Fat is not a bad word, and it's time to stop acting like it is

How society has stigmatized the word fat

The idea that “fat” is an indicator of not just size but moral character has long been promoted in society, whether subconsciously suggested or said straight out.

These messages are everywhere, from movies, TV, and social media to the news and public health campaigns. An entire “culture” has developed around the idea that thinness is equivalent to moral superiority, and fatness is not just a size but a way of being, which should be demonized.

Fatness in the media

Several studies have shown that weight stigma runs rampant in popular culture on a number of fronts. Fat characters on TV and in movies were not only found to be largely underrepresented compared to their presence in the general population but were also:¹

• Less likely to be considered attractive
• Less likely to interact with romantic partners
• Less likely to display physical affection
• Less likely to talk about dating
• More likely to be shown eating

Sadly, these types of messages have even been identified in children’s cartoons. Characters who were “overweight” were routinely shown to have fewer or no friends and be less intelligent, loving, and physically healthy. These characters were also generally rated as “less likable” by children.²

Other studies have found that the tendency of the media—including news, advertisements, social media, and entertainment—to over-represent thin individuals, use weight-related humor, and spread misinformation about weight and health helped reinforce negative stereotypes about fatness. Even public health campaigns, purportedly designed to help, have been found problematic, tied to the spread of anti-fat bias and increased unhealthy behaviors related to it.³

Fatness and diet culture

Another big perpetrator of “fat” as a bad word is diet culture. The term is loosely defined but generally refers to a group of philosophies that put thinness on a moral pedestal and promote the idea that achieving thinness should be everyone’s top priority.

The implication is that there is only one “correct” body type, and it generally follows that not achieving it indicates some moral flaw. The idea helps paint the world in stark shades of black and white, where there are “good” foods and “bad” foods, and “right” and “wrong” ways to look, with thinness being “good” and fatness being “bad.” It also conflates weight with health—e.g., being fat means you’re unhealthy–which has been repeatedly disproved.⁴

Diet culture also operates on the untrue idea that weight is someone’s personal responsibility, ignoring the numerous biological, psychological, environmental, and social factors that also come into play. This makes it even easier to say someone is fat because they’re lazy, unmotivated, or otherwise unworthy, and it often fuels the type of negative mindsets that perpetuate eating disorders.⁴

More recently, some media channels have stopped using words like “diet” and instead focus on “wellness,” a supposedly more inclusive term that encourages people to be healthy rather than a specific weight or size. While some content creators are sincere in these beliefs, a majority are not, continuing to promote ideals and images associated with diet culture under a more socially acceptable name.

Reclaiming the word “fat”

It’s high time to normalize and neutralize the word fat, following in the footsteps of fat people themselves. The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) was founded back in 1969 for just this purpose: to help fat people reclaim the would-be epithet and show society that there’s nothing wrong with fatness.

Unfortunately, society still hasn’t quite caught on. But this doesn’t always come from a place of meanness or even ignorance.

The effects of fat-shaming, anti-fat bias, and weight discrimination have been brought more into the light lately. Many people read about these experiences and their potentially harmful effects and have made the choice to remove “fat” from their vocabulary. The gesture is often made in an attempt to avoid inflicting more pain or harm on others. 

But refusing to use the word can work against that cause, inadvertently giving it power and reaffirming all its negative connotations. Even with the best intentions, refusing to use the word fat can also work to deny the lived experience of fat people or minimize their input in the conversation. 

Using the word as a neutral descriptor can have a much more powerful effect than removing it entirely. It can work to normalize and devalue the word, removing its power as a negative term and restoring it to its true place as a simple adjective.

How to change your perspective on the word fat

If you’ve ever asked if a particular pair of pants makes you look fat or said that you feel fat after eating a large meal, you’ve participated in stigmatizing the word fat. The same can be said if someone has ever referred to themself as fat and you’ve assured them, “No, you aren’t fat!” 

Your intentions may be good, but in reality, you’re parroting the tenets of diet culture and communicating that fatness is an undesirable trait. This can be especially harmful when speaking to people who have reclaimed the word fat and use it to describe themselves and their bodies. Your knee-jerk reaction to reassure them they “aren’t fat” winds up invalidating, alienating, or shaming them. 

If you’ve begun to recognize some of your discomfort or internalized bias related to the word fat or fat people, there are several things you can do to help:

Equating the word “fat” with a bad word, whether out loud or in your thoughts, can have a number of detrimental effects on an individual and societal level. It can be hard to unlearn beliefs that are so deeply sewn in society, but actively working toward it can help build the foundation of a more tolerant, kind, and healthy future.