STORIES OF FAT BODIES
Research "Stories of fat bodies" is looking into expanding understanding and defining patterns of perceived weight stigma in the European Union. It started in 2024, but is ongoing and the results will be released continuously.
Do you live in the EU and identify as fat or know somebody who does? Give a hand and fill out the questionnaire or share it to help us advocate for a more inclusive society!
*We use the word "fat" as a neutral descriptive term without the intention of shaming, offending, or otherwise being discriminatory against bodies of size. On the contrary, by normalizing usage of this word, we actively change the narrative and take away the power from the perpetrators of hate.
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
The idea for this research emerged after recognizing how little both stakeholders and broader European society currently understand about weight stigma, fat acceptance, and fatphobia. Not only is this an understudied field, but it is also relatively new, with terms, practices, and methodologies still developing. Inspired by our own personal stories, we became aware of how underrepresented the voices and stories of people of all sizes are. Our goal is to create a platform that helps to formalize and share these narratives to make them heard.
By collecting data and personal stories, we aim to raise awareness, challenge harmful stereotypes, and advocate for policy changes that promote body diversity and acceptance. Our approach involves gathering information on a wide scale to identify patterns and commonalities across Europe. This broader perspective will help legitimize our claims that discrimination based on body size and shape is a systemic issue that demands urgent attention.
HOW WILL WE USE THE RESULTS?
Our plan is to continue this research as long as it is relevant and provides broader benefit. As you will see, it contains both quantitative and qualitative data - we can't anticipate every way these insights might be used, but it will help us:
In the daily work of the Body Liberation Network and its member organizations (e.g. in grant applications for justification)
In communication activities that promote the visibility and awareness on weight stigma / body shaming / body shape and size discrimination in order to tackle these issues
In creation of other research, books, brochures or other materials that meet the above goals
Potentially, in arts projects and other creative ways that further our efforts.
Currently available languages
(click on button to access the form)
CURRENT FINDINGS
NB! The research is ongoing and this is preliminary data
Aug 31, 2024: 342 responses have been gathered (primarily women with higher education, aged 13 - 73 who filled out the survey in English, Latvian, Italian, Polish, Spanish, or Estonian) who currently identify as fat or did so in the past. 88.3% of them had experienced body shaming, and 58.1% of them experienced it once a month or more often. 67.3% had been discriminated against, and 62.3% had experienced hate speech based on their body shape or size at some point in their lives, but 17.6% had experienced physical violence for these reasons. The most common perpetrators of such actions are their families (70.6%), peers in education (61.8%), medical staff (61.5%), and strangers in public places (51%).
SHARE THE RESEARCH!
DON'T FORGET TO TAG US:
#storiesoffatbodies
#bodylibEU
#bodyliberationEU