Tag: Fatphobia

The modern diet and weight loss market was valued at over $72 billion in 2021, yet the culture driving this industry has roots stretching back centuries. Unpacking the origins of diet culture reveals a tangled history of morality, pseudo-science, and commercial exploitation, rather than a single, easily identifiable figure.

Weight discrimination has reportedly increased significantly over the last several decades, reaching levels comparable to racial discrimination in the U.S.. This deep-seated societal bias prompts a critical question: why does fat have a bad reputation, and where did this pervasive negativity originate?.

According to the American Psychological Association, weight-based discrimination rose by an alarming 66% in one decade. The use of derogatory terms like 'being a fatty' is a symptom of this pervasive social issue, reflecting harmful biases rather than a neutral description of a person's body.