The stigma of extreme body weight

30 August 2017 - The human body is becoming increasingly characterized by extreme portrayal these days. Particularly the media utilizes very thin or very large bodies, and the internet takes this to even more extremes with strongly visually oriented social networks. In some cases, such conflicting body images spread rapidly and reach a large number of users, specifically teenagers and young adults. One such trend, which showcases these extremes, is the so-called "thigh gap", which describes a visible gap between the thighs, even when the knees touch. This trend soon gave rise to a countermovement, the "Mermaid Gap" – here, the thighs are supposed to touch explicitly, "like a mermaid’s".

The act of "body shaming" is another phenomenon which has gained traction. People who do not conform to the media’s beauty standard, are openly criticized for their bodies or become targets of bullying. Despite different movements and trends, it is clear that a large part of the population is negatively opposed to people whose weight deviates from the norm. Prof. Dr. Claudia Luck-Sikorski, who teaches at the Gera College of Higher Education in Gera, Germany, examines the social stigma of extreme body weight. She has presented her findings to the public many times this year, showing that the severity and pathology of extreme weight deviations is often neglected and instead equated with personality traits. Particularly, weak-will and laziness are seen as the underlying causes of obesity.

This stigmatization can be a chronic stressor and negatively affects eating and exercise behavior. As a result, this might trigger an increased food intake and avoidance of exercising in public. Currently, the media’s view of heavily overweight bodies, without a face, has also been criticized as "faceless fatties". Originally designed to protect these individual’s rights, the use of this censoring seems to contribute to the depersonalization and stigma of overweight people.

While the stigma of obesity is well studied, research on anorexia nervosa and bulimia is only in its infancy. Early studies have shown that those with very low body weight are also subject to stigmatization. However, it also appears that it is more anticipated than actually experienced, by those affected. According to Prof. Dr. Luck-Sikorski's, stigmatization is not a motivation, but in fact starts a vicious cycle, which promotes an increasing isolation and social retreat. It may also negatively affect the course of the disorder. For fear of judgement and rejection, those suffering are reluctant to get medically examined or treated, and often decline help. Research in the stigmatization of extremely overweight and underweight people will continue to be an issue over the coming years. In the future, it will hopefully contribute to the de-stigmatization and development of empathy to build better and more effective treatment of those affected.

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The stigma of extreme body weight

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