UC Davis offers 'weight stigma' guide so students can 'create fatphobia-free spaces'
‘Weight stigma’ guide tells smaller people to '[r]efrain from giving unsolicited diet or fitness advice.'
The guide says that BMI measurements may be inaccurate since they were developed 'based on a sample of white, European men.'
The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) offers a Weight Stigma guide on its Student Health and Counseling Services page in order to combat “fatphobia.”
”Weight stigma,” according to UC Davis, is discrimination against those “perceived to carry excess weight,” and appears in “many areas of life,” including employment, education, housing, public transportation, and more.
The guide offers tips to mitigate the stigma on both personal and societal levels.
According to the university, individuals with bodies that are “perceived to be smaller” should “[r]efrain from giving unsolicited diet or fitness advice,” “create safe fatphobia free spaces” including the use of “non-polarizing language about bodies and food,” and correct others that may be “displaying weight bias and using harmful language.”
Meanwhile, individuals with bodies that are “perceived to be larger” may take action by letting a healthcare provider know about weight bias and “seek[ing] out safe spaces where larger folks can be seen and feel acknowledged.”
In order to fight “weight stigma” on a societal level, readers are encouraged to “[s]hop at size-inclusive clothing stores,” “[i]nclude larger bodies on marketing and communication materials,” and “[p]etition for weight-inclusive training and care for healthcare professionals.”
Additionally, the guide discusses the Body Mass Index (BMI) measurement system, claiming that its “effectiveness for people of color has been debated, because it was developed based on a sample of white, European men.”
Per the guide’s ‘Terms and Definitions’ section, the word ‘fat’ is an adjective which “can be used by someone to describe their own body in a liberating way,” while ‘fatphobia’ is defined as “the fear and/or hatred of fat bodies.”
Meanwhile, ‘Body Justice’ refers to the “[l]iberation of all bodies from systemic discrimination and prejudice.” The page adds that “[a]ll bodies include, but are not limited to: Black and brown bodies, queer bodies, disabled bodies, fat bodies, etc.”
The UC Davis also has a Weight Stigma Work Group, as well as videos and resources educating students and staff on fatness.
Campus Reform has previously reported on various higher ed initiatives focused on ‘weight inclusivity.’
In 2024, Northwestern University banned ‘fat jokes,’ citing “hostile environment,” and offered a ‘Critical Fat Studies’ course.
The New School in New York has offered a class on ‘Fat Fashion’ for “fat activists,” while the Lewis and Clark Gradraute School hosted a ‘Fat Studies & Health at Every Size’ weekend seminar earlier this year.
Campus Reform has reached out to the University of California, Davis for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
