Weight Bias is a topic that needs to be talked about and not overlooked. It stretches out in our society from the fitness to the medical professionals, social media, and the lack of size-inclusive in gyms to the fashion world.
What is Weight Basis? Weight bias refers to negative attitudes, beliefs, assumptions, judgments, and even discrimination directed toward individuals who have larger bodies. (1)
Today’s society has us feeling like we should be and look a certain way to obtain optimum health and fitness (usually by photos of Thin or Ripped people).
THIS IS INCORRECT! The pressure on our appearance and what we should look like is worse now than ever before. Social media has worsened this aspect, with influencers, celebrities, and health-fitness professionals blasting pics or posts engraving that thought in us and our younger generations. Most of them use filters, poses, and apps to manipulate to look skinner or more toned to even enhance the way they look.
In the times of photoshopping, airbrushing, and photo manipulating apps, our reality has become somewhere distorted, and women are chasing an ideal image that is unhealthy and in some cases, not real.
This has led us as females to unhealthy diets, unhealthy exercise, negative body image, and a negative mindset of ourselves.
People often forget that Marilyn Monroe was considered sexy and beautiful in the 50’s with her extreme natural curves and body fat.
WHY is it that only people with low body fat and lean muscles are the picture of health? I call BS, as I know many Skinny “FAT” and unhealthy lean people. You can be unhealthy or out of shape even if you are muscular or thin.
AND you CAN be healthy in a larger body. You can be stronger with more body fat than a muscular person. You can be SEXY and BEAUTIFUL in a large body.
Healthy and Happy bodies come in different shapes and sizes, not just one size or one look.
It’s time for health, medical, and fitness professionals to WAKE UP and LISTEN.
Listen to your clients or patients before assuming anything based on their size and before creating a program, meal plan, or diagnosis.
Large body individuals should not be put in a one-size-fits-all program or one-size-fits-all workout. NOR should be looked at any different than someone leaner.
Make sure they feel comfortable, safe, and heard in your environment. Make sure your equipment is designed for all shapes and sizes. Make sure your workouts or plans are designed and modified for everyone.
AND remember, just because someone is a larger body or is not lean does not mean they are looking to lose weight, they are not lazy, they are not unhealthy, they are not weak, and they do not eat unhealthy all the time.
Let’s change the weight bias society into a happy nonjudgmental space for all shapes and sizes. AND let’s bring more size inclusivity to the fashion, medical, fitness, and wellness world.
I have special training as a size-inclusive specialist to help you gain your confidence feeling empowered, feel heard, feel sexy in your own skin, and improve your wellness by discovering simple habits that will help you establish the balanced, healthy lifestyle you desire and get stronger mentally and physically.
Erin Wheless Wellness is accessible, weight neutral, body-positive, age empowered and all-inclusive in all programs.
I focus on transforming lives, not just bodies.