal notions of beauty.

Health At Every Size

A public health approach based on the understanding that a person can be healthy in any size. Some of the principles advocate for inclusive medical care, regular and enjoyable physical activity, sufficient and enjoyable nutrition, and an adequate amount of sleep. HAES tries to overturn the belief that all people in larger bodies people are sick and calls for an individualized and non-stigmatizing approach to assessing the state of health.

Healthism

A set of attitudes and beliefs that health is the most important goal in life, the individual is solely responsible for their health, and it is in their full control. Structural, environmental, cultural and other obstacles are not taken into account - genetics, poverty, trauma, environmental problems, diet culture, capitalism and many others. In the context of weight stigma, the term refers to the belief that losing weight for health purposes is a matter of individual morality, therefore everyone who lives in bigger body is less valuable or lazy, without self-control, irresponsible.

P-Z

Weight bias

Prejudice or negative attitudes based on a person's objective or visually perceived weight. Although we mention examples of people in bigger bodies here, this type of prejudice affects people of all sizes. Weight bias can significantly affect people's lives, causing discrimination in employment, education, and healthcare. Sometimes used as synonym with the term "fat bias".

Weight stigma / stigmatization

A term most often used in medical research. Refers to the negative attitudes, beliefs, and discriminatory practices directed towards a person based on their body weight. Alternatively, towards the fact of gaining weight or performing actions that might bring somebody to gaining weight. It includes various forms, including:

• Self-stigma: Internalized negative beliefs and feelings about oneself due to one's weight or body size.

• Social stigma: Negative attitudes and discriminatory behaviors directed towards individuals based on their weight by others.

• Associative stigma: Negative attitudes and beliefs towards individuals who are associated with people of a particular size or weight.

Sizeism

prejudice or discrimination on the grounds of a person's size or weight.

Thin privilege

A set of social advantages that thin people experience due to existing weight bias. For example, thinness is very important on the scale of social values, so it is easier for thin people to socialize, find suitable clothes, progress their careers, and experience other structural advantages.

Size inclusivity

Size inclusivity/inclusion is the practice of equally representing a wide variety of body shapes and sizes in fashion, advertising and production of other goods and services.

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