APA Dictionary of Psychology

weight discrimination

Updated on 11/15/2023

the ability to distinguish differences in weight among stimuli.
the unequal or unfavorable treatment of individuals because of their body size. Weight discrimination, which occurs when an individual acts on their weight bias, can lead to emotional suffering and psychological distress, and may have a negative impact on physical health and well-being, as well as result in discrimination in various areas, such as employment, health care, and social interactions. For example, health professionals who treat people disrespectfully or shame them to motivate changes in behavior create stress and may cause them to delay seeking health care or avoid interacting with providers. Intersectionality may result in a greater cumulative burden for people who experience weight discrimination as well as other forms of oppression (e.g., sexism, ageism, racism, classism, transphobia, and/or xenophobia), and the stress that such oppression causes may damage people’s health. Also called size discrimination; sizeism; weight stigma.

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