As public health shifts toward a more weight-inclusive approach, and seeing body liberation as part of our social justice and equity work, what about the people working directly with individuals in a clinic setting?

If you are new to body liberation or weight-inclusive health topics, you may be wondering how to get started in your own work to reduce weight stigma and its harm. As we often hear in activist spaces these days, the most important thing is that we “do something.” 

As we work toward making our public health pedagogy and classrooms more inclusive and trauma-informed, it is imperative that we are intentional about how we represent and talk about bodies, weight and health, and how welcome people feel in our programs. 

We want to highlight this amazing group of medical students as an example of how those of us working in health fields and education can take a stand and make a difference in reducing weight stigma and anti-fat bias in our work and in society.

Creating workplaces that are inclusive of people of all sizes involves physical and visual aspects, as well as the topics of "water cooler banter." Explore ways that both organizations and individuals can make people of all sizes feel welcome at work.

Seeing ourselves represented in our environment helps us to know that we belong here, and this includes in the classroom. We can make changes that get us closer to class experiences of respect and dignity for students of all sizes.

Here are some other terms and phrases that you might hear used in body liberation discussions: orthorexia; fatmisia; concern trolling. Familiarity with them will help in navigating body liberation spaces.

FAT – Those three letters can sure stir up a lot of emotions! Shame to joy, stigma to liberation, and these days, sometimes they cause confusion and questions. We can reclaim it as a neutral descriptor.

The racist origin story of the Body Mass Index (BMI) has been well-documented, and its current use continues to perpetuate stereotypes and misinformation. Here are some better options.