When we think of grossophobia, we often think that this discrimination mainly concerns fat people. In reality, it affects us all – regardless of our waist size! It’s important to understand the scope of the issue so that we can help reduce the stigma. Why is this happening, and what can companies do about it? Meet Édith Bernier: author, speaker, consultant and founder of the Grossophobie website.
What is the definition of a fat person?
Édith Bernier: I give a definition in my book: Fat people would be the set of people who are punished by common and inevitable experiences of exclusion. Not just those who have been called fat, as almost all of us have been in our lives, but those for whom the satisfaction of basic needs is limited; significantly restricted. It’s not just people who have trouble finding clothes they like, but people for whom it’s hard to find clothes at all. These are the people who are uncomfortable on planes, on public transport and who are ridiculed, sometimes, for even trying to take public transport.
Are fat people a minority group?
Édith Bernier: Not at all! In Quebec, if we include all those considered “fat”, i.e. people who are overweight or obese according to BMI, we get around 58% of the population. So we’re far from being a minority.
You don’t have to be fat to experience grossophobia: the desire to lose weight, the fear of putting on weight, all the talk you hear about it. For example, let’s take the speech we hear when we come back from the holidays: “Oh, I’ve lost weight! It’s all part of the fat-phobia, diet culture and cult of thinness. We’re all affected by grossophobia, whether we’re fat or not. For example, people with eating disorders such as anorexia are affected by grossophobia. The same goes for people with body dysmorphia. [Note – According to psychomedia: “Body dysmorphia disorder (dysmorphophobia) is a preoccupation with an imagined defect in physical appearance. If a physical defect is apparent, the preoccupation is obviously disproportionate.”]
Both are recognized psychiatric disorders. Anorexia is mentioned as one of the psychiatric disorders that causes the most deaths. So, grossophobia affects a lot of people!
“You don’t have to be fat to experience grossophobia.”
– Édith Bernier
In everyday language, there are plenty of expressions we use that contribute to grossophobia. I’m thinking in particular of the concept of “having to pay attention”, as if the opposite were “letting oneself go”.
Édith Bernier: There’s a lot of irony in “having to take care”, “taking care of yourself”, “taking charge”, of course! It would mean that fat people are people who don’t pay attention, who don’t take care of themselves. We know that’s not true at all.
My favorite example for deconstructing fat stereotypes is fat athletes. There are so many of them! Just look at the women who have won medals in weightlifting at the Olympic Games. I’m particularly familiar with the one who finished third, Sarah Robles. This woman is far from small. Sarah is big, but she’s trained. Her nutritionist and trainer follow her very closely, and she stays very active. Being healthy is essential for Sarah. And yet, surprise! She’s a high-level athlete who’s fat. There are many people taking care of her, making sure she eats a balanced diet and so on. But she’s still fat. It’s important not to see fatness as a failure or a temporary thing to get rid of.
What word should be used to describe fat people?
Édith Bernier: I prefer the term “fat people”, because you’re a person before you’re a fat person. It’s the same way we refer to homeless people or trans people. Instead of saying “trans” or “homeless”, we add the word “people”.
I don’t really like words like overweight and obesity, because I find them very pathologizing.
Bear in mind that just because someone doesn’t use humanizing vocabulary doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ill-intentioned. I prefer to promote education.
What could a company do to reduce grossophobia, and be more inclusive?
Édith Bernier: The first thing is to let staff know that requests for accommodation are possible. I don’t know how many times I’ve found myself with a workstation identical to that of my colleagues. They may be fine for them, but not for me! If I need a bigger chair, my cubicle will have less space. This means I have less room to work compared to my smaller colleagues. The idea is to have a work environment adapted to each individual, not identical cubicles for everyone. It’s not a question of taking away from one person to give to another, but rather of ensuring that people with certain needs feel comfortable requesting accommodation.
You also need to be careful that grossophobia doesn’t taint the process! For example, many employers ask for a doctor’s note to prove that the employee needs accommodation. This can be a stumbling block: will staff dare to ask for accommodation? Once at the clinic, won’t health-care staff be grossophobic? Will they suggest losing weight? Medical grossophobia exists and is well documented.
When it comes to uniforms, what should a company do to be inclusive of fat people?
Édith Bernier: There are many ways to make uniforms more inclusive! You have to be careful about standardized uniforms in Small, Medium or Large only. Many people don’t fit into the “standard” categories. This is just as true for the very short or the very thin. Just because they fit into a Petit size doesn’t mean they’re comfortable in that size. Instead of forcing staff members to wear the uniform they’re given, you can tell people to wear their own black t-shirt, for example, and wear an identifier on it, something you can hang with pins, for example. Otherwise, it could be a headband, a cap, an armband. The important thing is to be flexible and allow people to wear their own clothes if they wish. In this way, we ensure that everyone is comfortable, while representing the company.
What to think about company wellness programs? What should we look out for?
Édith Bernier: There are many companies where wellness is directly or indirectly associated with weight loss. Let’s keep a critical eye on these programs and make sure they’re real wellness for everyone, not weight-loss programs in disguise.
I’ve worked in companies where there were overt weight-loss groups – of which I was presumed to be a member, because I was the fattest. People talked about weight loss in corridors, cubicles and so on. This kind of talk can be unpleasant for people who don’t want to hear it, not just fat people, but anyone sensitive to weight problems, eating disorders and so on.
You have to be careful about the underlying messages and subtext that come with these programs. Wellness should be the same for everyone. There shouldn’t be a different definition depending on your size, age, gender or social status. Everyone benefits from going to the gym, eating less processed foods, lowering their stress levels, etc.
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