Sizeism at Work: What You Need To Know To Make Workplaces Safe, Inclusive

Weight stigma and fat shaming at work can be heightened at holiday parties.

It’s holiday party time at work.

If you are spending your days in an office, or you are going in from your remote office for the special in-person occasion of a year’s-end celebration, there will be an abundance of buffets, holiday treats and goodies.

That can be wonderful and it can also be dreadful, particularly if you are labelled as overweight, a person in a larger body, and if fatshaming, fatphobia and sizeism are prevalent in your workplace culture. Subtle or overt comments such as, “That’s a full plate!” or “Why not try the fruit instead of the cookies?” may make anyone want to opt out of any celebration.

Sizeism is defined as bias or discrimination against an individual based on their weight or size. Women and weight is a toxic workplace stew with millions affected.

“Weight stigma and fat shaming at work can be heightened at holiday parties. #sizeism #workplace”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, “in the U.S. the number of people identified as overweight increased from 30.5% to 41.9%.” That adds up to more than 137 million people, many of whom are identifying as women in the workplace facing bias and rude comments about their physical appearance. The word obesity is also contested and shunned by many communities.

“Weight stigma is a global issue with myriad ramifications for health and well-being,” according to 2022 research published in Science Direct. “Whereas implicit and explicit biases against individuals with other stigmatized identities (e.g., racism, homophobia) have decreased over the past decade, the stigmatization of higher weight (i.e., ‘weight stigma’) endures—and may even be increasing.”

A 2017 Fairygodboss study shows women are less likely to get hired if they are perceived as plus size. CNBC reports, “Twenty-one percent of the hiring professionals who were surveyed described the heaviest-looking woman as ‘lazy.’ That description was selected less frequently for every other woman pictured. Only 18 percent said she had leadership potential, while 21 percent of respondents described her as unprofessional. Only 15.6 percent of hiring professionals said they would consider hiring the heaviest-looking woman.”

“A 2017 @Fairygodboss study shows #women are less likely to get hired if they are perceived as #plussize.”

According to She Geeks Out, “Linkedin found that, on average fat workers earned $2,512 less than their colleagues with average or ‘normal’ BMI ranges per year. In the US, on average, ​​obese people can expect to earn anywhere from 1 to 6 percent less than their smaller-bodied teammates. Heavier women experience the most loss when it comes to their paychecks, according to a study by Tennessee State University economists Charles Baum and William Ford.”

Popular culture is historically full of on-screen scenarios where a large person is the subject of office ridicule or workplace rudeness, such as in “The Office” or “This Is Us.”

“Popular culture is historically full of on-screen scenarios where a large person is the subject of office ridicule or #workplace rudeness, such as in “The Office” or “This Is Us.” #fatshaming”

According to the Guardian, “The discrimination faced by fat people everyday – which excludes them from health care procedures, which means they are more likely to be overlooked for promotion at work, which inadvertently encourages bullying and disordered relationships to food and the body, which means that they have to plan their life around accessibility to transport and public access, not to mention navigating the ubiquitous criticism, jokes and dismissal from others – may just be in itself a key driver of these conditions (all of which we know to be encouraged by stress) amongst the ‘fat’ population irrespective of their body size, and there is next to no legislation in our society to prevent this.” 

Social media is often filled with before and after photo galleries of celebrities who have lost 30-100 pounds, with the latest an homage to Kelly Clarkson, singer and talk show host for losing 40 pounds recently. The media is also criticized for perpetuating fat-shaming in content without normalizing or accepting those who are plus size.

A new study from the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance, is a “quantitative review of one year of national news coverage (Dec. 1, 2021 - Nov. 30, 2022) and found that a mere 48 articles about anti-fatness were written or published by traditional news sources, and only 24 spoke about fat liberation or justice in any way. Meanwhile, traditional news sources featured over 18,000 articles focused on covering weight loss.”

Inclusion and fairness in the workplace involves fair treatment of every worker in every size. Size and weight are particularly problematic for women in the workplace and understanding the complexity of how size bias and microagressions occur in culture is an area more universities are addressing with courses in their curriculum.

“#Inclusion and fairness in the #workplace involves fair treatment of every worker in every size. ”

Universities including Ohio State, Washington University in St. Louis, University of Kansas and Washington State University are some of the many addressing studies of size and gender.

Contested Bodies is a course at DePaul University, that is defined here, “This course will consider the theories and practices of differential embodiments and the experiences of bodies that don't fit the norm: queer bodies, fat bodies, transgender bodies, bodies of color. In Western/Global North cultures, the mind is given more importance than the body, and historically, oppressed groups have been associated more with bodies than minds. The course will aid in understanding and questioning the dominant norms that promote ‘normal’ bodies and normative embodiment and offer alternative theories and practices of embodiment.“

There is a movement to not just acknowledge fat bias, but to address the issues it presents in the workplace. CCS Detroit reports, “There is a long history of efforts to combat sizeism. In 1976, Michigan passed the Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act, which includes ‘weight’ as a protected category when it comes to public and educational facilities and services, as well as employment and housing. The body positivity movement is another effort to address weight stigma.”

“There is a movement to not just acknowledge #fatbias, but to address the issues it presents in the #workplace.”

“Fat activists and liberationists often refer to themselves as fat, and that term should be used at the subject's request. Treat fat subjects with care and dignity, using the language and descriptors that they prefer,” says Pamela Mejia, MS, MPH , Head of Research and a Principal Investigator at Berkeley Media Studies Group and study author, National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance.

Legal protections are in play in many cities and states to counter size discrimination. The New York Times reports, “The effort is part of a growing national campaign to address weight discrimination, with lawmakers in New Jersey and Massachusetts considering similar measures banning the practice. Michigan and Washington State already prohibit it, as do some cities, like Madison, Wis., and Washington, D.C.”

“Legal protections are in play in many cities and states to counter size #discrimination. #equalrights”

In late May, New York City signed into law a bill outlawing weight discrimination. “The law adds weight and height to the list of characteristics that are protected from discrimination, along with race, gender, age, religion and sexual orientation, and will apply to employment, housing and access to public accommodations,” The New York Times reports.

To create and sustain a culture of size acceptance in the workplace, here are some tips to make all colleagues and partners feel included and comfortable.

Avoid discussions of diets, weight gain and weight loss in meetings or gatherings. Do not ask questions if a colleague is working out, eating less or trying to lose weight. This is personal and not fodder for group workplace discussion. And definitely do not have weight loss challenges for workers. If a comment on someone’s size or appearance happens at a meeting, say it is not appropriate. Even if a person is complimenting another on weight loss, size and appearance need never be a topic for workplace discussion.  

“Avoid discussions of diets, weight gain and weight loss in meetings or gatherings. #workplace #equity”

Make no assumptions on food choices. Do not comment on portions or food choices for anyone. When having a lunch meeting, consider many options and make no assumptions or comments about what a colleague will or will not eat. According to the University of Illinois resource guide, “Don’t moralize foods (e.g., ‘You need to stop eating X’). Instead, promote eating for pleasure, hunger, satiety and nutrition, instead of weight. Evidence shows that people who eat more intuitively eat more nutritious foods and keep their weight more stable over time.”

Have in place office furniture that accommodates all sizes. It may seem automatic, but not every desk chair or desk is accessible to everyone. Offer a workspace that would be amenable to those who are large sized, which includes also not putting files in a lower cabinet requiring someone to bend down or be on the floor to access. And never draw attention on make comments about someone needing or asking for sized accommodations.

It’s about the work, not appearance. In performance reviews and discussions, never make or tolerate comments about weight loss, weight gain or appearance. Discuss the progress in work and outcomes, not how someone looks. The goal of every leader in an organization is to make certain everyone feels included and does not feel uncomfortable because of weight shaming.

“In performance reviews and discussions, never make or tolerate comments about weight loss, weight gain or appearance. #workplace #bias”

Dr. Monica Johnson writes in Quick & Dirty Tips, “I’m not here to argue that morbid obesity doesn’t have negative effects on physical health. What I am here to argue is that sizeism and its negative effects need to be equally addressed. One can’t make assumptions about someone’s health based solely on their size or BMI.”

Johnson adds for those who identify as large size, “Surround yourself with supportive people. By supportive, I don’t mean people who enable truly unhealthy behaviors. What I mean is communities of people who don’t judge your self-worth based on your size, and instead, encourage you to be holistically healthy.”

Amanda Montgomery, RD, LDN at the Unniversity of Illinois’ Collaboratory for Health Justice, writes, “If the goal is to find the most ethical and effective strategies to achieve optimal public health, there needs to be an alternative to ‘obesity’ and weight-focused approaches and a shift in understanding of weight stigma as a social justice issue.”

Take The Lead Leadership Takeaway of The Week:

“Fat activists and liberationists often refer to themselves as fat, and that term should be used at the subject's request. Treat fat subjects with care and dignity, using the language and descriptors that they prefer.”

—Pamela Mejia, MS, MPH , Head of Research and a Principal Investigator at Berkeley Media Studies Group and study author, National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance