Scientific weightism: A view of mainstream weight stigma research through a feminist lens

In all the ways it matters, fat is a feminist issue. Yet, we find this perspective is absent within the mainstream weight stigma literature. In this chapter, we apply a feminist lens to render visible the problems inherent in the mainstream weight stigma research, with particular attention given to the ways in which this scientific discourse serves as a form of structural stigma, and thus as an agent of weight stigma itself. We consider the assumptions, mixed messages, and gaps embedded in this literature and situate weight stigma more centrally within an intersectional and social justice context. The chapter concludes with several recommendations for advancing a more critical and inclusive psychological science of weight stigmatization.