What we talk about when we talk about fat

The key terminology from this FAT issue captured in a glossary.

anti-fat bias
Also called fatshaming. Anti-fat bias refers to the stigmatisation, criticism, intimidation, ridicule or discrimination of fat people. Stigmatisation is based on prejudice about supposedly negative personality traits such as low intelligence or a lack of self-control, discipline or perseverance. It creates shame around weight, appearance and/or eating habits.

BMI
BMI stands for Body Mass Index. It is a formula that calculates the ratio between your height and weight and thus determines whether you have a 'healthy weight'. This standard is used worldwide, although it is a problematic instrument.

body neutrality
An approach that encourages individuals to accept their body as it is and view it from a neutral perspective. Body neutrality is often compared to body positivity.

body positivity
The belief that all people deserve to have a positive body image, regardless of how society and pop culture perceive the ideal shape, size and appearance. Basic idea of the movement of the same name.

diet culture
A culture that values weight and body shape, in which a thin body is the ideal, and which encourages everyone to strive for this socially desirable body and/or weight.

fat Defined in the dictionary as: not thin, bulky, corpulent. The term is used worldwide primarily as a term of abuse. Many activists have fought to reclaim the word 'fat' and use it as a neutral, descriptive word.

thin privilege Thin privilege is the freedom to go through life without having to think about how your body size is perceived. Thin privilege consists of the financial, practical and social advantages that people enjoy when they are thin.

fat acceptance
Also known as fat pride, fat empowerment, fat justice and fat activism. Fat acceptance is a social movement that seeks to dispel the social stigma of being fat from society by making the general public aware of the social barriers that fat people face. Points of contention include the aesthetic, legal and medical approach to people who are fatter than the social norm.

fat liberation
Fat liberation is an intersectional way of thinking that stems from the queer movement and questions and undermines the various forms of fatphobia and oppression of fat people. The vision is more radical and political than body positivity because of its focus on fatness and the specific discrimination against fat people.

weight neutral
The term 'weight neutral' is mainly used in healthcare and means that healthcare providers look beyond the weight of their patients during treatment. A weight neutral practitioner recognises that different factors can have an impact on a person's health and well-being.

Health At Every Size
A specific public health viewpoint that seeks to mitigate weight loss as a health goal and reduce the stigma attached to people who are obese.

healthism
Healthism is the belief that health is the responsibility of the individual and that the personal pursuit of health is paramount. It ignores the influence of poverty, oppression, war, violence, chance, historical atrocities, abuse and the environment (clean water, traffic pollution, etc.). It protects the status quo, leads to victim blaming and prejudice, increases health inequality, and promotes internalised oppression. It judges the value of people by their health.

obesity / overweight
‘Obesity' or 'overweight' is a category of the BMI index and is a medical term indicating that so much body fat has accumulated that it can have a serious negative impact on health. The word comes from the Latin word 'obesus' which means 'fat' or 'full of food'. In other words, you are fat because you have eaten too much. The stigma associated with being 'overweight' and 'obese' causes fat people to be discriminated against in different areas.

stoutwear
The historical predecessor of today's plus size fashion, aimed primarily at older, upper-middle-class women.

straight-sized
A clothing size that is not considered plus size. A fashion industry term for the clothing size that most designers use as a model.

fat phobia / anti-fatness
The implicit and explicit prejudice against fat people. Anti-fatness is inseparable from anti-blackness, racism, misogyny and many other systems of oppression.