Today marks the start of BEDA's Weight Stigma Awareness Week. A very important week for us at Guiltless!
What is Weight Stigma?
Weight stigma as a form of bullying, based on a person's size or weight. It encompasses a wide range of behaviors where a a person’s character, work ethics, and personality is judged based on weight. It can happen at home, on the playground, in the workplace or in a doctors office. Here are a few staggering stats: 1 of 3 overweight girls and 1 of 4 overweight boys report being teased by
their peers at school. 43% of overweight people report weight stigma by employers or supervisors. 69% of overweight people report being stigmatized by doctors and 52% reported doctors stigmatizing them on more than 1 occasion. So much for this free country eh?
Change Starts with You!
You have to heal yourself first, reclaiming a positive relationship with your body, and then spreading this positive self-love to those around you-friends, family and strangers. You need to be the first one to start using positive body talk. Recommit to taking care of yourself-Recommit to standing up for healthy body image and taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Join the Discussion
Tweet @BEDAOrg using the hashtag #weightstigma!
Check out the weight stigma awareness blog!
What can you do to fight weight stigma?
